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Both Leonard Susskind and Francis Heylighen have written about the Conservation of Distinction but it seems Susskind more closely connects this (law?) with unitarity in quantum mechanics. Heylighen doesn't mention unitarity from what I've read and uses the term more to argue the foundations and meaning of causality.

So is the Conservation of Distinction a true law of conservation in mainstream physics?

And if it is a law of conservation, what rule of symmetry does it correspond to (assuming Noether's theorem applies)?

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  • $\begingroup$ Where did Susskind write about this? $\endgroup$
    – probably_someone
    Commented May 2, 2018 at 23:04
  • $\begingroup$ Could you summarize in your question what the "conservation of distinction" is? I'd imagine many other people like me are familiar with unitarity but not this phrase. $\endgroup$
    – octonion
    Commented May 2, 2018 at 23:07
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    $\begingroup$ From what you say, it appears to be an alternate name for unitarity which is easier for the layperson to understand. Nothing much more. $\endgroup$
    – knzhou
    Commented May 2, 2018 at 23:09
  • $\begingroup$ @probably_someone Susskind mentions it it in his book "Quantum Mechanics, The Theoretical Minimum" $\endgroup$
    – docscience
    Commented May 2, 2018 at 23:19
  • $\begingroup$ Do you have a link to this, as I've never heard of it? If it's in Susskinds book, it might be worthwhile to quote the relevant paragraph to give some context. $\endgroup$
    – Mozibur Ullah
    Commented May 2, 2018 at 23:21

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Here's an article by Heylighen on this; it appears he's interested in theorising causality judging from the abstract:

Equal causes have equal effects is reformulated as a distinction conserving relation. Unpredictable, respectively irreversible processes are analysed as processes in which distinctions are created, respectively destroyed. Different types of partially and pseudo causal relations are examined. Time order is derived from distinction conservation.

So in brief, from Heylighers perspective this is an underlying conservation law that gives time order. It's not a main-stream conservation law of physics which is no comment upon its validity or truth.

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