Science operates within an interpretative framework that formulates questions and interprets answers. If we let quantum mechanics speak for itself — that is, if instead of forcing it into an inadequate framework we simply analyse the manner in which it assigns probabilities — quantum mechanics itself reveals what are the right questions to ask.

The right question to ask is, how does Reality manifest itself?

Notwithstanding its mystical and new-agey associations, no other word describes this relation better: manifestation — the self-expression and spatiotemporal realization of that which alone is real by itself and (by itself) ineffable.

So how does Reality manifest itself? Here is what we found: by the simple device of entering into spatial relations with itself, Reality creates both matter and space, for space is the totality of existing spatial relations, while matter is the corresponding (apparent) multitude of relata — "apparent" because the relations are self-relations.

By unpacking the ontological implications of the manner in which quantum mechanics assigns probabilities, we obtained not only what is arguably the most concise creation saga ever told but also a unified conception of matter and space that is elegant and economical by any standard.

We also learned that the extent to which spatial and temporal distinctions are realized by the material content of space is limited. The self-differentiation of Reality that does not go all the way down: if we keep dividing a material object, its so-called "constituents" lose their individuality, and if we conceptually partition the physical world into smaller and smaller regions, we reach a point where the distinctions we make between these regions no longer correspond to anything in the physical world. Our spatial and substantial distinctions are warranted by property-indicating events, and these do not license an absolute and unlimited objectification of such distinctions.

We also learned how form comes into being, both in the wider sense of a set of fuzzy spatial relations and in the narrower sense of a form that can be visualized "as it is." Quantum mechanics thus affords us a glimpse "behind" the manifested world at formless particles and non-visualizable objects, which are instrumental in the manifestation of the world rather than the world's constituent parts or structures.

Seen in this light, the supervenience of the microscopic on the macroscopic becomes intelligible.

Imagine that you experience something the like of which you never experienced before. How are you going to describe it? You are obliged to use words that refer to experiences you have had. It is the same with what "goes on" between Reality itself and its manifestation. Only what is missing in this case is not the words but the facts. Even though facts — actual events or states of affairs — belong to the finished product (the manifested world), we cannot describe the world's manifestation except in the language of facts. While quantum mechanics affords us a glimpse "behind the scenes" at particles, atoms, and suchlike, it allows us to describe what we "see" only in terms of inferences from (actual or counterfactual) macroevents and the quantum-mechanical correlations between them.