Time from a Timeless Universe

In the paper's words

The problem of time in physics stems from a foundational conflict between the static, geometric reality described by fundamental theories and the dynamic, flowing time of human experience. Physicalist models that attempt to reify this experiential time, such as the Evolving Block Universe (EBU), suffer from systemic failures, including logical circularity, empirical emptiness, and incompatibility with relativity. This paper argues for a paradigm shift from a substance-based ontology of time to a relational one grounded in quantum information.

The abstract, verbatim, and its opening sentence is the claim. Every line below is quoted from the text.

Numbers it reports

1. the Arrow of time The directionality of time is not a fundamental law but an emergent feature of the specific universal state $|\Psi\rangle$, which is constrained by a low-entropy past boundary condition (Carroll, 2010).

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How it is done

1. Within this framework, we formally derive the time-dependent Schrödinger equation as an effective, emergent description of the correlations between a subsystem designated as a “clock” and the rest of the universe.

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2. This approach inevitably leads to paradoxes when the properties of this supposed substance conflict with the known laws of physics, such as relativity.

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3. Third, this new paradigm will be validated through a rigorous mathematical proof that derives all of temporal dynamics from a timeless quantum state.

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4. The ‘present moment’ Formalized as a Conditional state The ‘present moment’ for an observer at time $t$ is formally defined as the conditional state $|\psi(t)\rangle_S$, obtained by projecting the universal state $|\Psi\rangle$ onto the clock’s eigenstate $|t\rangle_C$: $$ |\psi(t)\rangle_S := \langle t|_C |\Psi\rangle \quad (2) $$ This provides a rigorous, physical definition of “now” not as a universal hyperplane, but as the state of the system that is correlated with the state of the observer’s clock.

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What would falsify it

1. Empirical Emptiness of Temporal ‘passage’ The ‘passage of time’ is an empirically empty, metaphysical concept, not a physical observable, because its defining characteristic—its rate—is immeasurable.

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2. Principle 1: Emergence via Subsystem partition Observable dynamics are not properties of the universe as a whole but of the relationships between its constituent parts.

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Where the claim stops

1. Models that attempt to build a physical reality upon the intuitive notions of a flowing ‘passage’ of time or a universal ‘present moment’ consistently fail, generating irresolvable paradoxes and requiring ad-hoc mechanisms that lack empirical support.

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2. These models attempt to project the human experience of temporal flow onto the fabric of reality, but in doing so, they clash with the established principles of modern physics and fail to produce a logically consistent framework.

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3. Case Study: The Internal Incoherence of the Evolving Block Universe (EBU) The Evolving Block Universe (EBU) model is a prime example of a class of theories that fail because they require ad-hoc, physically unmotivated mechanisms to reconcile the static geometry of relativity with the dynamic experience of time (Riggs, 2024).

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Where to read

1. The251 words · 1 min
2. 1.0362 words · 2 min
3. 2.0388 words · 2 min
4. 3.0312 words · 1 min
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7. 6.0 Implications and346 words · 2 min
8. 7.091 words · 1 min
9. Appendix A: Formal Proof of Emergent Temporal dynamics365 words · 2 min