  On the basis that the universe is a closed quantum system with no external
observers, we propose a paradigm in which the universe jumps through a series
of stages. Each stage is defined by a quantum state, an information content,
and rules governing temporal evolution. Only some of these rules are currently
understood; we can calculate answers to quantum questions, but we do not know
why those questions have been asked in the first place. In this paradigm, time
is synonymous with the quantum process of information extraction, rather than a
label associated with a temporal dimension. We discuss the implications for
cosmology.
