# Information Dynamics Perspective on Locality and Non-Locality ## 1. The Tension: Local Interactions vs. Quantum Non-Locality Physics presents a tension regarding locality. Classical physics and special relativity are built upon the principle of locality: interactions are mediated by fields propagating at or below the speed of light, and events at spatially separated locations cannot instantaneously influence each other. However, quantum mechanics, particularly through the phenomenon of entanglement and violations of Bell inequalities, strongly suggests that reality possesses fundamentally non-local features [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0022_IO_Entanglement]]. How can a universe exhibit both local causal propagation and seemingly instantaneous non-local correlations? ## 2. IO's Dual Framework: Locality of ε, Non-Locality of κ Information Dynamics (IO) proposes a resolution by attributing locality and non-locality to different aspects of its fundamental ontology [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0012_Alternative_Kappa_Epsilon_Ontology]]: * **Locality of Actuality (ε) and Causality (CA):** * IO posits that **spacetime is emergent** from the structure and dynamics of the informational network [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0016_Define_Adjacency_Locality]]. "Distance" and "adjacency" are defined informationally based on interaction probabilities and causal connections. * **Actualized information (ε patterns)** and **causal influence (CA)** [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0008_Define_Causality_CA]] propagate through this emergent network structure step-by-step along the Sequence (S). * This propagation is inherently **local** in the informational sense – influence primarily affects adjacent nodes and attenuates with informational distance. The maximum speed of this propagation corresponds to the speed of light 'c' [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0024_IO_Fundamental_Constants]]. * Therefore, all processes involving the transmission of actualized information or classical causal influence obey locality within the emergent spacetime framework. * **Non-Locality (or A-Locality) of Potentiality (κ):** * In contrast, **Potentiality (κ)** [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0048_Kappa_Nature_Structure]] is not necessarily bound by the emergent spatial locality defined by ε interactions. * The κ state represents possibilities and relational potentials that might exist "outside" or "beneath" the emergent spatial manifold. * **Shared κ States (Entanglement):** As proposed in [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0022_IO_Entanglement]], entangled systems share a single, unified κ state that is inherently non-local. This shared potential structure spans the constituents regardless of their separation in the emergent ε-based space. * **Instantaneous Correlation via κ Resolution:** When a local interaction actualizes one part of the shared κ state (κ → ε), the *entire* potential state is instantaneously updated or constrained due to its unified nature. This leads to correlated outcomes when other parts are subsequently actualized, *without* any signal propagating between the actualized ε events faster than light. The non-locality resides in the potential (κ), not in the actual (ε) interactions. ## 3. Reconciling the Tension IO reconciles the tension by assigning different locality properties to the two fundamental modes of being: * **Actuality (ε) is local:** Governed by causal propagation through the emergent network structure (spacetime). This respects relativity for all processes involving actualized states and energy/signal transmission. * **Potentiality (κ) is non-local (or a-local):** Exists as a field of possibilities potentially interconnected in ways that transcend the emergent spatial metric. This allows for quantum entanglement correlations without violating relativistic causality for actual signals. The "spooky action" occurs in the realm of potentiality, instantly constraining possibilities across a shared κ state upon a local actualization event. The subsequent actualizations then reveal these pre-existing (post-first-measurement) correlations locally. ## 4. Implications for Spacetime Emergence [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0016_Define_Adjacency_Locality]], [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0028_IO_GR_Gravity]] This view reinforces the idea of spacetime as emergent and potentially derivative of deeper, non-local connections within κ. * **κ as Pre-Geometric Substrate:** The structure of κ might define a form of "pre-space" connectivity that is more fundamental than the geometric distances emerging from ε interactions. Entanglement might reveal direct connections in this κ pre-space that appear distant in the emergent ε space. * **Gravity and Locality:** Gravity, emerging from the network's response to ε patterns [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0028_IO_GR_Gravity]], operates within the emergent local framework. However, a full theory of quantum gravity within IO would need to describe how the non-local κ field interacts with or gives rise to the dynamic, locally defined emergent geometry. ## 5. Challenges * **Formalizing Non-Local κ:** Developing a mathematical description [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0041_Formalizing_Kappa]] for κ that captures its non-local structure and its precise relationship to the emergent local ε space is essential but difficult. * **Explaining the Boundary:** What determines the boundary between the non-local κ and the local ε? Is the κ → ε transition [[releases/archive/Information Ontology 1/0042_Formalizing_Actualization]] precisely where non-locality gives way to locality? * **Experimental Tests:** Can experiments be designed to directly probe the non-local structure of κ, beyond observing entanglement correlations in ε outcomes? ## 6. Conclusion: Locality Emerges, Potentiality Transcends Information Dynamics proposes a nuanced view where **locality is an emergent property** associated with **Actuality (ε)** and causal propagation (CA) within the informational network, respecting relativistic constraints for all actual processes. **Non-locality**, as revealed by quantum entanglement, is interpreted as an intrinsic feature of **Potentiality (κ)**, which exists as a unified, interconnected field or structure underlying the emergent spacetime. The apparent paradox dissolves by assigning different locality characteristics to the potential and actual modes of informational reality. Entanglement provides a window into the fundamentally non-local connections inherent in the potential substrate from which our seemingly local reality is actualized.