This paper is Part II of the Action-Only Theory (AOT) trilogy, establishing the ontological and philosophical foundations of the mechanical framework introduced in Part I. We adopt strict operationalism (following P. W. Bridgman) to dismantle the geometric and metaphysical assumptions of modern physics, proposing instead that action (ℏ) is the sole currency of physical reality. Three main conceptual reinterpretations:(1) Measurement without mysticism—the "collapse" of the wavefunction is demystified as standard physical coupling accompanied by rapid, irreversible environmental decoherence, requiring no conscious observer.(2) Time as rheological hysteresis—time is not an absolute background flow or a geometric dimension, but the operationally measured accumulation of action. Time's arrow is reinterpreted as the hysteresis (path-dependent resistance) of the vacuum medium.(3) The illusion of instantaneous states—because all physical measurements require finite duration (ΔE·Δt ≥ ℏ/2), instantaneous quantum states and continuous spatial manifolds are exposed as mathematical idealizations (N ≫ 1 limits) rather than ontological realities. This process-based ontology explicitly justifies the fluid-dynamic mechanisms of Part I, preparing the ground for Part III, where quantum non-locality and general relativity are unified under vacuum impedance.
Naoyuki Ayaki (Thu,) studied this question.