Nested Domain
Reality
Ciara Corr
Theorist & Philosopher of Science
Proposer of the Nested Domain Reality (NDR) framework.
Nested Domain Reality (NDR) is a framework in which reality consists of nested domains, and an access-dependent routing process selects which domain becomes your experienced world. It is a framework for understanding reality as a continuous layered structure.
"Your setup does not create the world. It selects which part of reality you experience."
Corr Mathematical Framework
This boxed set of expressions defines the corr of the NDR framework:
- D is the set of all domains.
- di > dj means domain di is nested inside domain dj.
- s is the access state.
- R(s) selects the domain that is experienced.
- Ω is the underlying reality, and πi projects it into the observable content of domain di.
One continuous reality—not many separate universes
NDR proposes that reality is a single, continuous structure composed of nested domains. What an observer experiences is not a separate world, but a particular region within this structure—selected by the observer's access conditions.
A microscope does not create the microscopic world. It gives you access to a domain that already exists. A telescope does not generate distant galaxies. It routes your observation to a domain you couldn't otherwise reach. The same principle applies to every form of observation: biological, technological, or cognitive.
There is no branching. No copying. No separate substrate. Just one reality, with structure that exceeds what any single observer can access at once.
The building blocks of NDR
Domains
Bounded regions of reality with specific structural conditions. Not separate worlds—layers within one continuous whole.
Nesting
Domains sit inside other domains, like cells inside bodies, bodies inside ecosystems, ecosystems inside planets.
Access States
The conditions an observer must meet to engage with a particular domain—instruments, physiology, location, state of consciousness.
Routing
The process by which an observer's access state determines which domain they experience. Access selects; it does not create.
Projection
What an observer actually perceives is a projection—a partial, structured rendering of the domain they're currently routed to.
Ready to explore the framework?
NDR is a testable, structural proposal—not speculation. Dive into the formal definitions, compare it to existing theories, or see the research roadmap.