No LLM generated, heavily assisted/co-written, or otherwise reliant work.
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Summary
I propose an experimentally falsifiable protocol to test whether retroactive structure can be statistically detected in a classical bitstring, using only standard compression algorithms and a posterior partition. This protocol is inspired by post-determined block universe models (Stoica, Price, Wharton) and is designed to produce an empirical signal without relying on quantum measurement or wavefunction collapse.
The core idea: A random bitstring x₀ is generated. Later, a second random bitstring g is independently generated (e.g. via QRNG or PRNG). We partition x₀ using g (i.e. split x₀ into substrings A and B depending on gᵢ = 0 or 1). We then evaluate whether this partition reduces the overall compressed length of x₀ compared to compressing A and B separately. The index:
where ℓ denotes compressed length (e.g. via LZMA or PPMd), is tested against 1000+ permutations of g. A statistically significant positive value (e.g. p < 0.01) suggests that g retroactively reveals a compressible structure in x₀, despite being generated after x₀.
The interpretation is deliberately minimal:
No ontological claims
No interaction, no feedback
Passive structure revelation
In a strict causal-forward world, g being independent of x₀ should yield ISCR values that fall within the null distribution of its permutations. If this is violated (as simulations suggest it may be), it could be interpreted as a signature of global retro-consistency constraints, as posited by post-determined block models.
Why I Think This Matters
The setup is entirely classical, testable, and falsifiable.
It opens a path to explore time structure without invoking quantum foundations directly.
It relies on compression theory, not on quantum formalism.
It is implementable with actual physical QRNGs (e.g. photon sources).
Request for Feedback
I would appreciate technical or conceptual feedback on the following:
Are there plausible loopholes or artefacts that could explain a significant ISCR<sub>g</sub> without invoking any retro-structure?
Is the compression approach meaningful as a proxy for descriptive entropy?
Can this be made more robust or generalizable?
Would a photon-based implementation increase its epistemic value?
I'm happy to share the full paper (with formal definitions, code, simulations, Bayesian analysis, and thermodynamic argument) if anyone is interested.
Summary
I propose an experimentally falsifiable protocol to test whether retroactive structure can be statistically detected in a classical bitstring, using only standard compression algorithms and a posterior partition. This protocol is inspired by post-determined block universe models (Stoica, Price, Wharton) and is designed to produce an empirical signal without relying on quantum measurement or wavefunction collapse.
The core idea:
A random bitstring x₀ is generated. Later, a second random bitstring g is independently generated (e.g. via QRNG or PRNG). We partition x₀ using g (i.e. split x₀ into substrings A and B depending on gᵢ = 0 or 1). We then evaluate whether this partition reduces the overall compressed length of x₀ compared to compressing A and B separately. The index:
<div align="center"><code> ISCR<sub>g</sub> = ℓ(x₀) – [ℓ(A) + ℓ(B)] </code></div>
where ℓ denotes compressed length (e.g. via LZMA or PPMd), is tested against 1000+ permutations of g. A statistically significant positive value (e.g. p < 0.01) suggests that g retroactively reveals a compressible structure in x₀, despite being generated after x₀.
The interpretation is deliberately minimal:
In a strict causal-forward world, g being independent of x₀ should yield ISCR values that fall within the null distribution of its permutations. If this is violated (as simulations suggest it may be), it could be interpreted as a signature of global retro-consistency constraints, as posited by post-determined block models.
Why I Think This Matters
Request for Feedback
I would appreciate technical or conceptual feedback on the following:
I'm happy to share the full paper (with formal definitions, code, simulations, Bayesian analysis, and thermodynamic argument) if anyone is interested.