The perception-related origins of physical measures and standards are considered within the framework of the general observer theory. The impact of observer characteristics on the development of observer-centric physics, physical concepts and metrics are analyzed. A preliminary theoretical approach is suggested for the construction of a general observer theory and formulation of its relationship to observer-centered physical concepts and theories. The approach makes it possible to construct a theory of the observer, intrinsic in any theory of physics.
The perception-related origins of physical measures and standards are considered within the framework of the general observer theory. The impact of observer characteristics on the development of observer-centric physics, physical concepts and metrics are analyzed. A preliminary theoretical approach is suggested for the construction of a general observer theory and formulation of its relationship to observer-centered physical concepts and theories. The approach makes it possible to construct a theory of the observer, intrinsic in any theory of physics.
Aims of the book The primary aim of this book is to develop a theory of measurement that incorporates the observer into the phenomenon under measurement. By this theory, the observer becomes both a collector of data and an activator of the phenomenon that gives rise to the data. These ideas have probably been best stated by J. A. Wheeler (1990; 1994): All things physical are information-theoretic in origin and this is a participatory universe … Observer participancy gives rise to information; and information gives rise to physics. The measurement theory that will be presented is largely, in fact, a quantification of these ideas. However, the reader might be surprised to find that the “information” that is used is not the usual Shannon or Boltzmann entropy measures, but one that is relatively unknown to physicists, that of R. A. Fisher. The measurement theory is simply a description of how Fisher information flows from a physical source effect to a data space. It therefore applies to all scenarios where quantitative data from repeatable experiments may be collected. This describes measurement scenarios of physics but, also, of science in general. The theory of measurement is found to define an analytical procedure for deriving all laws of science. The approach is called EPI, for “extreme physical information.” The secondary aim of the book is to show, by example, that most existing laws of science fit within the EPI framework. That is, they can be derived by its use. (Many can of course be derived by other approaches, but, apparently, no other single approach can derive all of them.) In this way the EPI approach unifies science under an umbrella of measurement and information.
It is generally believed that physical laws, reflecting an inherent order in the universe, are ordained by nature. However, in modern physics the observer plays a central role raising questions about how an observer-centric physics can result in laws apparently worthy of a universal nature-centric physics. Over the last decade, we have found that the consistent apt quantification of algebraic and order-theoretic structures results in calculi that possess constraint equations taking the form of what are often considered to be physical laws. I review recent derivations of the formal relations among relevant variables central to special relativity, probability theory and quantum mechanics in this context by considering a problem where two observers form consistent descriptions of and make optimal inferences about a free particle that simply influences them. I show that this approach to describing such a particle based only on available information leads to the mathematics of relativistic quantum mechanics as well as a description of a free particle that reproduces many of the basic properties of a fermion. The result is an approach to foundational physics where laws derive from both consistent descriptions and optimal information-based inferences made by embedded observers.
This work introduces the foundations of an observer-dependent informational theory of physics.Rather than proposing a closed or final model, the paper establishes the conceptual and methodological architecture of a unified research program in which physical phenomena are described through observer-accessible informational states. The theory treats the observer as an integral component of physical description, rather than as an external disturbance or purely abstract entity.Information is defined operationally, as a relational construct linking observation, structure, and temporal coherence. The paper does not present new mathematical derivations.Instead, it provides a stable foundational framework that unifies a set of modular technical works, each addressing specific physical, cognitive, or interpretative problems. Mathematical formulations, empirical models, and testable predictions are delegated to the corresponding modular papers, allowing the theory to evolve through falsification and refinement without requiring repeated foundational revision. This contribution is intended as a foundational reference for an evolving observer-centered informational approach to physics.
A multidisciplinary approach is employed to study informational processes that may occur on subliminal physical (quantum) and subliminal cognitive (unconscious) levels, with a focus on assessing how these processes may be influenced by and in turn exert influence on human concepts and perceptions of information and reality. The unconscious is studied through the concepts developed by Carl Jung. In the study of quantum phenomena, the Copenhagen Interpretation is employed. In the study of depth psychology, archetypes are found to be possible cognitive structures that deal with organising information within the mind. It is suggested that archetypes may have the ability to indirectly but definitively influence aspects of behaviour in and perceptions of reality. It is also suggested that this influence may extend to our innate science forming abilities, thus compromising the notion of scientific objectivity. It is shown that a shift in world views within the physics community may be occurring that places emphasis on information as the fundamental foundation of physical reality. A correlation between Jungian concepts and fundamental concepts in Quantum Physics is highlighted. This correlation is shown to be informational in nature, suggesting that through a study grounded in Information Science, concepts in disparate subjects may be linked. The preliminary research conducted in this investigation shows that while human intervention on both a physical and psychic level may be disruptive to the extent of rendering certain aspects of reality unknowable, the concepts of the Collective Unconscious and Quantum Physics can nonetheless be united to form a deeper understanding regarding the informational structure of universal reality. As a result, it is suggested that this could help towards the formulation of a unified and universal theory of information.
Modelling the measurement ("active observation") process makes it possible to express in strict terms the degree to which the logic of the observer determines what he "sees", and formalize the difficult concept of rational behaviour. Presented here is a rigorous formulation of several implicit assumptions of standard physics which leads to a first-order theory shown to possess a real-world model: if an observer's logic is Boolean, he is bound to perceive his spacetime as a four-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifold of signature 2, with an ideal big bang geometry. The connections between the type of an observer's logic and large-scale structure of the observable universe yield a testable prediction, existence of positive cosmological constant and suggest a non-standard integration-over-spacetime technique. They strongly favour non-local reality and deliver an operational explanation of the number of particle generations. The result casts some doubts (arising also from the necessity of renormalization procedures) that classical mathematics ( i.e. the mathematics of the topos of sets) is the "natural" mathematics of our world, and offers a new candidate for this role, that differs from its classical counterpart. In general, the scheme outlines a formal way to unify the logical, physical and, possibly, psychological templates of perception, which can be briefly expressed as "physics is an exponent-image of psychology".
We develop a mathematical and philosophical framework in which conscious obser- vation is the fundamental act that brings reality into existence. Before observation, nothing exists in an actualized sense: not space, time, laws, or structures. Reality is purely a manifold of potential universes, each containing possible laws and possible observers. When a conscious observer emerges, the act of observation actualizes the unique minimal universe consistent with its existence. This is not a selection among alternatives but an ontological crystallization that transforms possibility into actuality, retroactively defining the universe’s laws, constants, structure, and history. Within this actualized universe, unobserved properties remain probabilistic un- til collapsed by observation. We formalize sensory collapse, observer priority, multi- observer shared reality, emergent time, retroactive history, and the closed feedback loop between observers and their universe. This framework unifies consciousness, existence, physics, and cosmology into a single observer-centric formalism.