Perception as evolved interface—fitness functions hide truth. Space-time is desktop, not reality. Evolution constructs perceptual ‘interfaces’ optimized for survival, not veridical representation.
The Desktop Metaphor
- Space-time: User-friendly icons, not reflections of objective reality
- Color: Neural code for wavelength ranges—constructed, not mirrored
- Time/causality: May be illusions—emergent from deeper agent interactions
Holographic Connection
Region of space fully described by information on lower-dimensional boundary. 3D experience as projection of more fundamental data—entropy proportional to horizon area (Bekenstein-Hawking).
Physics Implication
Future theories may treat space-time like thermodynamics—accurate but derivative of deeper microstructures.
Self and Ethics
- Self: Provisional, local configuration in broader field of awareness
- Ethics: Shift from materialist baselines toward questions about experience distribution across agents
Elemental Analysis
Air (σ) at 0.85: Adaptive distinction—fitness over truth, the core interface cut.
Wood (β) at 0.75: Perceptual exploration—interface construction as fitness optimization.
Water (ρ) at 0.70: Informational resonance—underlying dynamics between agents.
Earth (δγ) at 0.60: Emergent cycling—space-time arising from agent interactions.
NEMETIC STRING
Φ(InterfaceTheory) = σ(distinction|fitness) ∘ β(exploration|interface) ∘ ρ(resonance|dynamics) ∘ γ(cycling|emergence) + ε | :open
Key Insight
All perception is compression. Hoffman makes explicit what NEMAtics assumes: no ‘true’ reality behind interface, only different compressions.
Related: Conscious Realism, Virtual Machine Consciousness, Linguistic Organism
SIML Entry: A012 Interface Theory