Work Classification Layer
Compare Works
Pick two or more works to set their attribute fingerprints, dimension-by-dimension passages, and shared school embodiments side by side. Especially useful for author-stage comparisons (Wittgenstein early vs late) and for setting a single tradition's foundational texts against each other.
Quantum: The Search for Links
Wheeler's 1989 introduction of "it from bit" — the participatory-universe doctrine
Attribute Fingerprint
Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.
| Attribute | Quantum: The Search for Links (Late) |
|---|---|
| Time · Extent | Infinite |
| Time · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Time · Grain | Discrete |
| Time · Freedom | Non-Deterministic |
| Time · Traversability | Linear |
| Time · Dimensionality | One |
| Time · Direction | Uni-directional |
| Space · Extent | Infinite |
| Space · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Space · Curvature | Variable |
| Space · Dimensionality | Three |
| Space · Locality | Non-Local |
| Matter · Extent | Infinite |
| Matter · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Matter · Conservation | Variable |
| Matter · Dimensionality | Three |
| Matter · Locality | Non-Local |
| Observer · Time Instance | Single |
| Observer · Space Instance | Single |
| Observer · Knowledge Extent | Partial |
| Observer · Knowledge Retainment | Partial |
| Observer · Physicality | Embodied |
| Observer · Agency | Active |
| Observer · Number | Plural |
| Observer · Metaphysical Agency | None |
| Observer · Moral Authority | Reason |
| Observer · Theological Method | — |
| Energy · Extent | Infinite |
| Energy · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Energy · Conservation | Variable |
| Energy · Dispersibility | Irreversible |
| Information · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Information · Cosmic Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Personal Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Granularity | Discrete |
Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence
What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.
Time
Quantum: The Search for Links
The 1989 Tokyo foundations-of-quantum-mechanics symposium.
Space
Quantum: The Search for Links
The relational, observer-participatory space of the it-from-bit picture.
Matter
Quantum: The Search for Links
The matter constituted by observer-elicited yes-or-no answers.
Observer
Quantum: The Search for Links
The observer-participant whose questioning constitutes the it-world.
Energy
Quantum: The Search for Links
The information-theoretic energies of the participatory universe.
Information
Quantum: The Search for Links
The bit-level binary distinctions from which the universe is taken to emerge.
Internal Tensions
Where each work's argument pulls against itself.
The "it from bit" doctrine has been variously assessed — defenders see it as proper foundational philosophy of physics, critics see it as unfalsifiable speculation.