The Fiction Principle: Toward a Physics Beyond Fundamental Causality: An Informational Framework for Emergent Time, Causality, Quantum Mechanics, Gravity, and Cosmology

What if causality is not fundamental to reality? The Fiction Principle presents a bold and speculative framework proposing that causality, time, space, and even physical law emerge from observer-dependent informational reconstruction rather than existing as fundamental features of the universe. Drawing upon concepts from information theory, quantum mechanics, general relativity, thermodynamics, and cosmology, Dr. Ankit Panch develops a unified informational perspective in which reality is understood as a timeless informational substrate interpreted through finite observers. Rather than replacing established physics, this work seeks a deeper conceptual foundation from which existing theories naturally emerge. It introduces new mathematical formalisms, explores philosophical implications, discusses experimentally testable ideas, and outlines a research program for future investigation. Written for physicists, mathematicians, philosophers of science, AI researchers, and intellectually curious readers, The Fiction Principle challenges one of science's oldest assumptions: that every event must have a cause. Whether the framework ultimately proves correct or not, it aims to stimulate discussion about the informational foundations of reality and inspire new directions in theoretical physics.