# [Contemplative Science and the Nature of Reality](releases/2025/Contemplative%20Science/Contemplative%20Science.md) # Chapter 10: It from Bit *Information, Physics, and Basis of Reality* The cognitive and computational models examined in the previous chapter offer valuable frameworks for understanding the functional aspects of consciousness and its potential implementation in neural architectures. However, their limitations in fully addressing subjective qualia and the profound nature of certain contemplative experiences motivate the exploration of alternative theoretical perspectives. This chapter delves into a class of models that assign a more fundamental role to **information** in the constitution of reality itself, suggesting that the physical world, and potentially consciousness, might emerge from an underlying informational substrate. We begin by briefly revisiting the critique of standard reductive physicalism, particularly in light of contemplative data, to underscore the need for such alternative frameworks. We then explore several influential ideas that place information center stage: John Archibald Wheeler’s provocative “It from Bit” hypothesis linking reality to observation and information; **digital physics** proposals suggesting the universe is fundamentally computational; the related concept of the **universe as a quantum computer**; and a specific **information dynamics framework** focusing on resolution and transition. Finally, we examine the deep and well-established connections between information, physics, and **thermodynamics**, which provide robust support from within physics itself for considering information as a fundamental physical quantity, thereby strengthening the plausibility of information-centric ontologies. ## 10.1 Critiquing Reductive Physicalism via Contemplative Data Before exploring information-centric alternatives, it is useful to reiterate why standard **reductive physicalism**–the dominant ontological view in contemporary science, asserting that everything is ultimately reducible to fundamental physical entities and laws–faces significant challenges, especially when confronted with the full spectrum of conscious experience revealed through contemplative practice. The persistence of the **Hard Problem of Consciousness** (how physical processes generate subjective qualia) remains a primary challenge. Furthermore, the existence and nature of advanced contemplative states, as detailed in Part I, exacerbate this difficulty. Experiences of **boundless awareness**, seemingly transcending the spatial confines of the brain; **timelessness**, challenging the linear flow assumed in classical physics; radical **unity** or **non-duality**, dissolving the subject-object distinction fundamental to ordinary perception; **ego dissolution**, undermining the notion of a fixed, substantial self; and potentially even **cessation (Nirodha)**, representing a complete break in conscious processing–all these phenomena are difficult to accommodate within a framework that views consciousness solely as an emergent property of classical electrochemical interactions within an individual brain. They suggest properties of consciousness–potential boundlessness, unity, transcendence of conventional spacetime structures–that seem irreducible to standard physical descriptions of neural activity. This mismatch between the reported phenomenology of contemplative states and the explanatory resources of standard reductive physicalism motivates the serious consideration of alternative ontological frameworks. These alternatives might involve either a radical expansion of what constitutes the “physical” to intrinsically include aspects of consciousness or information, or they might posit consciousness, information, or some neutral substrate as being more fundamental than matter and energy as currently conceived. The data from contemplative science thus serves not only to enrich our understanding of the mind but also to provide critical empirical challenges that spur the development of new theoretical perspectives on the fundamental nature of reality itself. ## 10.2 Wheeler’s “It From Bit/Qubit”: Observer-Participancy One of the most influential and evocative proposals placing information at the heart of reality comes from the renowned 20th-century physicist John Archibald Wheeler. His famous maxim, **“It from Bit,”** encapsulates the idea that the physical world–all the “stuff” of reality (“It”)–ultimately derives its existence and properties from an information-theoretic foundation (“Bit,” representing the fundamental unit of information, the answer to a yes/no question obtained through measurement or observation). In this radical view, information is not merely something we use to *describe* reality; it is, in some sense, the *source* of reality. Physical existence emerges from the accumulation of bits of information registered through acts of observation. Wheeler intricately linked this concept to the interpretation of quantum mechanics, particularly emphasizing the role of the observer in shaping reality through the concept of **observer-participancy**. He argued that the quantum world exists in a state of potentiality or superposition until a measurement is made. The choice of what measurement to perform–what question to ask of reality–plays an active role in determining the outcome, collapsing the possibilities into a definite state. In Wheeler’s famous “delayed choice” thought experiments, the observer’s choice seems to influence the past history of a quantum particle. This led him to suggest that the universe, in a sense, comes into being through the very acts of observation (by conscious observers or potentially even inanimate measuring devices) that register information about it. The observer is not a detached spectator but an active participant in constructing reality. Wheeler later refined his slogan to **“It from Qubit,”** acknowledging that the fundamental unit might be the quantum bit, which incorporates the principles of superposition and entanglement inherent in quantum information. While Wheeler’s “It from Bit/Qubit” remains more of a philosophical perspective or research program than a fully developed physical theory, its implications are profound. It suggests an ontology where information and the act of observation are primary, and physical reality is secondary or