This paper proposes a three-level ontological framework in which the arrow of time emerges from a pre-temporal layer of quantum processes. At the fundamental level, reality is described as a space of correlations and processes without intrinsic temporal orientation. A regime of projection and stabilization—analogous to a supermap—selects a restricted class of operational descriptions, inducing an effective arrow of time through coarse-graining and decoherence. At the emergent level, this stabilized framework gives rise to the classical-relativistic world, including lived temporality and phenomenal consciousness. The approach is discussed in light of recent experiments on controlled temporal frames and process-matrix formalisms.
Pierre-Marie (common first name: Pierre) Meyer (Sun,) studied this question.