An "-ism" is a lens through which to see the world. An "-ist" is someone who identifies themselves with a particular lens. Because there is likely no "-ism" that is absolutely true, the more "-isms" you understand and can view the world through (even if you don't personally agree with them) the closer you will get to understanding the absolute truth, which is asymptotic.

You could say that this idea could be called "ism-ism" and that I might be an "ism-ist". But there's no reason to be an "-ist" and identify oneself with a lens, even if one has a preferred perspective that feels logical. Identifying oneself with an idea only makes the ego vulnerable. It causes a perceived threat in the mind of the believer when they encounter something that contradicts their chosen "-ism."

Therefore, one must be careful when evaluating personal values. Understand your own priorities and be cautious about your convictions; these are choices. Your beliefs are opinions, not facts. While not all beliefs are congruent, logically coherent, or supported by empirical evidence, each one still offers a unique perspective of the universe.

Try to understand everyone's perspective. Study all "-isms" and treat them as lenses to pick up, look through, and put down at any time. You can even use multiple lenses at once. In this way, you can detach yourself from your beliefs while still understanding your personal values. Instead of having "beliefs," you have a collection of narratives that you have intentionally selected because they make sense to you. The lenses you use are simply different ways to see the same thing we are all a part of.

Abstract

Recursive Informational Realism (RIR) is a formal synthesis of quantum information theory, integrated neuroscience, and metaphysical structuralism. It posits that information is the fundamental substrate of reality (Informational Realism), that physical properties emerge from discrete informational measurements (It from Bit), and that the universe constitutes a self-actualizing feedback loop where consciousness serves as the mechanism for informational integration and "collapse" into definite states (Integrated Information Theory). This paper outlines the theoretical pillars of RIR, citing foundational evidence from physics and cognitive science to establish a model of a participatory, self-observing cosmos.

I. The Ontological Foundation: Informational Realism

The core of RIR rejects traditional materialism in favor of Informational Structural Realism (ISR). As pioneered by philosopher Luciano Floridi, ISR suggests that the "ultimate nature of reality is informational" (Floridi, 2011). In this view, what we perceive as "matter" is actually a collection of structural properties—mathematical and logical relations—grounded in dedomena (primordial information).

• Supporting Evidence: The Holographic Principle (Susskind, 1995) provides a physical basis for this, suggesting that the entire information content of a volume of space can be encoded on its boundary. This implies that "bits" of information are the fundamental limit of physical density, known as the Bekenstein Bound.

II. The Mechanism of Manifestation: Wheeler’s "It from Bit"

RIR adopts John Archibald Wheeler’s "It from Bit" thesis as its primary mechanism for physical emergence. Wheeler (1990) argued that "every 'it'—every particle, every field of force, even the space-time continuum itself—derives its function, its meaning, its very existence... from the apparatus-elicited answers to yes-or-no questions."

1. Participatory Universe: Wheeler’s Participatory Anthropic Principle (PAP) suggests that observers are required to bring the universe into being. Without a "measurement," information remains in a state of indefinite superposition.
2. The Delayed-Choice Experiment: This quantum phenomenon serves as a primary pillar for RIR. It demonstrates that a measurement made in the present can determine the "past" history of a photon, suggesting that the informational act of observation is what retroactively solidifies the timeline (Wheeler, 1978).

III. The Recursive Loop: Integrated Information Theory (IIT)

The "Recursive" element of RIR is solved by Giulio Tononi’s Integrated Information Theory (IIT). While Wheeler explains how bits become "its," IIT explains what does the observing.

• Consciousness as Integration (Phi): IIT posits that consciousness is identical to a system's integrated information (quantified as Phi). A system is conscious to the extent that it possesses "intrinsic cause-effect power" (Tononi, 2004).
• The Great Divide of Being: Tononi (2017) proposes a distinction between "intrinsic entities" (conscious observers with high Phi) and "extrinsic collections" (objects that only exist relative to an observer).
• The RIR Synthesis: In RIR, the "bits" of the universe organize into complex structures with high Phi. Once a threshold of integration is reached, these structures (observers) perform the "measurements" required by Wheeler’s "It from Bit," creating a recursive loop: Information leads to Integration (Consciousness) leads to Measurement leads to Physical Reality (Information).

IV. Philosophical Correlations and Implications

1. Wheeler-Tononi Synthesis

RIR solves the "Circular Crisis" often attributed to Wheeler—that observers cannot create the universe that created them. By using IIT, RIR argues that the universe is a Self-Excited Circuit. Information has the potential to exist, but it only achieves actual physical existence when it is processed by an integrated system.

2. Digital Physics and Pancomputationalism

RIR aligns with Konrad Zuse and Edward Fredkin’s Digital Physics, which views the universe as a cellular automaton. However, RIR adds a layer of "subjective necessity." Unlike a cold, mechanical simulation, RIR requires the internal "feel" of information (consciousness) to close the loop of reality.

3. Teleological Feedback

The framework implies a "participatory evolution." If measurement creates reality, then the evolution of more complex conscious observers (higher Phi) leads to a "more defined" or "higher resolution" universe.

V. Conclusion

Recursive Informational Realism represents a shift from a "passive" universe to a "performative" one. By synthesizing the mathematical rigor of Integrated Information Theory with the quantum foundations of "It from Bit," RIR provides a logically sound model where reality is an informational feedback loop. We are not merely guests in the universe; we are the "bits" that have learned to read our own code, thereby bringing the program into existence.

Selected Bibliography

• Floridi, L. (2011). The Philosophy of Information. Oxford University Press.
• Tononi, G. (2004). "An information integration theory of consciousness." BMC Neuroscience.
• Wheeler, J. A. (1990). "Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links." Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics.
• Susskind, L. (1995). "The World as a Hologram." Journal of Mathematical Physics.
• Koch, C. (2019). The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Confusion is Everywhere but Can't be Explained. MIT Press.

Determinism basically says that randomness doesn’t really exist, that anything we would perceive as random is actually just a system so complex and chaotic that it would be impossible to predict.

But, on a fundamental level, don’t subatomic particles behave probabilistically, rather than just unpredictably? If so, wouldn’t that mean that, if you could “rewind time”, there could be a different outcome from the same conditions, or in other words, a new first cause?