Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Without Cause

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
It From Bit or Bit From It?

Part of the book series: The Frontiers Collection ((FRONTCOLL))

  • 1806 Accesses

Abstract

Physicists increasingly accept that information is more fundamental than material things, but if material things are not fundamental, then neither are material causes: we will live in a world without cause. We thus examine the steps and missteps by which information came to be seen as more fundamental, examine the flaws and risks of a purely informational view, and consider a possible approach to restoring a belief in material things and material causes.

Some mon just deal wit’ information. An’ some mon, ‘im deal wit’ de concept of truth. An’ den some mon deal wit’ magic.

—Nernenny, Rastafarian “Bush Doctor” (Nernenny, quoted in [1], p. 1)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    E. Mach, “The Economical Nature of Physical Inquiry”, excerpted in [2].

  2. 2.

    Original quote: “Probability does not exist”, de Finetti [3].

  3. 3.

    J. Wheeler, in [4].

  4. 4.

    E. Jaynes, in [5], p.1013.

  5. 5.

    J. Wheeler, in [6], p. 304.

References

  1. T. White, Catch a Fire—The Life of Bob Marley (St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  2. J. J. Kockelmans Philosophy of Science: The Historical Background (The Free Press, New York, 1968)

    Google Scholar 

  3. B. de Finetti, in The Theory of Probability: A Critical Introductory Treatment, vol. 2, ed. by A. Lachi, A. Smith (Wiley, London, 1990)

    Google Scholar 

  4. J.A. Wheeler, Complexity, entropy, and the physics of information, in Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links, ed. by H. Wojciech, H. Zurek (Westview Press, 1990)

    Google Scholar 

  5. E.T. Jaynes, Probability Theory: The Logic of Science, ed. by L. Bretthorst (Cambridge University Press, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  6. J.A. Wheeler, How come the quantum? Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 480 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 26 Marchbrook Circle, Kanata, ON, K2W 1A1, Canada

    Mark Feeley

Authors
  1. Mark Feeley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Feeley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA

    Anthony Aguirre

  2. Foundational Questions Institute, New York, New York, USA

    Brendan Foster

  3. Foundational Questions Institute, New York, New York, USA

    Zeeya Merali

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Feeley, M. (2015). Without Cause. In: Aguirre, A., Foster, B., Merali, Z. (eds) It From Bit or Bit From It?. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12946-4_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation