LN1.2 — It From Bit

Chain Position: 7 of 188

Assumes

A1.1 (Existence) - Something exists
A1.2 (Distinction) - Distinctions are fundamental
A1.3 (Information Primacy) - Information is ontologically primitive
D1.1 (Information Definition) - Information reduces uncertainty
D1.2 (Bit Definition) - The bit is the minimal unit
LN1.1 (Matter-Energy Derivative) - Matter/energy derive from information

Attribution: John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008), coined 1990. Wheeler was a central figure in 20th century physics—worked on nuclear fission, general relativity, coined “black hole” and “wormhole.”

Formal Statement

It from Bit (Wheeler) - physical reality supervenes on information

Spine type: LogicalNecessity
Spine stage: 1

Cross-domain (Spine Master):

Statement: It from Bit (Wheeler) - physical reality supervenes on information
Stage: 1
Bridge Count: 0

Enables

A2.1 (Substrate Requirement) - If physics comes from bits, where are the bits?
A5.1 (Observation Requirement) - Wheeler’s participatory universe
A6.1-A6.2 (Superposition/Collapse) - Measurement extracts bits
D5.1 (Observer Definition) - The “questioner” who elicits bits
Delayed-choice experiments (EXP5.1) - Retrocausal bit-creation
Holographic principle - Area encodes bits (Bekenstein-Hawking)

Wheeler’s full vision: “Every physical quantity, every it, derives its ultimate significance from bits, binary yes-or-no indications.”

Defeat Conditions

To falsify “It from Bit”, one would need to:

Demonstrate a physical property NOT derivable from yes/no questions - An “It” without underlying “Bits”
Show that measurement doesn’t create information - That physical facts exist independently of any questioning
Falsify the holographic principle - Show that information content exceeds the Bekenstein bound
Refute quantum measurement theory - Show definite values exist prior to measurement

Physical tests:

Every delayed-choice experiment confirms “It from Bit”
Wheeler’s cosmic delayed-choice: light from quasars decided now which path it took billions of years ago
Quantum eraser experiments: information determines reality retroactively

Wheeler’s challenge (unfulfilled): “Show me an It that doesn’t come from a Bit.”

Standard Objections

Objection 1: “It’s just a metaphor”

“Wheeler was speaking poetically, not literally.”

Response: Wheeler spent decades developing the implications. His delayed-choice experiments are physical tests of the idea. The holographic principle (Bekenstein, ‘t Hooft, Susskind) puts it in precise mathematical form: S ≤ A/(4ℓₚ²) — entropy (information) bounded by area, not volume. This is physics, not poetry.

Objection 2: “Bits require a physical substrate”

“The bit has to be stored somewhere physical.”

Response: Correct! This is exactly what A2.1 (Substrate Requirement) addresses. “It from Bit” doesn’t deny substrates; it orders them. Bits are primary; physical instantiation is secondary. The substrate question leads to χ-field.

Objection 3: “Realism — things exist before measurement”

“The moon is there whether or not I look at it.”

Response: Bell’s theorem + experimental violations of Bell inequalities refute local hidden variables. Quantum mechanics is incompatible with “things have definite properties before measurement.” The moon’s macroscopic stability is explained by decoherence (A6.2-related), not by pre-existing classical properties.

Objection 4: “What about dark matter/dark energy?”

“We can’t observe these directly.”

Response: We infer them from gravitational effects — informational signatures. If dark matter has no informational interaction at all, it is operationally non-existent. The “It” of dark matter comes from the “Bits” of galaxy rotation curves and CMB observations.

Defense Summary

“It from Bit” is not a Theophysics invention — it is a direct import from mainstream physics, formulated by one of the 20th century’s most distinguished physicists. Its implications:

Physical reality is participatory — observers extract bits from potentiality
Information is more fundamental than spacetime — geometry emerges from entanglement (ER=EPR)
The universe is a quantum computation — every interaction processes information

Theophysics contribution: identifying the source of the bits (χ-field) and the terminal questioner (God).

Collapse Analysis

If LN1.2 fails:

Wheeler’s participatory universe model fails → observation becomes passive
Holographic principle loses foundation → black hole information paradox returns
Delayed-choice experiments become inexplicable
A5.1-A6.2 (observation/measurement) lose their Wheeler-derived grounding
χ-field loses its bridge to mainstream physics

Collapse radius: MEDIUM-HIGH - Disconnects Theophysics from established information-theoretic physics

Note: Rejection of “It from Bit” requires rejecting Wheeler, Bekenstein, ‘t Hooft, Susskind, and the quantum information revolution. This is not a fringe position; it is near-consensus in foundational physics.

