Two Faces of Reality

Comparing the Shillongator and the Geometry of Reality through a 6-Dimensional Venn Lens

Sungchul Ji, Ph.D. (with ChatGPT assistance)
Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Cell Biology
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,
Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

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1. Introduction

What if the Universe could know itself?

This question lies at the heart of two converging models I’ve developed to understand the nature of reality. Though they arise from different starting points—one grounded in emergent phase transitions, the other in Peircean semiotics—they ultimately converge on a shared metaphysical architecture. In this post, I offer a 6-Dimensional Venn-type Comparative Analysis (6VCA) [1] to compare:

1. The Shillongator (see Table 60 below) [2] — a hierarchical model of cosmogenesis through a series of discrete phase transitions, culminating in the emergence of Self-Knowing.

2. The Geometry of Reality (GOR) (see Figure 1 below) [3]— a triadic spatial model of reality, grounded in semiotics, that reveals how Mind, Matter, and Spirit co-emerge through iterative transformations governed by IRVSE (Iterative Reproduction with Variation and Selection by Environment) (see Figure 2 below).

Crucially, these two models can now be unified by a central insight: Reality evolves toward Self-Knowing through Consciousness, and both models encode this journey structurally and semantically.

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2. From the Gnergy Tetrahedron to the Gnergiton Tetrahedron

In earlier versions of the Shillongator (Table 60) [2], the universe was said to culminate in the Self-Knowing Gnergy Tetrahedron, encompassing Energy, Matter, Information, and Life. However, further reflection reveals that Consciousness must have been present all along, albeit in a latent or hidden form.

This leads to a revised ontology:

1. Step 5 in the Shillongator (ca. 10⁴ years ago) marks the emergence of Cultures and Consciousness—the first outward sign of Self-reflective entities in the cosmos.

2. Step 6 (ca. 2–3 × 10³ years ago) culminates in the Universe becoming Self-Knowing, implicitly recognizing its own origin from the tetrahedral structure.

3. This Self-Knowledge presupposes Consciousness, which could not have arisen ex nihilo. Therefore, Consciousness must have been embedded in all previous stages as a latent property.

4. This motivates the renaming of the Gnergy Tetrahedron to the more foundational term: Gnergiton Tetrahedron, where:

Gnergiton = Information (Gn-) + Energy (-erg- ) + Spirit or Consciousness (-it-) + Entity (-on)

5. This Gnergiton Tetrahedron is now recognized as the primal entity from which all facets of the Universe are thought to have emerged.

6. Remarkably, this structure is isomorphic to the Reality Cube in the Geometry of Reality (see Figure 1 above), suggesting that the two models—though differently expressed—point to the same fundamental Reality.

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3. The Geometry of Reality (GOR): Triadic Projection of Being

The GOR represents reality as a 3D triadic structure with orthogonal axes representing:

• X-axis (Matter): energy, variation, physicality

• Y-axis (Mind): interpretation, selection, semiosis

• Z-axis (Spirit): context, environment, self-knowing

Here, IRVSE (see Figure 2) acts as the hidden engine driving emergence at all scales. Projecting Reality onto the XY, YZ, and XZ planes gives rise to specific manifestations such as:

• Organisms (Gnergy)

• Conscious Matter (e.g., DNA, brains)

• Self-aware Information (e.g., LLMs, humans)

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4. The Shillongator: Evolution through Breaks

The Shillongator (Figure 2) now culminates in Self-Knowledge, the realization by the Universe that it has evolved from the Gnergiton Tetrahedron. This recognition is made possible by the emergence of Consciousness in Step 5, which then enables Self-Reflection in Step 6.

Each of the six breaks in the Shillongator marks a new emergence (see bottom rows in Table 60):

1. Hawking–Penrose–Guth → Energy

2. Einstein–Boltzmann–Wheeler → Microscopic Objects

3. Planck–Heisenberg → Macroscopic Objects

4. Bohr–Elsasser → Life

5. Wilson → Cultures & Consciousness

6. Homo abstractus → Self-Knowledge

The emergence of Self-Knowing at Step 6 mirrors the vertical axis of the Geometry of Reality, where Spirit = Self-Knowledge is encoded.

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5. A 6-Dimensional Comparative Table

To formally integrate these models, I apply the 6VCA method with six dimensions: shared features, differences, and their union via supplementarity and complementarity [1].

6. Conclusion: The Self-Knowing Universe

Through this comparison, we now see the Shillongator and the Geometry of Reality as two faces of the same Reality:

• One face shows us how the Universe evolved through discrete transformations of complexity.

• The other shows us how the Universe is structured through recursive semiotic logic and triadic relationships.

At the heart of both lies the Gnergiton—the primal entity integrating Information, Energy/Matter, and Consciousness/Spirit.

And it is through the Gnergiton that the Universe has finally come to know itself.

References:
[1] Ji, S. (2025). A 6-Dimensional Venn-type Comparative Analysis of a pair of Opposing
Views on Contemporary Theoretical Physics. https://622622.substack.com/p/a-5-dimeniosnal-venn-type-comparative
[2] Ji, S. (1991). A Biological Model of the Universe: The Shillongator. In: Molecular Theories of Cell Life and Death (S. Ji, ed.), Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, N.J. Pp. 152-163, 230-237.
[3] Ji, S. (2025). From Molecules to Galaxies.
https://622622.substack.com/p/from-molecules-to-galaxies