Exploring the interplay of Information, Consciousness, and Computation
The fundamental substrate of reality. Matter and energy emerge from information, not the other way around.
The observer that collapses quantum states. Consciousness drives and interprets information processing.
The mechanism by which information evolves — reality operates as a self-updating computational process.
About the visual similarity to E=mc²: The resemblance honors physics while redefining fundamentals. The "c" here does not reference the speed of light.
Instead, it encodes the three pillars — Information, Consciousness, Computation — combined into a unified representation of our theoretical foundation.
By invoking physics' most famous formula, we emphasize a paradigm as deep: information as the ground state of reality.
Our logo, known as "The Spinner," embodies the three foundational pillars of our research framework through its distinctive triangular form. Each element represents one of the three aspects of reality we investigate, while the overall structure illustrates their inseparable unity.
The yellow element represents Information as the fundamental substrate of reality. This isn't information about reality—it is reality at its most basic level. Just as energy and matter are interconvertible (E=mc²), we understand physical reality as patterns of information that can be processed, transformed, and measured. From quantum mechanics to cosmology, information provides the common language that unifies seemingly disparate phenomena.
The green element represents Computation as the dynamic optimization process through which information evolves. Reality doesn't just exist—it continuously optimizes according to physical laws that can be understood as computational constraints. From the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics (nature exploring all possible paths to find optimal ones) to thermodynamic evolution toward maximum entropy, the universe operates as a vast optimization engine.
The red element symbolizes Consciousness as self-referential information processing—represented by the "²" (squared) in Ic². This isn't simple duplication but the strange loop of information processing that models itself. We are not separate from the universe; our consciousness is completely composed of and integrated with it. There is no discrete boundary between "mind" and "physical reality"—consciousness IS physical reality, a specific pattern of information processing in quantum and electromagnetic fields.
When information patterns become complex enough to represent and modify their own processing, consciousness emerges. This isn't mystical—it's a natural consequence of information systems achieving sufficient self-referential complexity. What we experience as thoughts, emotions, and awareness are information processing patterns that don't exist separate from physics but ARE physics.
Emotions, too, are information processing patterns in these fields. When you feel joy, grief, love, or fear, you're not experiencing something separate from physical reality—you're participating in reality's information structure. These patterns can persist after individuals leave a location, affect physical measurements, influence subsequent observers' information processing, show coherence effects where groups create stronger patterns than individuals, and decay predictably over time. Ancient wisdom about "sacred spaces" and "emotional atmospheres" describes real physical phenomena.
This has profound implications: How we treat each other literally shapes physical reality. Creating coherent, caring communities creates measurable physical benefits. Trauma creates persistent physical damage to information fields. The "vibes" of a place are real—measurable patterns in the information structure of space itself. This dissolves the mind-body problem entirely: there never was a separation to bridge. Subjective experience and objective measurement are both information patterns viewed from different perspectives. Beauty, ethics, and physics align because all three measure information coherence.
The three elements form a triangle because they are not separate domains but three aspects of a single unified reality. Information without computation is static and inert. Computation without consciousness remains mechanical optimization. Consciousness without information substrate has nothing to process. They exist only in relationship to each other—you cannot have one without the others.
This geometric unity mirrors the deep insight from modern physics: reality is fundamentally relational. Nothing exists in isolation. Properties emerge from relationships. The triangle itself is the message: separation is the illusion; integration is the reality.
The hexagonal space at the center where the three elements meet is deliberately open—not empty, but pregnant with possibility. This openness represents several crucial concepts:
Emergence: When information, consciousness, and computation interact, something greater than their sum emerges. The open center is where subjective experience arises from objective processes, where meaning emerges from pattern, where novelty appears from deterministic laws.
Strange Loop: The open center represents the self-referential nature of consciousness itself. The observer observing themselves observing creates an infinite regress—a strange loop that Douglas Hofstadter identified as the essence of consciousness. The center is open because this self-reference never fully closes; consciousness always contains something that transcends its own computational substrate.
Incompleteness: Following Gödel's insights, any sufficiently complex formal system contains truths it cannot prove from within itself. The open center acknowledges that our framework, no matter how comprehensive, cannot fully capture all of reality from within reality. There will always be something more—something that emerges from the interaction but cannot be reduced to the components.
"The Spinner" isn't static—it represents perpetual motion, continuous transformation. Reality isn't a fixed structure but an ongoing process. Information patterns constantly update, computation continuously optimizes, consciousness continually integrates new information and modifies its own processing.
This spinning mirrors fundamental physics: quantum fields fluctuate, particles decay and transform, entropy relentlessly increases, galaxies rotate, consciousness flows. Even what seems permanent is actually dynamic equilibrium—stable patterns maintained by continuous energy flow, like a whirlpool that maintains its shape while the water constantly changes.
The spinning also represents iteration and recursion—the same patterns appearing at different scales, the same principles applying from quantum to cosmic domains. Each revolution of understanding brings us back to the same questions at a deeper level, revealing new layers of complexity within apparent simplicity.
The visual similarity to Einstein's famous equation is intentional. Just as E=mc² revealed the deep relationship between energy and matter, showing they are different manifestations of the same underlying reality, Ic² suggests that Energy emerges from the interaction of Information (I), Consciousness (c), and Computation (²).
Where E=mc² unified physics by showing matter and energy are interconvertible, Ic² proposes an even deeper unification: reality itself emerges from information processing that achieves self-awareness through computational optimization. This isn't replacing E=mc² but contextualizing it—mass-energy equivalence becomes a special case of information-consciousness-computation dynamics.
The equation isn't just symbolic parallelism. It's a testable hypothesis about the fundamental structure of reality, with specific predictions about quantum mechanics, consciousness, cosmology, and the relationship between physical and mental phenomena.
The Spinner logo thus encodes our entire research program in a single geometric form: three irreducible aspects forming a unified dynamic process, with emergent properties arising from their interaction, all in continuous motion through time. It's not just a symbol of what we study—it's a visual representation of how reality works.
Our MissionIc² Research Institute advances open, transparent research into the fundamental nature of reality through information theory, consciousness studies, and computational frameworks.
We value free collaboration and data transparency — no paywalls, no gatekeeping, no hidden failures. Our ethos is open inquiry for the common understanding of existence.
Core ValuesAll data, hypotheses, and results are fully public — including failures and iterations.
Documented predictions and open financial records. Every step visible to the world.
Collaboration transcends credentials — contributions are valued on merit and insight.
Every theoretical claim must be falsifiable through observable prediction.
Acknowledging limitations and reporting all outcomes with clarity and fairness.
Knowledge belongs to everyone. No closed peer review, no artificial barriers.
The TeamIc² Research Institute is an independent, community-driven entity that ensures complete scientific freedom.
Founder & Principal Researcher: Michael K. Baines
We deliberately avoid traditional hierarchies to encourage interdisciplinary exploration and collaboration.
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