derivative. This perspective resonates intriguingly with certain insights reported in contemplative traditions. The emphasis on the observer’s role in shaping perceived reality echoes non-dual teachings about the co-dependent arising of subject and object, or the Yogacara Buddhist school’s emphasis on mind (*citta*) as the basis of experience. The idea that reality emerges from informational interactions might find parallels in contemplative descriptions of the world as dependently originated (*pratītyasamutpāda*) or empty (*śūnya*) of inherent, independent substance, where phenomena exist only relationally. Although direct equivalences must be drawn with caution, Wheeler’s hypothesis provides a compelling conceptual framework, originating from within physics itself, for considering information and observation as potentially fundamental constituents of reality, thereby opening space for models that bridge mind and matter. ## 10.3 Digital Physics: Universe as Computation, Critiques Taking the concept of an information-based reality in a more concrete, computational direction, several thinkers have proposed various forms of **digital physics**. These hypotheses suggest that the universe, at its most fundamental level, operates according to computational rules, akin to a vast computer simulation or a cellular automaton. Early ideas trace back to Konrad Zuse, a computer pioneer who suggested in the 1960s that the universe might be running on a discrete grid of cells governed by deterministic rules. Later, Edward Fredkin developed his “Digital Philosophy,” arguing that information is more fundamental than energy and matter, and that the universe operates according to simple, local, reversible computational rules, much like a sophisticated cellular automaton. More recently and prominently, Stephen Wolfram, in his extensive work *A New Kind of Science*, explored the surprising complexity that can emerge from very simple computational rules (like elementary cellular automata) and proposed that the fundamental laws of physics and the structure of spacetime itself might ultimately be the result of such a simple underlying computational process operating on a discrete network or “hypergraph.” In these digital physics models, space, time, particles, and forces are all emergent properties arising from an underlying discrete, computational substrate. Reality is viewed as the output generated by the execution of a fundamental cosmic program. This perspective offers potential advantages, such as providing a natural explanation for the rule-based nature of physical laws, potentially resolving infinities associated with continuous spacetime in physics, and inherently placing information at the foundation of reality. If the universe *is* computation, then its state *is* information being processed according to specific algorithms (the laws of physics). However, digital physics hypotheses face significant theoretical and empirical **critiques**. Firstly, there is currently no direct experimental evidence confirming that spacetime is fundamentally discrete at the Planck scale, although this possibility is explored within some approaches to quantum gravity (like loop quantum gravity). Secondly, many established physical laws, particularly those related to symmetries in special and general relativity (like Lorentz invariance), are formulated in terms of continuous variables and smooth manifolds. Explaining how these continuous symmetries could emerge precisely from an underlying discrete structure remains a major theoretical challenge. Thirdly, the concept of **computational irreducibility**, emphasized by Wolfram, suggests that for many complex computational systems, the only way to determine their future state is to actually run the computation step by step; there may be no predictive shortcuts or closed-form mathematical solutions. If the universe is such a system, its ultimate predictability might be limited, potentially challenging its status as a fully scientific theory in the traditional sense. Finally, and perhaps most relevant to our inquiry, digital physics does not automatically solve the hard problem of consciousness. Even if the universe were a giant computation or simulation, it remains entirely unclear *why* or *how* subjective experience (qualia) would arise within that computational process. A simulated brain might behave indistinguishably from a biological one, but the emergence of genuine consciousness from the execution of an algorithm remains an explanatory gap. ## 10.4 Universe as Quantum Computer A related but distinct perspective, grounded more directly in contemporary physics, suggests that the universe might be fundamentally understood as a vast **quantum computer**. This view, advocated by physicists like Seth Lloyd and Vlatko Vedral, leverages the principles of quantum mechanics and quantum information theory. Instead of classical bits representing definite 0s or 1s, the fundamental units of information are considered to be **quantum bits (qubits)**, which can exist in superpositions of both 0 and 1 simultaneously and can exhibit entanglement, where the states of multiple qubits are inextricably linked regardless of distance. From this perspective, the laws of physics themselves, particularly the unitary evolution described by the Schrödinger equation, are seen as describing how quantum information is processed and transformed over time. Physical interactions are viewed as quantum computations. Seth Lloyd famously calculated the potential computational capacity of the observable universe, based on its estimated energy content and age, concluding that it could have performed an enormous number (~10^120) of quantum operations since the Big Bang. Vlatko Vedral has argued even more strongly that information, specifically quantum information, should be considered the most fundamental concept in physics, from which energy, matter, space, and time might ultimately emerge. This perspective places information processing, governed by the peculiar and powerful rules of quantum mechanics, at the very heart of physical reality. While this view elegantly integrates quantum mechanics and information theory, providing a powerful framework for understanding physical processes, its direct implications for **consciousness** are less explicitly developed compared to some other models. It primarily describes