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

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and John Wheeler's concepts, specifically "It from Bit," the Participatory Universe, and the Law Without Law. Participants explore whether the Wheeler-DeWitt equation can be interpreted within these frameworks, examining various sources and interpretations related to quantum cosmology.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the Wheeler-DeWitt equation is related to Wheeler's Participatory Universe model and other concepts like "It from Bit" and the Law Without Law, referencing sources that propose these connections.
  • Others argue there is no direct relation between the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and the aforementioned concepts, expressing skepticism about the arguments presented in the cited articles.
  • A participant highlights a specific interpretation from Andrei Linde's article, which discusses the role of the observer in quantum cosmology and suggests a connection to the Participatory Universe.
  • Another participant mentions that there are many interpretations of quantum mechanics that could apply to systems described by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, indicating that while other interpretations exist, the Participatory Universe interpretation could also be relevant.
  • One participant requests confirmation on whether the Participatory Universe interpretation can indeed be applied to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, and another participant affirms this connection.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and Wheeler's concepts. While some assert a connection, others maintain that no direct relation exists, leading to an unresolved debate.

Contextual Notes

Some arguments rely on interpretations of quantum mechanics and the role of observers, which may not be universally accepted. The discussion includes references to specific articles and interpretations that have not been thoroughly analyzed by all participants.

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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