A Hypothesis on the Non-Fundamentality of Time Based on Entropic State Relations
A Hypothesis on the Non-Fundamentality of Time Based on Entropic State Relations
English Version
Abstract
This hypothesis reconsiders the conventional assumption that time is a fundamental physical quantity. The universe is interpreted not as a structure evolving along a pre-existing temporal axis, but as a network of states composed of informational structures and relational possibilities. Time is proposed to emerge from the observational interpretation of continuity among repeatedly stabilized state structures. Structural entropy is distinguished from ordinary thermodynamic disorder and is defined as the rearrangement potential and structural indeterminacy of informational configurations.
- Introduction
In contemporary physics, time is used differently across theoretical frameworks. In relativity, time is observer-dependent, whereas in quantum mechanics it is often treated as an external background parameter. What is directly observed, however, is not time itself but state transition, energy exchange, and changes in informational structure. This hypothesis proposes an ontological model that reinterprets time, reality, and observation through informational structure and relation formation.
- Definitions
Information is defined as the fundamental constituent of existence, including structure, relational possibility, determinacy, and capacity for change. A state is a temporary arrangement of informational structure and may include multiple possible configurations. Structural entropy denotes the degree of rearrangement potential and structural indeterminacy. Observation is not an act of creating a state, but a relation-forming process that fixes a specific structural direction among possible states. Stability is not the absence of change, but the capacity to preserve continuity of self-structure through change.
- Core Axioms
(1) All states and structures exist in informational form. (2) Every state includes structural entropy and cannot reach an absolutely static condition. (3) A pre-observational state contains multiple possible structures. (4) Contact between informational structures initiates relation formation and structural entropy change. (5) Only states capable of preserving informational continuity through relational change are repeatedly realized. (6) Time is not an independent physical entity but an emergent interpretation of continuity among stabilized states.
- State and Observation
A state may be represented as S={S1,S2,S3,...}, a set containing multiple possible structures. Observation does not arbitrarily create one of these possibilities; rather, through relation formation it selectively fixes a direction capable of structural persistence.
Figure 1. Cyclic structure of possible states, structural entropy, observation, reality, and the emergence of time.
- Reinterpretation of Quantum Superposition
Quantum superposition is interpreted as an intrinsic feature of pre-observational states that contain multiple possible structures. The conventional expression |Ψ⟩=Σ cn|Sn⟩ is reinterpreted as the coexistence of real relationally possible structures rather than as a merely probabilistic description. In microscopic domains, lower relational density and stronger structural entropy effects allow multiple possible structures to persist. In macroscopic domains, repeated relation formation and observation preserve only those structures capable of maintaining continuity.
- Reinterpretation of Relativity
Within this hypothesis, time dilation is reinterpreted not as a change in the flow of time itself but as a difference in state-fixation continuity between observational structures. Different observational structures exhibit different relational density, informational cohesion, and structural entropy influence. These differences alter the frequency and persistence of state fixation, which observers interpret as temporal difference.
- Self-Preserving Structures and Reality Formation
Reality is not an absolutely fixed substance. It is the cumulative stabilization of informational structures that preserve continuity through repeated relational change. Informational cohesion refers to the degree to which internal elements maintain, reference, and support one another. Structural density refers to relational connectedness and structural overlap. Higher cohesion and density increase long-term self-preservation.
- Reinterpretation of Life, Memory, and Death
Life is interpreted as a high-density self-preserving informational structure that maintains continuity through combination, division, and rearrangement. Memory is a state structure that has succeeded in long-term self-preservation through repeated relation formation and informational cohesion. Forgetting is not absolute disappearance but rearrangement after failure of self-preservation. Death is a transition in which an informational structure loses its self-preservation threshold and can no longer maintain structural continuity.
- Limitations and Future Work
This hypothesis is primarily philosophical and interpretive in its current form and does not yet replace standard physics as a mathematical theory. Structural entropy, informational cohesion, structural density, and state-fixation frequency must be quantitatively defined. Mathematical correspondence with thermodynamic entropy, quantum mechanics, and general relativity is required. Testable predictions, falsifiability, and experimental criteria must also be specified to strengthen its academic status.
- Conclusion
This hypothesis reinterprets time, reality, stability, and observation as phenomena emerging from informational structures and relation formation rather than as independent substances. The universe may be understood as a network of informational structures seeking continuity through structural entropy and relational change, rather than as fixed matter moving within time.
Summary of Core Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Information | Fundamental constituent of states and relational possibilities |
| Structural entropy | Rearrangement potential and structural indeterminacy |
| Observation | Relation formation that fixes a structural direction |
| Reality | Repeatedly stabilized self-preserving structures |
| Time | Observational interpretation of state continuity |