# Wheeler's "information theoretic" derivation of quantum information

1980s. John Wheeler at the University of Texas would tell his students, “Give an information theoretic derivation of quantum theory!” Information theoretic is an adjective for Claude Shannon's information theory, which used log probabilities to represent bits.

With this desperate call to make quantum theory relatable to information theory, or molded in its likeness, is the link between Shannon's information theory unnaturally linked to "quantum theory of information"? In other words, is the connection between them man-made (superficial) and quantitatively contrived? or are classical and quantum information naturally bonded?

What did Wheeler's career conclude about the connection between information theory and quantum theory (quantum information)? Was he able to derive it information theoretically, and what exactly is the derivation?

It's a testament to Wheeler's foresight and pedagogy that he saw this as a productive direction to push his students. Whether one views it as natural or not, it was certainly highly productive. Wheeler was both brilliant and highly creative, and he was generally happy to socialize creative theories before he could rigorously support them. According to Feynman$${}^\dagger$$ (another of Wheeler's PhD students) one the critical insights that led to his path integral formulation resulted from Wheeler informing him of his conclusion that there was only a single electron in the universe.
$${}^\dagger$$ If you don't want to read the whole Nobel Lecture, search "Because, they are all the same electron!"