Semantic Actualization and the ZA Framework: From Quantum Potential to Semantic Determinacy
Beckingham, CD, Allan Christopher
This paper introduces the ZA Framework (Semantic Actualization Framework), a formal interpretive model that extends quantum theory by introducing a semantic sector alongside the physical Hilbert space. Rather than modifying the equations of quantum mechanics, the ZA Framework reframes the emergence of determinate outcomes as a process of semantic dominance, quantified by a dimensionless actualization ratio. The framework defines a composite state space HT=HS⊗HLH_T = H_S \otimes H_LHT=HS⊗HL, where physical degrees of freedom coexist with a semantic lattice governed by a contextual strength operator C^\hat{C}C^. Semantic evolution is modeled via a lattice-indexed propagator, yielding an actualization function Z(τ)=⟨M⟩(τ)ΔM(τ),Z(\tau) = \frac{\langle M \rangle(\tau)}{\Delta M(\tau)} ,Z(τ)=ΔM(τ)⟨M⟩(τ), with determinacy occurring when Z(τ)≥1Z(\tau) \ge 1Z(τ)≥1. This approach resolves the measurement problem without invoking wavefunction collapse, hidden variables, or observer-induced causation. Probability is reinterpreted as semantic uncertainty rather than a fundamental ontological primitive. The ZA Framework unifies decoherence, contextuality, and observer participation within a single, falsifiable interpretive layer, offering applications to quantum measurement theory, semantic information systems, and ontology-aware AI. Notes No modification to standard quantum dynamics is proposed. The framework operates strictly at the interpretive and semantic-structural level. Claims are conservative, explicit, and designed for analytical scrutiny. LicenseCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Versionv1.0 (Canonical) Keywords #Semantic_Actualization, #ZA_Framework, #Quantum_Measurement, #Measurement_Problem, #Contextuality, #Semantic_Hilbert_Space, #Decoherence, #Quantum_Interpretation, #Information_Theory, #Semantic_Coherence, #Ontology, #Determinacy, #Observer_Participation, #Probability_Theory, #Cognitive_Physics, #Philosophy_of_Physics
•Feb 6, 2026•0 citations