Wheeler's "It from Bit"

John Archibald Wheeler proposed that physical reality (“it”) emerges from informational yes/no questions (“bit”). This was visionary but programmatic. Logic Realism Theory provides the grounding Wheeler never fully articulated.

Wheeler’s Vision

Wheeler (1990) proposed:

“Every it—every particle, every field of force, even the spacetime continuum itself—derives its function, its meaning, its very existence entirely—even if in some contexts indirectly—from the apparatus-elicited answers to yes-or-no questions, binary choices, bits.”

This reverses the usual picture:

• Standard view: Physics first, information emerges from physical processes
• Wheeler: Information first, physics emerges from informational structure

But Wheeler left key questions unanswered:

• What is a bit, fundamentally?
• How do bits become “its”?
• Why does this produce quantum structure specifically?

LRT’s Grounding

Logic Realism Theory answers each question:

What is a bit?

A bit is the minimal unit of distinguishability—one binary distinction—constituted by Determinate Identity (Id).

For a bit to be meaningful:

• Each alternative must be determinately itself (Id)
• The alternatives must be determinately different ($A \neq B$ from Id)
• Selection of one excludes the other (NC + EM from Id)

Without Id, “0 or 1” is not a genuine distinction. The bit is not a primitive posit—it is what Id looks like when applied to a minimal binary domain.

How do bits become “its”?

Through the interface between $I_\infty$ and $A_\Omega$.

Possibilities in $I_\infty$ (the space of all representable configurations) become actual when $L_3$ are enforced. Measurement is this interface: quantum states encode possibilities; outcomes are $L_3$-admissible records.

Physical reality emerges because:

1. $I_\infty$ is structured by distinguishability (bits)
2. $A_\Omega$ requires Boolean outcomes (bit-definite)
3. The interface between them produces physics

Why quantum structure?

Because quantum mechanics is the unique stable interface—the only structure that:

• Satisfies the $I_\infty$/$A_\Omega$ interface constraints
• Produces stable physics (atoms, chemistry, observers)

Classical structure satisfies interface constraints but does not produce stability. Other structures fail the constraints entirely.

The Extended Slogan: Bit from Fit

LRT extends Wheeler’s slogan:

It from bit: Physical reality emerges from information

Bit from fit: The bit (fundamental distinction) emerges from the fit between $I_\infty$ and $A_\Omega$

The “fit” is the fine-tuning. Quantum structure fits—it interfaces correctly while producing stable physics. The bit exists because $L_3$ permits distinction; quantum mechanics is what bit-structure looks like when actualized.

The Bit Scale

If the bit is fundamental and physics emerges from it, there should be a conversion between informational and physical quantities.

$\hbar$ (Planck’s constant) is the natural candidate:

$\hbar$ is the quantum of action—the minimal amount of physical change. If it is also the bit-action conversion factor:

• The Planck scale is where bit-structure becomes directly relevant
• The classical world emerges from coarse-graining over many bits
• Quantum “weirdness” is the friction between bit-structure and continuous appearance

Supporting Evidence

Several independent results support the bit-reality connection:

Bekenstein bound: Maximum entropy of a region is proportional to surface area in Planck units—roughly one bit per Planck area. If $\hbar$ is the bit-action conversion, this bound follows from finite action capacity.

Black hole entropy: The Bekenstein-Hawking formula gives entropy proportional to horizon area in Planck units. In LRT terms: the horizon bounds the distinguishability capacity of the interior.

Landauer’s principle: Erasing one bit costs at least $kT \ln 2$ of energy. Destroying a distinction has thermodynamic cost because distinctions are ontologically real.

Holographic principle: Information content is bounded by surface area, not volume. Distinguishability has a spatial density limit.

Completing Wheeler’s Program

Wheeler’s program lacked:

1. Grounding for the bit: LRT provides it—$L_3$ constitute distinguishability
2. Mechanism for emergence: LRT provides it—the $I_\infty$/$A_\Omega$ interface
3. Explanation of quantum structure: LRT provides it—unique stable interface

Wheeler intuited that information is fundamental. LRT shows why—because logic is fundamental, and the bit is what logic looks like at minimal scale.

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