{
  "id": "oai:papers.qnfo.org:time-from-a-timeless-universe",
  "slug": "time-from-a-timeless-universe",
  "title": "Time from a Timeless Universe",
  "authors": [
    "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas"
  ],
  "abstract": "The problem of time in physics stems from a foundational conflict between the static, geometric reality described by fundamental theories and the dynamic, flowing time of human experience. Physicalist models that attempt to reify this experiential time, such as the Evolving Block Universe (EBU), suffer from systemic failures, including logical circularity, empirical emptiness, and incompatibility with relativity. This paper argues for a paradigm shift from a substance-based ontology of time to a relational one grounded in quantum information. We deconstruct the failures of the substance ontology and construct a relational framework from the first principles of quantum mechanics, postulating a universal, timeless quantum state governed by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Within this framework, we formally derive the time-dependent Schrödinger equation as an effective, emergent description of the correlations between a subsystem designated as a “clock” and the rest of the universe. This derivation demonstrates that the ‘present moment’ is a conditional, observer-dependent state and the ‘passage of time’ is the measurable evolution of this state. [...]",
  "abstract_markdown": "The problem of time in physics stems from a foundational conflict between the static, geometric reality described by fundamental theories and the dynamic, flowing time of human experience. Physicalist models that attempt to reify this experiential time, such as the Evolving Block Universe (EBU), suffer from systemic failures, including logical circularity, empirical emptiness, and incompatibility with relativity. This paper argues for a paradigm shift from a substance-based ontology of time to a relational one grounded in quantum information. We deconstruct the failures of the substance ontology and construct a relational framework from the first principles of quantum mechanics, postulating a universal, timeless quantum state governed by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Within this framework, we formally derive the time-dependent Schrödinger equation as an effective, emergent description of the correlations between a subsystem designated as a “clock” and the rest of the universe. This derivation demonstrates that the ‘present moment’ is a conditional, observer-dependent state and the ‘passage of time’ is the measurable evolution of this state. [...]",
  "date": "2025-10-01",
  "first_published": "2025-10-01",
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        "name": "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas",
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    "titles": [
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        "title": "Time from a Timeless Universe"
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        "description": "The problem of time in physics stems from a foundational conflict between the static, geometric reality described by fundamental theories and the dynamic, flowing time of human experience. Physicalist models that attempt to reify this experiential time, such as the Evolving Block Universe (EBU), suffer from systemic failures, including logical circularity, empirical emptiness, and incompatibility with relativity. This paper argues for a paradigm shift from a substance-based ontology of time to a relational one grounded in quantum information. We deconstruct the failures of the substance ontology and construct a relational framework from the first principles of quantum mechanics, postulating a universal, timeless quantum state governed by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Within this framework, we formally derive the time-dependent Schrödinger equation as an effective, emergent description of the correlations between a subsystem designated as a “clock” and the rest of the universe. This derivation demonstrates that the ‘present moment’ is a conditional, observer-dependent state and the ‘passage of time’ is the measurable evolution of this state. [...]",
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