the objective processing of quantum information by the universe itself. However, by establishing quantum information as a potentially fundamental constituent of reality, it provides a fertile ground or context where theories attempting to link consciousness specifically to quantum processes within the brain (explored in Chapter 11) or to information processing more generally (like IIT, discussed in Chapter 9) might find a more natural footing. If reality is fundamentally about the processing of quantum information, then understanding how subjective conscious experience relates to this underlying quantum computation becomes a central and pressing question for a complete theory of reality. ## 10.5 Information Dynamics Framework Building upon general information-centric ideas and seeking a more operational approach than broad hypotheses like It from Bit, a specific theoretical proposal known as the **Information Dynamics framework** was developed as part of the research lineage associated with this work. This framework represented a distinct attempt to model reality fundamentally as a dynamic process centered on information itself, moving beyond static descriptions towards understanding existence as an ongoing unfolding. The core conceptual shift proposed by this framework involved viewing reality not in terms of enduring substances or discrete computational states, but as a continuous process of **information actualization or resolution**. Existence itself was framed in terms of a system’s capacity to encode distinctions or contrasts. The framework posited that phenomena emerge and evolve through sequences of informational state transitions, governed by underlying dynamics. Time and causality were conceived not as external parameters but as emergent properties related to the ordering and relationships within these informational sequences. This perspective aimed to provide a basis for deriving complex structures and physical laws from more fundamental informational principles. It suggested that properties like stability, interaction strength, and perhaps even consciousness could arise from patterns of repetition, alignment (or mimicry), and causal dependency within these evolving informational sequences. For example, gravity might be modeled as an emergent effect related to correlated patterns across different scales, while consciousness could be linked to specific thresholds of complexity, feedback, and integrated information flow within the system’s dynamics. While offering a novel process-oriented ontology grounded in information, this specific framework, as documented elsewhere within the project’s lineage, faced significant challenges in achieving full mathematical rigor and empirical validation, ultimately leading to different theoretical approaches being pursued. Nonetheless, its core concepts contribute to the broader exploration of information’s fundamental role in structuring reality. ## 10.6 Information, Physics, and Thermodynamics The idea that information is not merely an abstract concept used by observers but a fundamental physical quantity, deeply interwoven with the laws of nature, has gained significant traction and robust support through key developments linking information theory with **physics**, particularly the field of **thermodynamics**. These connections demonstrate that information has tangible physical consequences and constraints. A crucial milestone was Rolf Landauer’s articulation of **Landauer’s Principle** in 1961. He argued, based on physical principles, that erasing one bit of information from a computational system necessarily requires dissipating a minimum amount of energy into the surrounding environment, equal to kT ln 2 (where k is Boltzmann’s constant and T is the absolute temperature of the environment). This established a fundamental physical cost associated with irreversible information processing (erasure), demonstrating that information is not ethereal but is tied to physical reality and subject to thermodynamic laws like the second law (which dictates that entropy, or disorder, tends to increase). “Information is physical,” as Landauer famously stated. Further profound connections emerged between the concept of **entropy** in thermodynamics (a measure of the disorder, randomness, or unavailable thermal energy in a physical system) and entropy in information theory (Shannon entropy, a measure of the uncertainty, unpredictability, or information content of a message or system state). The mathematical formulations were found to be deeply related. This link was dramatically highlighted by the development of **black hole thermodynamics** in the 1970s by Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking. They discovered that black holes possess thermodynamic properties, including temperature (Hawking radiation) and entropy. Bekenstein showed that the entropy of a black hole is proportional to the **area of its event horizon**, not its volume. This counterintuitive result suggested that the information corresponding to everything that falls into a black hole might somehow be encoded on its two-dimensional surface boundary (leading eventually to the holographic principle, discussed in Chapter 13). The **Bekenstein bound** further established a universal upper limit on the amount of information (or entropy) that can be contained within a given region of space with a given amount of energy. These deep and well-established connections between information, entropy, energy, gravity, and thermodynamics strongly indicate that information should be considered a fundamental physical quantity, on par with energy or momentum. It is not just something humans use to describe the world, but an intrinsic aspect of the world itself, subject to physical laws and constraints. This provides robust support from within mainstream physics for exploring information-centric views of reality, such as those discussed in this chapter. If information is physically real and plays a fundamental role in governing physical processes, it becomes significantly more plausible to consider it as a potential substrate for both physical phenomena and conscious experience, offering a unifying language and conceptual framework to potentially bridge the long-standing gap between mind and matter. --- [11 Beyond Classical](releases/2025/Contemplative%20Science/11%20Beyond%20Classical.md)