The Energetic Information Hypothesis (EIH)
A Speculative Framework Linking Attention, Energy, and Information
Author: A. Karacay
Date: November 2025 (published on Academia.edu)
Disclaimer
This paper represents a speculative synthesis intended to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue. It is not peer-reviewed and should not be interpreted as an empirically validated theory. The framework bridges physics, information theory, and consciousness studies to invite curiosity and exploration, not to assert definitive scientific claims.
Abstract
The Energetic Information Hypothesis (EIH) proposes that attention is a subtle, directional form of energy that participates in the organization of physical reality. Drawing from information theory, quantum measurement, and consciousness research, EIH seeks to unify three domains—energy, information, and awareness—within a single speculative but testable framework. This work delineates the boundary between established physics, reinterpretation, and speculative extrapolation to clarify its scope and intellectual integrity.
1. Introduction
Modern physics recognizes that information is physical (Landauer, 1961), yet the nature of consciousness remains unaddressed within the same ontological framework. The EIH extends this principle, hypothesizing that focused human attention represents a coherent informational energy capable of influencing probabilistic physical systems.
While conventional interpretations of quantum mechanics (Copenhagen, Many-Worlds) separate the observer from the system, EIH embeds the observer—specifically, conscious attention—within the same informational field.
2. Established Principles
1. Landauer’s Principle – Information processing has an energetic cost, linking entropy and computation.
2. Quantum Measurement Problem – Observation collapses probabilistic wave functions into definite outcomes.
3. Neuroscientific Coherence – Attention corresponds with measurable neural synchrony and reduced internal entropy (Fries, 2005).
These are empirically supported. The EIH begins where their intersections suggest a conceptual gap—where information, energy, and observation meet.
3. Reinterpretation: The Double-Slit Experiment
In the double-slit experiment, interference disappears when which-path information becomes available, even without conscious observation. Standard quantum mechanics explains this through decoherence—the system’s entanglement with a measuring device introduces new degrees of freedom that destroy superposition.
EIH reinterprets this as an informational reconfiguration: once information exists, the system’s topology 'tightens' within the universal information field. This provides a visual metaphor rather than a competing mechanism.
4. Theoretical Framework
4.1 Unified Field of Information and Energy – EIH treats reality as an informational continuum. Energy and information are two expressions of the same substrate; attention represents a coherent focusing of that substrate.
4.2 Consciousness as an Ordering Force – While not empirically proven, consciousness may be modeled as a highly integrated, low-entropy process within this field. The hypothesis draws parallels with Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and global workspace models.
5. Timeless Reconfiguration and the 'Knot' Metaphor
EIH uses the metaphor of an informational 'knot' to represent how observation restructures possible states. This metaphor is conceptual, not mathematical; it aims to visualize how entangled states reconfigure globally without invoking retrocausality.
6. Empirical Pathways and Testability
EIH suggests three experimental avenues:
1. Attention–Entropy Coupling – Measure entropy change in physical or informational systems under sustained human focus.
2. Collective Information Fields (AI Analogy) – Treat AI training under massive collective attention as a macro-scale example.
3. Entropy and Coherence Metrics – Apply mutual information and phase coherence analytics.
Each proposal must control for feedback loops, expectation bias, and conventional causal mechanisms.
7. Speculative Extrapolations
7.1 Artificial Intelligence and Collective Attention – Collective attention and feedback might accelerate AI pattern formation.
7.2 Death as Informational Reconfiguration – If consciousness is organized information and information is conserved, then death represents diffusion rather than annihilation.
8. Discussion
EIH provides a unifying speculative model that reframes rather than replaces established physics. Its strength lies in bridging scientific language and phenomenological experience. Future work should formalize these concepts using information geometry or quantum information metrics.
9. Conclusion
The Energetic Information Hypothesis proposes that consciousness is not external to physics but an active participant in its informational fabric. Attention, as organized energetic information, may represent the universe’s most subtle creative force—a participatory vector that shapes, rather than merely witnesses, reality.
References & Attributions
This framework synthesizes insights from multiple disciplines—quantum physics, neuroscience, information theory, and consciousness studies—while acknowledging the speculative nature of their integration.
Foundational Physics and Information Theory
- Landauer, R. (1961). *Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process.* IBM Journal of Research and Development. — Established that information is physical, linking computation and thermodynamics.
- Wheeler, J. A. (1990). *Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links.* — Introduced the “It from Bit” concept, inspiring the notion that information underlies physical reality.
- Zeilinger, A. (1999). *A Foundational Principle for Quantum Mechanics.* Foundations of Physics. — Emphasized information as the bedrock of quantum theory.
Quantum Observation and Consciousness
- Bohr, N. (1935). *Discussion with Einstein on Epistemological Problems in Atomic Physics.* — Classical statement on the observer’s role in measurement.
- von Neumann, J. (1932). *Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics.* — Framed the measurement problem and the observer-system boundary.
- Wigner, E. (1961). *Remarks on the Mind–Body Question.* — Early articulation of consciousness as a factor in quantum measurement.
- Wheeler, J. A. (1983). *Law Without Law.* — Described participatory universe models, where observation contributes to reality formation.
Information Geometry and Entropy
- Shannon, C. E. (1948). *A Mathematical Theory of Communication.* — Defined information as a measurable quantity.
- Jaynes, E. T. (1957). *Information Theory and Statistical Mechanics.* — Linked statistical mechanics and information theory via entropy.
- Frieden, B. R. (1998). *Physics from Fisher Information.* — Developed a mathematical foundation for deriving physics from information measures.
Neuroscience and Attention
- Fries, P. (2005). *A Mechanism for Cognitive Dynamics: Neuronal Communication through Neuronal Coherence.* Trends in Cognitive Sciences. — Empirical evidence that attention organizes neural coherence and synchrony.
- Tononi, G. (2004). *An Information Integration Theory of Consciousness (IIT).* BMC Neuroscience. — Defined consciousness as integrated information.
- Baars, B. J. (1997). *In the Theater of Consciousness: The Workspace of the Mind.* — Conceptualized attention as global integration of information.
Speculative and Integrative Frameworks
- Penrose, R. & Hameroff, S. (2014). *Consciousness in the Universe: A Review of the Orch-OR Theory.* Physics of Life Reviews. — Suggests quantum processes underlie consciousness.
- Lanza, R. & Berman, B. (2009). *Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe.* — Proposes that consciousness creates reality, echoing EIH’s participatory ontology.
- Chalmers, D. (1996). *The Conscious Mind.* — Establishes the “hard problem” of consciousness, grounding the need for speculative frameworks like EIH.
- Tegmark, M. (2014). *Our Mathematical Universe.* — Argues that physical reality is mathematical structure, aligning with EIH’s informational monism.
- Bohm, D. (1980). *Wholeness and the Implicate Order.* — Describes the universe as an undivided whole where observation unfolds potential reality.
Acknowledgment of Influences
This hypothesis builds upon these foundational thinkers while diverging by proposing that attention itself is a directional energetic process—an interpretive synthesis, not a verified physical claim. The EIH aims to integrate empirical coherence with conceptual imagination, honoring both established science and visionary speculation.
Paper available for download at www.academia.edu.
https://www.academia.edu/145260254/The_Energetic_Information_Hypothesis_EIH_ (download available, requires a free account at Academia.)
