Skip to main content
Home
plus.maths.org

Secondary menu

  • My list
  • About Plus
  • Sponsors
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Log in
  • Main navigation

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Collections
  • Podcasts
  • Maths in a minute
  • Puzzles
  • Videos
  • Topics and tags
  • For

    • cat icon
      Curiosity
    • newspaper icon
      Media
    • graduation icon
      Education
    • briefcase icon
      Policy

      Popular topics and tags

      Shapes

      • Geometry
      • Vectors and matrices
      • Topology
      • Networks and graph theory
      • Fractals

      Numbers

      • Number theory
      • Arithmetic
      • Prime numbers
      • Fermat's last theorem
      • Cryptography

      Computing and information

      • Quantum computing
      • Complexity
      • Information theory
      • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
      • Algorithm

      Data and probability

      • Statistics
      • Probability and uncertainty
      • Randomness

      Abstract structures

      • Symmetry
      • Algebra and group theory
      • Vectors and matrices

      Physics

      • Fluid dynamics
      • Quantum physics
      • General relativity, gravity and black holes
      • Entropy and thermodynamics
      • String theory and quantum gravity

      Arts, humanities and sport

      • History and philosophy of mathematics
      • Art and Music
      • Language
      • Sport

      Logic, proof and strategy

      • Logic
      • Proof
      • Game theory

      Calculus and analysis

      • Differential equations
      • Calculus

      Towards applications

      • Mathematical modelling
      • Dynamical systems and Chaos

      Applications

      • Medicine and health
      • Epidemiology
      • Biology
      • Economics and finance
      • Engineering and architecture
      • Weather forecasting
      • Climate change

      Understanding of mathematics

      • Public understanding of mathematics
      • Education

      Get your maths quickly

      • Maths in a minute

      Main menu

    • Home
    • Articles
    • Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Maths in a minute
    • Puzzles
    • Videos
    • Topics and tags
    • Audiences

      • cat icon
        Curiosity
      • newspaper icon
        Media
      • graduation icon
        Education
      • briefcase icon
        Policy

      Secondary menu

    • My list
    • About Plus
    • Sponsors
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    • Log in
    • What is constructor theory?

      22 July, 2020

      Physics is a hugely successful branch of science, but there are some things it has trouble getting a handle on. It is a bit hazy on some of the things we learn about in the physics classroom, such as temperature, heat and work. It has trouble linking up with the science that describes life, and it can't define one of the most important features of life, namely information. When it comes to things like consciousness and the ability of conscious beings to make free choices, the fundamental laws of physics don't offer any clues at all.

      This is why physicists from the University of Oxford have developed a new framework for looking at the physical world, called constructor theory. In these articles we explore the theory and look at some of the problems it may be able to help with.

      Understanding information — Information is supremely powerful, yet it can't be described by traditional physics. Here is how constructor may be able to help.

      Life, choice and other problems — This article explores some of the questions physics as we know it has trouble getting to grips with.

      Life, choice, other problems...and some answers — This article explores how constructor theory may be able to provide answers to the questions posed above.

      What is constructor theory: The podcast — Here is Chiara Marletto describing constructor theory in her own words.

      Background reading

      Freedom and physics — This article takes a closer look at the relationship between the concept and free will and the fundamental laws of physics.

      Maths in a minute: Cellular automata — This article describes the fascinating objects that are cellular automata in just a few paragraphs.

      Cellular automata — This article explores cellular automata and the fascinating patterns they can form in more detail.


      You may also want to read...

      The following article, originally published on the FQXi community website, also explores constructor theory and its potential applications.

      Constructing a theory of life — An all-encompassing framework of physics could help to explain the evolution of consciousness, intelligence, and free will.

      Read more about...
      agency
      constructor theory
      information
      Information theory
      thermodynamics
      origins of life
      • Log in or register to post comments

      Read more about...

      agency
      constructor theory
      information
      Information theory
      thermodynamics
      origins of life
      University of Cambridge logo

      Plus Magazine is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.
      Copyright © 1997 - 2025. University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.

      Terms