This text develops an interpretation of quantum mechanics which provides a clear understanding of its meaning and in which there is a coherent notion of the reality of the universe without assuming a fundamental role for the human observer. With the aid of new concepts such as active information together with non-locality, a comprehensive account of all the basic features of quantum mechanics, including the relativistic domain and quantum field theory is provided. The text aims to dispel the paradoxical or unsatisfactory features associated with the standard approaches, such as the wave-particle duality and the collapse of the wave function. Suggestions are made to indicate some areas in which one may expect quantum theory to break down in a way that will allow for a test.