Formal Statement of Ethical Signalism

Ethical Signalism is a meta-ethical theory asserting that moral judgments, values, and principles do not possess objective or metaphysical truth value, but function as non-factual, locally generated signals whose sole purpose is the structural maintenance and maximization of social continuity and predictability.

I. The Anti-Realist Foundation

1. Rejection of Objectivity (Axiological Nullity): Ethical Signalism stands as a form of Moral Anti-Realism and Error Theory. It denies the existence of intrinsic moral facts, objective moral laws (divine or natural), and moral properties derived from pure reason. All positive moral statements (e.g., "Murder is wrong") are fundamentally devoid of truth value, as they refer to non-existent objective entities.
2. Conventionalism and Construction: Morality is a human invention, a conventional structure analogous to language, currency, or law. Its ontology is entirely dependent on the collective agreement, acceptance, and enforcement within a specific social configuration.

II. The Core Mechanism: The Fictional Signal

3. The Signal Thesis: A moral judgment is a Fictional Signal—a prescriptive linguistic marker transmitted by social architects (governments, religions, cultural norms) to influence behavior. The power of the signal lies not in its truth, but in its utility for configuration.
4. Localised Subjective Gravity: Morality acts as a localised force of subjective gravity. Unlike the fundamental laws of physics, this force is neither universal nor inherent to the cosmos; it is generated entirely by the subjective agreements and cognitive configurations of a localized community, serving to bind individuals into a predictable and shared structure.

III. The Structural and Pragmatic Purpose

5. The Goal of Continuity: The sole, non-spiritual purpose of the Ethical Signal is Structural Continuity. The signal is designed to minimize internal friction (entropy) and maximize the long-term survival, stability, and scale of the social configuration that generates it.
6. Definition of Value: Moral terms are defined by their structural function:
   • "Good" is defined pragmatically as any behavior, belief, or principle that demonstrably ensures or maximizes continuity and predictability within the system.
   • "Evil" is defined as any behavior, belief, or principle that demonstrably threatens or introduces entropy into the system's continuity.

IV. Ethical Progress and Refinement

7. Progress as Refinement: Moral Progress is not the movement toward an objective moral ideal, but the ongoing process of Signal Refinement. It is the pragmatic substitution of older, structurally inefficient, or locally-scoped signals (which threatened continuity in the long run) with newer, more robust, and widely-scoped signals that generate greater aggregate stability and predictability for the social configuration.
8. The Mechanism of Change: Signal Leakage is the core proceess of bottom-up influence. It occurs when a critical mass of individuals or sub-collectives internally develops a more structurally efficient counter-signal—a belief or behavior that promises superior continuity at the local level compared to the established dominant Signal.
   • Generation of Entropy: This counter-signal generates friction and unpredictability (entropy) within the dominant structure because it introduces non-compliance and conflict.
   • Bottom-Up Pressure: This collective, localized entropy applies pressure (leakage) onto the Social Architects. The cost of maintaining the outdated Signal through enforcement eventually exceeds the cost of adapting the Signal.
   • Refinement Trigger: Ethical Leakage is the pragmatic trigger that compels the governing institutions to refine the dominant Signal—not out of moral conviction, but out of the structural necessity to restore Systemic Coherence and preserve their own continuity.