Ruliology: Linking Computation, Observers and Physical Law

TL;DR

This paper philosophically examines Wolfram's Ruliad framework, exploring how computation, observers, and physical laws interrelate within a multicomputational universe, and discusses foundational limitations of modeling reality.

Contribution

It provides a philosophical analysis of the Ruliad concept, addressing core conceptual issues and limitations in modeling reality through computational and observer-based frameworks.

Findings

Identifies conceptual issues in the Ruliad framework

Highlights limitations faced by models including observers

Provides philosophical insights into the nature of physical law

Abstract

Stephen Wolfram has recently outlined an unorthodox, multicomputational approach to fundamental theory, encompassing not only physics but also mathematics in a structure he calls The Ruliad, understood to be the entangled limit of all possible computations. In this framework, physical laws arise from the the sampling of the Ruliad by observers (including us). This naturally leads to several conceptual issues, such as what kind of object is the Ruliad? What is the nature of the observers carrying out the sampling, and how do they relate to the Ruliad itself? What is the precise nature of the sampling? This paper provides a philosophical examination of these questions, and other related foundational issues, including the identification of a limitation that must face any attempt to describe or model reality in such a way that the modeller-observers are included