The Order of Physical Law

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel framework applying legal order concepts to physics, suggesting that second- and higher-order laws can better explain phenomena like quantum measurement.

Contribution

It introduces a new theory of physical laws inspired by legal relations, emphasizing the importance of higher-order laws in physical processes.

Findings

Quantum measurement as a second-order process

Current physical theories assume only first-order laws

Higher-order laws offer new insights into physical phenomena

Abstract

First-order legal relations specify the duties of legal actors. For instance, the duty not to trespass derives from a first-order law. Second-order legal relations generally concern the intentional, volitional acts of legal actors exercising legal powers to change first-order laws or legal relations. For example, a landowner may exercise a second-order power to change another legal actor's duty not to trespass into a legal permission to enter the landowner's property. This article adapts the notion of legal order to propose a theory of first- and higher-order physical laws, contending that current physical theories implicitly (and wrongly) assume that essentially all physical processes can be modeled using first-order laws. Incorporating second- and higher-order structures from legal models into physical theories provides a novel approach for framing problems in physics, such as the process of quantum measurement. Specifically, quantum measurement is better explained as a fundamentally second-order physical process that alters the underlying first-order physical "microlaws" governing the evolution of the quantum system.