The core of QO consists of the QO concepts which apply to all domains, and are therefore discussed separately. The core is what makes QO such a productive theory.
The initial quantum
QO starts with a simple conviction: the conviction that the initial state of the universe must be very, very simple. After all, if the universe has not always existed, it must have an initial state, and that initial state must have occurred spontaneously, which can be credible only if the transition from absolute nothingness to that initial state is simple.
The simplest conceivable initial state of the universe is a single 2 state quantum system. In Genesis, we discuss how this may have popped out of absolute nothingness. If it can be shown that a single quantum system is sufficient to produce the entire universe that we observe today, it follows that it is also the simplest possible initial state. It is in any event a far simpler initial state than that of the Big Bang, and therefore much more credible.
Time
A consequence of the initial state consisting of a single 2 state quantum system is that time is a fundamental aspect of the universe, as discussed in Time. The nature of quantum system is change, and time is merely the name we give to the dimension in which they are subject to change, just as the succession of clock ticks of a computer form the dimension in which its registers are subject to change. As such, time exists independently of space, applying equally well to quantum systems that are in space, those that are space, and those, such as natural law, which exist independently of space.
The QO view of time accounts for the arrow of time. We experience time only in the forward dimension, despite the equations of physics having no preference for time running forward or backward. The mere fact that the arrow of time is not successfully accounted for by mainstream science should make us suspicious of its view of time.
The quantum universe
If the universe started with a single quantum system, and has since developed solely by means of quantum mechanical processes, it follows that everything that exists is composed solely of quantum systems.
The laws of nature
The initial state consists not only of the things, but also of all the laws of nature that that existed initially. After all, for the universe to develop from the initial state, the rules that governed how it could develop would have had to be in operation too. Just like the initial things, the initial natural law would have to have been extremely simple for it to be even remotely credible that it, too, arose out of absolute nothingness.
According to QO, natural law arises from the same quantum processes which produce things. Natural law is the uniformity of behavior which results from the universe containing the same information only once. For example, the observation that all electrons behave in exactly the same way is the result of the universe containing the information as to how electrons behave only once, and applying this information to each and every actual electron. This may sound weird, but the idea that a quantum system - a combination of interacting quanta – contains the same information only once is fundamental to Quantum Mechanics, which we discuss in the QO interpretation.
In the phrase “natural law arises” we really mean that. According to QO, new natural law is continually being produced, in a process of 'nomic evolution'. Nomic evolution is enabled by Quantum mechanical processes.
The QO concept of natural law applies to much more than science. It also applies to all mathematics and philosophy. For any word or concept to be sound, in the sense that it can be used in a logical argument without fear of producing contradictions, it too must be contained in the universe only once.
The Occam method
Up till now, we have used the term ‘credibility’ as though it was self-evident what it means and how it should be applied. In practice, this concept is very subjective. Most people are so biased towards explanations which they are accustomed to perceiving as being ‘normal’ that the term is useless. For example, religious people are inclined to find the statement “God exists” to be totally credible, whereas atheists find it incredible. In order to enable discussion, we have defined a heuristic in which the credibility of an explanation for phenomena can be assessed in a more or less objective manner. This heuristic is discussed in the Occam Method. It gives rise to a score on a linear scale, in which the least credible explanations have the highest scores. Within this site, those scores are written as a four digit number, in which the the position of a digit indicates the profundity and its value the complexity of that level of profundity.