This paper considers collapsar (black hole) entropy within the framework where entropy is a function of two factors: the number of accessible microstates (Ω) and the choice of the level of description (G), also called coarse‑graining. It is shown that the traditional Bekenstein–Hawking formula S = A/ (4P²) corresponds to an extreme macroscopic choice of G: only the horizon area is taken into account, while the internal structure and quantum fluctuations are “lumped together” into a single macrostate. Three alternative choices of G are analyzed: 1. Extremely macroscopic – only mass or charge is considered. Ω decreases, entropy falls. This is second‑level coarse‑graining. 2. Quantum – quantum fluctuations of the horizon are included. Ω increases, entropy rises (supported by the work of ’t Hooft and Marolf). 3. Including internal structure – everything inside the collapsar (fuzzball microstates) is taken into account. Ω becomes astronomically huge, entropy huge, but such entropy is unobservable from outside. It is concluded that “black hole entropy” is not an absolute quantity; it depends on the chosen level of description. Recognizing the role of G removes the “information paradox”: information loss is not the disappearance of a physical configuration but a consequence of the choice of G that does not include internal structure. The paper draws on modern research (Marolf, ’t Hooft, Mathur, AMPS) and is addressed to physicists and methodologists of science.
Alexander Yourievitch Kotelnikov (Fri,) studied this question.