Causation, Information, and Physics

TL;DR

This paper applies an empirical causation framework to information theory and physics, proposing that causation and information are equivalent tools for understanding controllable correlations, offering a unified and less metaphysically loaded perspective.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of causation analysis to unify information theory, statistical physics, and quantum information without assuming information as fundamental.

Findings

Causation and information are functionally equivalent in physics.

The approach simplifies understanding of quantum mechanics.

It provides a less metaphysically loaded interpretation of information in physics.

Abstract

This work outlines the novel application of the empirical analysis of causation, presented by Kutach, to the study of information theory and its role in physics. The central thesis of this paper is that causation and information are identical functional tools for distinguishing controllable correlations, and that this leads to a consistent view, not only of information theory, but also of statistical physics and quantum information. This approach comes without the metaphysical baggage of declaring information a fundamental ingredient in physical reality and exorcises many of the otherwise puzzling problems that arise from this view-point, particularly obviating the problem of `excess baggage' in quantum mechanics.