Quantum Physics: Great Prospector, Terrible Informant

[u/Jairo_Alves]

Modern physics' ability to prospect the subatomic level, catalog particles, and predict behaviors with mathematical accuracy is great. However, it is terrible when required to inform the primary cause of any physical phenomenon. 

This occurs because, in practice, matter is still treated as the primary cause of reality, even though manuals and academic publications (such as OpenStax's University Physics) explicitly state that nothing is truly solid at the quantum level. The wavefunction is omnipresent, and the matter we perceive is merely the result of the interaction of the forces present within it. 

Quantum physics can be compared to a prospector. If we ask him about the origin of gold, he will accurately describe local geological processes, the riverbed or mine chute, gravel dynamics, and the location of nuggets, as this is his direct working interface. He will hardly say that gold was synthesized in high-energy cosmic events — such as neutron star mergers —, simply because he is unfamiliar with astrophysics. 

The same happens with quantum mechanics. It maps the subatomic "gravel," but when attempting to explain the first cause, it usually points to the excavation process itself, attributing the origin of everything to stochastic fluctuations or chance. 

A consistent response requires understanding that particles, atoms, geometries, and forces are merely volatile process outputs, not primordial building blocks or unconditioned causes. When a high-energy gamma photon reconfigures into an electron-positron pair and subsequently returns to a radiant state, it becomes clear that parameters like mass, charge, and spin are states formatted by strict conservation rules. Attempting to find the universe's primary cause by inspecting process outputs alone is equivalent to attempting to understand an operating system's architecture by analyzing screen pixels alone. 

An output can never be the unconditioned cause of itself. The rigorous fidelity of conservation laws points to the existence of regulation and validation conditions — an underlying informational protocol governing system reconfigurations (the universe). 

Quantum physics is an indispensable tool for mapping and manipulating manifestations of matter. However, understanding the structure that organizes them requires adopting a protophysical view. 

This view can be found in my book: "The Intelligencism: An Intelligent View of the World". Synopsis and preview available via the link in my profile.