Constructor Theory

Constructor Theory is a new approach to formulating fundamental laws in physics. Instead of describing the world in terms of trajectories, initial conditions and dynamical laws, in constructor theory laws are about which physical transformations are possible and which are impossible, and why. site

This is a departure from the prevailing conception of fundamental physics which is to predict what will happen from initial conditions and laws of motion.

Constructor theory asserts that the laws of physics are expressible as specifications of which transformations of physical systems can or cannot be brought about with unbounded accuracy by devices capable of operating in a cycle. Hence, in particular, such specifications cannot refer to time. Thus, laws expressed in constructor-theoretic form automatically avoid the anomalous properties of time in traditional formulations of fundamental theories. But that raises the problem of how they can nevertheless give meaning to duration and dynamics, and thereby be compatible with traditionally formulated laws. arxiv

The theory addresses directly what is and isn't possible. Judea Perl explored reasoning with the counter-factual while Karl Friston describes its role in Bayesian learning.

Assembly Theory has a similar appreciation for the accumulation of "knowledge" in any replicating system but is content to measure rather than explain.

A Python implementation of David Deutsch’s Constructor Theory framework, exposing key concepts—from simple Tasks and branching substrates to quantum-gravity and electromagnetism—entirely in code. Includes a “universal constructor” that can bootstrap itself from a list of Tasks, demonstrating self-replication and the power of Constructor Theory. mastodon github

DEUTSCH, David, 2013. Constructor theory. Synthese. Vol. 190, no. 18, p. 4331–4359. doi

Several converging motivations for expecting constructor theory to be a fundamental branch of physics are discussed. Some principles of the theory are suggested and its potential for solving various problems and achieving various unifications is explored.

These include providing a theory of information underlying classical and quantum information; generalising the theory of computation to include all physical transformations; unifying formal statements of conservation laws with the stronger operational ones (such as the ruling-out of perpetual motion machines); expressing the principles of testability and of the computability of nature (currently deemed methodological and metaphysical respectively) as laws of physics; allowing exact statements of emergent laws (such as the second law of thermodynamics); and expressing certain apparently anthropocentric attributes such as knowledge in physical terms.

MARLETTO, Chiara, 2015. Constructor theory of life. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. Online. 6 March 2015. Vol. 12, no. 104, p. 20141226. [Accessed 25 February 2023]. DOI 10.1098/rsif.2014.1226.

=> Constructor Theory of Time