Why Physical Laws Do Not Require Enforcement A Constraint-Based Analysis of Allowed and Forbidden States in Physics
Abstract
This paper provides a constraint-based, non-mathematical analysis of the common intuition that the laws of physics are “enforced.” Using only established physical principles, it demonstrates that enforcement is a category error: physical laws do not regulate behavior or prevent violations, but instead constitute the structure of physical possibility itself. By examining state space, dynamics, conservation laws, information, and no-go results, the paper shows that so-called violations are not forbidden events but non-states—descriptions that cannot be physically constructed or represented. The work replaces the enforcement metaphor with the concept of structural exclusion, clarifying why physics requires no policing mechanism to remain universally consistent.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Embodied and Extended Cognition
Free Will and Agency
Philosophy and History of Science
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 7 January 2026
- Document type
- Preprint