The Last Theory Ruliad + observer = physics ... also aliens
Dec 18, 2025
Stephen Wolfram, a renowned physicist and the mind behind the Wolfram Physics Project, delves into the ruliad—the ultimate computation encompassing everything. He discusses how observers shape our understanding of physics from this vast computational landscape. Wolfram also connects the second law of thermodynamics and relativity to the ruliad, drawing fascinating parallels with fluid dynamics. He even speculates on the existence of aliens within this computational framework and questions how common life may be among the myriad possibilities.
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Observers Make The Ruliad Definite
- The Ruliad is the entangled limit of all possible computations and contains everything.
- Observers sample only slices of the Ruliad, giving rise to definite perceived laws.
Second Law Emerges From Observer Limits
- Computational irreducibility plus our computational limits explains the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
- If we could predict every molecule, the notion of heat as aggregated randomness disappears.
Spacetime Laws Arise As Aggregated Observations
- The Ruliad combined with observer constraints yields spacetime structure like Einstein's equations.
- Details of low-level rules don't matter for observers who see an aggregated level, analogous to fluid dynamics.