The Computational Cosmos: A Deep Dive into Digital Physics, Information Theory, and the Nature of Reality (Paper)

Abstract

This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the hypothesis that the universe is fundamentally computational. We synthesize perspectives from digital physics, information theory, cellular automata, simulation theory, and philosophy to paint a comprehensive picture of the evidence pointing towards the cosmos arising from discrete informational processes.

Introduction

The notion that the universe is fundamentally computational at its core has progressed from philosophical speculation to a serious scientific framework over recent decades (Lloyd, 2006). This perspective argues that the apparent continuous phenomena we observe in physics are emergent from discrete underlying informational processes. As pioneering physicist Rolf Landauer notably wrote, “Information is physical” (Landauer, 1996). But could it really be that our entire empirical reality arises solely from information?

The computational universe hypothesis has origins tracing back to pioneering thinkers like Konrad Zuse, who in 1967 first proposed that space is essentially discrete and physics is reducible to computation (Hertog, 2022). In the 1980s, Edward Fredkin introduced digital philosophy, suggesting the…