Physics Layer

Wheeler’s Delayed-Choice Experiments

Original thought experiment (1978): A photon passes through a double-slit. AFTER it passes, choose whether to:

Insert a screen (detect which-path information) → particle behavior
Remove screen (no which-path information) → wave interference

Key insight: The choice made NOW determines what the photon “was doing” THEN. The “It” (particle trajectory) comes from the “Bit” (measurement choice).

Cosmic delayed-choice (Wheeler 1978, realized 2017): Light from a quasar, gravitationally lensed by a galaxy, reaches Earth. We choose NOW whether to measure which-path or interference—for photons that began their journey BILLIONS of years ago.

Jacques et al. (2007): Laboratory delayed-choice with single photons. Results: The measurement choice retroactively determines the photon’s history.

Quantum Eraser

Setup (Kim et al. 1999):

Photon pair created (signal + idler)
Signal photon goes through double-slit
Idler photon’s path correlates with signal’s which-path info
AFTER signal hits detector, choose whether to erase idler’s which-path info

Result: If idler info is erased, interference pattern appears in signal (retroactively). If preserved, no interference.

“It from Bit” confirmation: The physical pattern (“It”) depends on the information choice (“Bit”), even retroactively.

Holographic Principle Formalization

Bekenstein bound (1981): $S \leq \frac{2 π RE}{ℏ c}$

Black hole entropy (Bekenstein-Hawking): $S_{B H} = \frac{A}{4 ℓ _{P}^{2}}$

‘t Hooft-Susskind holography (1993): All physics inside a volume can be described by bits on the boundary surface. The 3D “Its” emerge from 2D “Bits.”

Explicit bit count: For a sphere of radius R: $N_{bi t s} = \frac{4 π R ^{2}}{4 ℓ _{P}^{2}} = \frac{π R ^{2}}{ℓ _{P}^{2}}$

The observable universe: N ≈ 10¹²² bits on the cosmic horizon.

ER = EPR Conjecture (Maldacena & Susskind 2013)

Claim: Einstein-Rosen bridges (wormholes) = Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations (entanglement)

Implication: Spacetime connectivity (“It”) emerges from quantum entanglement (“Bit”). Geometry is entanglement structure.

Tensor network models: Spacetime can be constructed from entanglement patterns (MERA, HaPPY code). The “It” of geometry literally comes from the “Bits” of entanglement.

Quantum Darwinism (Zurek)

Pointer states and einselection: The environment selects which quantum states become “classical.” Classical reality = redundantly copied quantum information.

Objectivity = information redundancy: A fact is “objective” when many observers can independently access the same information. The “It” (objective reality) emerges from “Bits” spread across the environment.

Connection to χ-Field

Wheeler’s “Bit” corresponds to χ-field configurations:

The χ-field is the source of all bits
Physical reality (“It”) emerges from χ-field distinctions (“Bit”)
Wheeler’s “apparatus-elicited answers” = χ-field collapse via conscious observation
The “participatory universe” = χ-field-observer coupling (A5.1-A5.2)

Mathematical Layer

Formal “It from Bit” Statement

Supervenience relation: Let B = space of all possible bit-strings (information states) Let P = space of all physical configurations

Wheeler’s claim: There exists a surjective map f: B → P such that: $\forall p \in P, \exists b \in B : f (b) = p$

Every physical fact corresponds to some bit configuration. No “It” without a “Bit.”

Measurement as Bit Extraction

Quantum measurement formalized: Observable A = Σ_i a_i |a_i⟩⟨a_i|

Measurement of |ψ⟩ = Σ_i c_i |a_i⟩:

Output: eigenvalue a_k (classical information = bit-string)
Probability: |c_k|² = |⟨a_k|ψ⟩|²

The measurement extracts bits from the quantum state. The “It” (definite outcome) comes from the “Bit” (measurement result).

Participatory Universe Formalization

Wheeler’s observer-participancy: Let O = set of observers Let M = set of measurements Let R = set of results (bits)

History is a function: H: O × M → R

The universe’s history is not pre-given; it’s the accumulated results of observer-elicited measurements.

Formal expression: $Universe = ⋃_{o \in O, m \in M} H (o, m)$

Reality is constructed from measurements, not discovered.

Digital Physics Formalization

Universe as computation (Lloyd 2002):

State space: 2^N (N-bit configurations)
Evolution: unitary U: 2^N → 2
Measurement: projection onto computational basis

Total computation since Big Bang: $N_{o p s} \leq \frac{Et}{π ℏ} \approx 1 0^{122}$

Margolus-Levitin theorem: Fundamental limit on ops/sec per unit energy.

Tensor Networks and Emergent Geometry

MERA (Multi-scale Entanglement Renormalization Ansatz): A tensor network that builds spatial geometry from entanglement patterns.

Structure: $∣Ψ ⟩ = \sum_{i_{1}, ..., i_{N}} T^{i_{1} ... i_{N}} ∣ i_{1} ⟩ \otimes ... \otimes ∣ i_{N} ⟩$

The tensor T encodes the “Bits.” Contracting the network produces effective geometry (“It”).

AdS/CFT realization: HaPPY code shows holographic correspondence explicitly—boundary bits encode bulk geometry.

Source Material

01_Axioms/_sources/Theophysics_Axiom_Spine_Master.xlsx (sheets explained in dump)
01_Axioms/AXIOM_AGGREGATION_DUMP.md

Prosecutorial Analysis

Common Sense Truth: Everything physical (“It”) comes from something non-physical—choices, answers, information (“Bit”). Accepted by common sense: Requires explanation, but the core idea is intuitive.

Common Sense Variable: Physicality = Result(Information) (The physical world is the result of informational processes)

Formal Statement: It from Bit (Wheeler) - physical reality supervenes on information.

The Prosecutor’s Defense

The Charge: The defendant, any worldview clinging to a non-informational, “brute” physical reality, is charged with ignoring the conclusions of modern physics itself. We are no longer making a purely philosophical argument. We are now entering into evidence the conclusions of one of the 20th century’s most eminent physicists, John Archibald Wheeler. To deny this axiom is to deny the direction in which physics has been heading for over a century.

The Cross-Examination:

To the Materialist, who claims this is just a metaphor: Wheeler’s doctrine, “It from Bit,” is not poetry; it is the summary of a career spent grappling with the bizarre implications of quantum mechanics. It symbolizes that at the most fundamental level, what we call “reality” is derived from the answers to yes-or-no questions posed by observation. An electron does not have a position until a measurement is made—an informational event. The “It” of its position is conjured from the “Bit” of the measurement’s outcome.
To the opponent who asks, “Where does the Bit come from?”: This is a question of the substrate, which will be addressed in subsequent axioms (A2.1, A2.2). The “It from Bit” doctrine does not resolve the ultimate origin, but it correctly identifies the order of operations. First comes the informational potential (the “Bit”), then comes the physical manifestation (the “It”). You cannot have the “It” without the “Bit.”
To the physicist who argues for fields or strings as fundamental: What are fields, if not informational structures that assign a value to every point in spacetime? What are strings, if not entities whose vibrational modes (informational patterns) determine whether they appear to us as an electron or a photon? You are already using the “It from Bit” principle. You are describing complex informational patterns and giving them physical names. Wheeler simply had the intellectual honesty to state the principle plainly.

The Verdict:

The progression of our case is undeniable:

Existence requires Distinction (A1.1, A1.2).
Distinction is Information (A1.3).
Matter and Energy are derivative of Information (LN1.1).

Now, we have a name for this principle, provided by the scientific community itself: “It from Bit.” The physical world is built from the quanta of information. This is no longer a fringe philosophical argument; it is a direct conclusion from the heart of quantum physics.

The defendant cannot retreat into a comfortable, 19th-century clockwork universe. The evidence from the 20th and 21st centuries is on the stand, and it testifies that the universe is not a great machine, but a great thought. The prosecution rests this point, having shown that our logical chain is not only coherent but is independently corroborated by the giants of physics.

The Common Sense Layer (Detailed Explanation)

A famous physicist, John Wheeler, summed up a very deep idea with a simple phrase: “It from Bit.”

“It” means everything physical: a rock, a planet, your own body. “Bit” means a single piece of information, a “yes” or a “no.”

What he meant was that the physical world we see isn’t the ultimate reality. The ultimate reality is made of information, and the physical world emerges from it.

It’s like a 3D printer. The “It” is the plastic model it prints out. But where did the model come from? It came from the “Bit”—the digital file, the information, the blueprint that told the printer exactly where to put the plastic. The information file is more fundamental than the plastic model.

“It from Bit” is the same idea for the universe. The physical universe is the printout. The information is the blueprint.

Asset Links

Logos Paper Placeholder:

Title Suggestion: It from Bit, Bit from God: Information as the Source of Physical Reality.
Central Thesis: This paper will explore John Archibald Wheeler’s “It from Bit” doctrine as a crucial bridge between physics and theology, showing how it serves as scientific validation for the Theophysics claim that the physical universe is an expression of the Divine Logos.
Case File Assignment: CF03_Prosecution_of_Materialism

Category: Information_Theory/|Information Theory

Depends On:

[Existence Ontology](./001_A1.1_Existence]]
002_A1.2_Distinction
003_A1.3_Information-Primacy
004_D1.1_Information-Definition
005_D1.2_Bit-Definition
006_LN1.1_Matter-Energy-Derivative

Enables:

Related Categories:

[Existence_Ontology/.md)

[_WORKING_PAPERS/_MASTER_INDEX|← Back to Master Index

The 188 Axioms of Theophysics

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007_LN1.2_It-From-Bit