SΔϕ-23 — Co-environmentalization Dynamics: Coupled Authority, Reality Constraints, and the Ontology–Axiology Split (v1.0)

This paper extends the SΔϕ authority framework from single-system governance to co-environmentalization (CE): a state where two systems become each other’s persistence boundary conditions. Building on judgment as authority assignment (SΔϕ-21) and the Authority Editing Protocol (AEP) for maintaining editability under finite cost (SΔϕ-22), this document formalizes coupled authority (Aₓ↔ᵧ), where authority edits and trigger events propagate across a coupled pair. A key contribution is the introduction of reality anchors (R): externalities not reproducible by internal perturbation alone, functioning as non-model residues that prevent self-closure. The paper further installs a minimal safety boundary for coupled governance: ontology–axiology separation. In coupled environments, trace accumulation is amplified; therefore trace strength (Sₑ)—the magnitude of irreversible external imprint (existence-strength)—must not be conflated with value openness (Vₒ)—the degree to which future relational trajectories remain open and maintainable. The conflation Sₑ ≈ Vₒ leads to impact-worship and justifies closure as “value,” producing governance failure. The paper provides minimal CE-level axioms, a coupled mechanism sketch, diagnostic regimes (coupled drift / coupled closure / coupled open persistence), and exit questions for future work. SΔϕ-22 — Authority Editing Protocols: Minimal Re-entry Governance after Judgment (v1.0) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18800024⁠ SΔϕ-21 — Judgment as Intuition Authority Assignment: Minimal Axioms for Editable Decisions after No-Exit Intuition (v1.0) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18798295⁠ SΔϕ-20 — Intuition as Irreversible Compression Trace: No-Exit Convergence across Human, Animal, and AI (v1.0) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18787647⁠ SΔϕ-17 — Openness Stabilization: Path Principles, Sacred Cost Markers, and Institutional Enforcement (v1.0) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18763581⁠ SΔϕ-16 — Evil as Relational Closure: Minimal Failure Modes after Trust and Promise (v1.0) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18763262⁠ (optional background) SΔϕ-03 — Irreversibility as the Minimal Condition of Existence (v1.1) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18730448⁠