In this essay, I consider the anthropic solvability principle: the idea that solvability selects the forms of matter that direct our attention. Solvability is the condition when measurement and theory of a system reconcile in a consistent interpretation. The notion of solvability mediates between the physical properties of the system and the mathematical properties of the model we use to describe it. As with uncertainty and uncomputability, taking solvability---and unsolvability---seriously requires us to confront the role of subjectivity in physics. The reward is a renewed appreciation for the contingent and particular that emerge at the ragged edge of chaos and integrability.
Nathan L. Harshman