An Observer-First Theory of Everything.
Forty-one chapters, a prologue, an epilogue and four appendices, in 48 files.
The two-digit filename prefix is the reading order and the only ordering rule. Sorting
*.md by name gives front matter, prologue, chapters 1 to 41, epilogue, appendices A to
D. tools/build_book_pdf.py does exactly that and rejects a file with no prefix or a
duplicated one.
The ten parts are a property of the chapter ranges rather than of the directory:
| Part | Chapters | Title |
|---|---|---|
| One | 1 to 6 | The Only Place to Stand |
| Two | 7 to 12 | The Protocol |
| Three | 13 to 16 | The Machine |
| Four | 17 to 22 | What an Observer Finds |
| Five | 23 to 25 | Why Gravity Is Different |
| Six | 26 to 28 | The Parts List |
| Seven | 29 to 31 | The Numbers and the One Line |
| Eight | 32 to 35 | Coming Back Down |
| Nine | 36 to 37 | The Loop Closes |
| Ten | 38 to 41 | Being One of These |
python3 tools/build_book_pdf.py
Produces book/reverse-engineering-reality-book.pdf on a 6x9 trade trim through pandoc
and tectonic.
Paragraphs are single lines in the source, separated by blank lines, and wrapping is left to the renderer. Straight quotes, American spelling. Bold marks a key term at first use and is not used for emphasis. There are no em-dashes anywhere, by rule.
The front matter and glossary distinguish complete-history closure, intrinsic local computation, model-specific repair, observer interfaces and calibrated clock readings. Read the maintained OPH interpretation and working terms alongside the numerical examples. The book writes from inside the theory; the papers and the model documents state which graphs, equations and calibrations are supplied, and the book does not establish a common physically correct microscopic law. Statements about experience and ethics rest on further hypotheses that the papers state.