Is the Wheeler-DeWitt equation related to Wheeler's It from Bit?

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SUMMARY

The Wheeler-DeWitt equation, established by Bryce DeWitt in 1967, serves as the Schrödinger equation for the universe's wave function, which does not evolve over time without an observer. While some sources suggest a connection between the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and John Wheeler's concepts of the Participatory Universe and It from Bit, the consensus in the discussion is that there is no direct relation. However, interpretations of quantum mechanics that incorporate time can be applied to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, allowing for the possibility of integrating Wheeler's Participatory Universe interpretation.

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  • Understanding of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and its implications in quantum cosmology.
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  • Knowledge of quantum mechanics interpretations that incorporate time.
  • Basic comprehension of the role of observers in quantum theory.
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  • Research the implications of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in quantum cosmology.
  • Explore John Wheeler's theories, particularly the Participatory Universe and It from Bit.
  • Investigate various interpretations of quantum mechanics that introduce time into the Wheeler-DeWitt framework.
  • Examine Andrei Linde's contributions to the understanding of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and its applications.
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Physicists, cosmologists, and students of quantum mechanics interested in the foundational concepts of quantum cosmology and the philosophical implications of observer participation in the universe's evolution.

Suekdccia
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TL;DR
Is Wheeler-DeWitt equation related to Wheeler's It from Bit, Participatory Universe and Law Without Law concepts?
In this article: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0211048.pdf by physicist Andrei Linde, it mentions Wheeler-DeWitt equation and he relates it to Wheeler's Participatory Universe model.

Also, I found other sources that seem to establish a connection between Wheeler-DeWitt equation and Wheeler's It from Bit/pregeometric Law Without Law hypotheses

(https://hiup.org/spacetime-as-information-an-ordering-principle-for-living-systems/
and
http://inspirehep.net/record/1395529/files/A.Friedmann_287-304.pdf)

So, Is Wheeler-DeWitt equation related to Wheeler's It from Bit, Participatory Universe and Law Without Law concepts? Can Wheeler-DeWitt describe universes based on these concepts?
 
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Suekdccia said:
Summary: Is Wheeler-DeWitt equation related to Wheeler's It from Bit, Participatory Universe and Law Without Law concepts?

So, Is Wheeler-DeWitt equation related to Wheeler's It from Bit, Participatory Universe and Law Without Law concepts?
There is no direct relation.
 
Demystifier said:
There is no direct relation.

What about the articles and sites I mention that seem to establish a relation?
 
Suekdccia said:
What about the articles and sites I mention that seem to establish a relation?
I didn't carefully studied them, but at a first look those arguments don't look convincing to me. If you want me to analyze some of those arguments more closely, it would help if you could copy-paste what you think to be the central point of the argument.
 
Demystifier said:
I didn't carefully studied them, but at a first look those arguments don't look convincing to me. If you want me to analyze some of those arguments more closely, it would help if you could copy-paste what you think to be the central point of the argument.

For example in this article by physicist Andre Linde (https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0211048.pdf), it says...

"For example, the essence of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation (DeWitt, 1967), which is the Schrödinger equation for the wave function of the universe, is that this wave function does not depend on time (...)
Thus we see that without introducing an observer, we have a dead universe, which does not evolve in time. This example demonstrates an unusually important role played by the concept of an observer in quantum cosmology. John Wheeler underscored the complexity of the situation, replacing the word observer by the word participant, and introducing such terms as a ‘self-observing universe
"

This seems to indicate a direct relation (between Wheeler-DeWitt equation and Wheeler's participatory universe, and thus, with Wheeler's It from Bit and Law Without Law/Pregeometry/Geometrodynamics concepts)
 
Suekdccia said:
For example in this article by physicist Andre Linde (https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0211048.pdf), it says...

"For example, the essence of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation (DeWitt, 1967), which is the Schrödinger equation for the wave function of the universe, is that this wave function does not depend on time (...)
Thus we see that without introducing an observer, we have a dead universe, which does not evolve in time. This example demonstrates an unusually important role played by the concept of an observer in quantum cosmology. John Wheeler underscored the complexity of the situation, replacing the word observer by the word participant, and introducing such terms as a ‘self-observing universe
"

This seems to indicate a direct relation (between Wheeler-DeWitt equation and Wheeler's participatory universe, and thus, with Wheeler's It from Bit and Law Without Law/Pregeometry/Geometrodynamics concepts)
There are many other interpretations of QM that add time to systems described by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. See my https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.08341 Sec. 5.2.
 
Demystifier said:
There are many other interpretations of QM that add time to systems described by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. See my https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.08341 Sec. 5.2.

I suppose so... But my main question was aimed to that particular interpretation (Wheeler's Participatory Universe)...

So, could you confirm me that, although there are lots of other interpretations that can be applied to systems described by Wheeler-DeWitt equation, Wheeler's Participatory Universe Interpretation can be applied as well to this equation? I mean, since Wheeler himself connected his idea of the Participatory Universe to Wheeler-DeWitt equation (as Linde's article says), wouldn't that mean that this interpretation/idea could be applied to systems described by Wheeler-DeWitt equations?

Interesting article by the way!
 
Suekdccia said:
So, could you confirm me that, although there are lots of other interpretations that can be applied to systems described by Wheeler-DeWitt equation, Wheeler's Participatory Universe Interpretation can be applied as well to this equation?
Yes, I can confirm it.

Suekdccia said:
Interesting article by the way!
You mean the one I linked? Thanks! :smile:
 
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