A few years ago (2021), I reflected on whether information might be more than a tool of technology—perhaps something far more foundational. Since then, physics has remained at a crossroads. Despite incredible advances in particle accelerators, quantum computing, and astronomical observation, we’re still staring into an enormous black box. The universe continues to withhold its deepest secrets, especially those tied to dark matter, dark energy and the quantum realm.
So where to from here? What if we’re not dealing with a problem of measurement—but one of mindset?
I was triggered to write this article after reading The stagnation of physics by Adrien De Sutter in Aeon. I have to admit, when I delved deeper into the topic, some of it went straight over my head but I like to philosophy about it. I hope I’ve grasped enough of it to present these ideas in a way that is accessible and thought-provoking.
When theories start to outpace experiments
Some of the most high-profile scientific efforts of the 21st century—like the hunt for supersymmetry at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider—have yielded underwhelming results. The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 was historic, yet it also marked the last confirmed particle predicted by the Standard Model. No new particles have been conclusively discovered since.
According to Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder, theoretical physicist and author of Lost in Math (2018), physics has been seduced by mathematical elegance rather than empirical necessity. She argues that many physicists are chasing beautiful equations at the cost of testable theories—a dangerous trend for a discipline built on observable proof.
This situation has only deepened interest in ideas once thought peripheral, including the role of information itself as a possible foundation of physical reality.
The case for information as fundamental
As I mentioned in my 2021 article, American physicist John Archibald Wheeler, one of the key figures in quantum mechanics and general relativity, famously said: “It from bit”—suggesting that every particle, field, and even space-time itself derives from information (Wheeler, 1990s). Rather than viewing the universe as made of matter and energy, Wheeler proposed that reality arises from binary choices—yes/no, on/off—at a quantum level.
I also mentioned Erik Verlinde before, a Dutch theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Amsterdam, built on this with his concept of entropic gravity (2011). He argued that gravity is not a fundamental force but an emergent phenomenon arising from the statistical behaviour of microscopic information bits—essentially a shift in information entropy across space.
This fundamentally changes our perspective. If gravity is a byproduct of information, then “dark matter”—the invisible glue holding galaxies together—might not be matter at all, but a reflection of our misunderstanding of information dynamics at cosmic scales.
Entropy and the digital parallel
This concept isn’t confined to astrophysics. In the world of technology, we covered before information entropy, first formalised by Claude Shannon in the 1940s. Shannon defined it as the amount of uncertainty or unpredictability in a set of information. The more disorder the data, the higher the entropy.
In thermodynamics, entropy measures disorder in physical systems. In information theory, it measures uncertainty. These parallel definitions hint at a deeper unity. Physicist Jacob Bekenstein explored this connection by formulating the Bekenstein Bound (1972), which limits the maximum amount of information—or entropy—that can be stored within a finite region of space. Stephen Hawking’s work on black holes added weight to this, showing that black holes possess entropy and temperature, suggesting they are not information sinks but data storage units.
This convergence implies that the physical and digital worlds may be governed by similar principles. Our modern data centres, crunching enormous datasets, are not just metaphorically but literally bound by the laws of entropy. The heat generated, the complexity managed—it all echoes natural laws.
Quantum Entanglement and the limits of understanding
I am also fascinated by the quantum phenomena, as I have written about this in previous articles. Quantum mechanics continues to mystify. Particles can become entangled, meaning their states remain linked even across vast distances. This phenomenon has no classical explanation and appears to defy locality.
Some researchers, such as Seth Lloyd of MIT (Programming the Universe, 2006), argue that quantum entanglement may represent not just physical connection, but informational coherence. In this view, quantum interactions are not primarily about energy or matter, but about the exchange and transformation of information.
This raises a provocative question: Are we living in a universe not defined by matter but by code?
Even medieval theologians, often ridiculed for debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, were in fact grappling with a profound metaphysical question: can non-material entities occupy space, and if so, how? Ironically, modern physics has revived similar puzzles. Quantum particles, like bosons, can exist in the same quantum state, seemingly “stacked” in space without physical extension. What once seemed like scholastic whimsy now echoes in our attempts to describe a universe filled with probabilistic presences rather than solid certainties.
From cosmology to computation
This isn’t science fiction. It’s a frontier now being explored by physicists like Juan Maldacena (Princeton) and Gerard ‘t Hooft (Utrecht), who’ve developed the holographic principle. This principle posits that all the information within a volume of space can be described by data encoded on its boundary—a bit like a hologram.
If true, this would suggest our universe behaves like a massive, multidimensional information processor—something more akin to a vast quantum computer than a Newtonian machine. Even time and space might be emergent properties of informational flow.
What this means for business and technology
So why should business and tech leaders care?
Because this shift in perspective parallels what we’re already experiencing. The world economy is now built on the creation, manipulation, and transmission of information. From AI to blockchain, from quantum computing to edge networks—our innovations are inching ever closer to mimicking the informational dynamics of the universe itself.
And as we push into realms like quantum tech, we’re not just building tools—we’re building theories. Our technological experiments may soon inform our scientific understanding as much as the other way around.
Conclusion: from physical laws to informational logic
We may be at an inflection point. The problems of modern physics aren’t just technical—they may be conceptual. As I suggested in my earlier article, perhaps we’ve spent too long focusing on matter and force, when the real breakthrough will come from understanding information as a natural force—on par with gravity, energy, and time.
This isn’t about abandoning physics but expanding it. Information could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of both the quantum and cosmic scales. And that makes it not only a scientific challenge—but a technological and economic frontier as well.
Paul Budde