Deconstructing Causality, also Determinism
Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:23 am
What is a Cause?
A cause is a 'Beginning' force or 'Catalyst' to a chain of events or sequences of actions (Interaction), which if removed, a subsequential event (right now, in the present) would not have occurred.
Causality then, is a finite or infinite set of 'Causes' which culminate (are Added together) to produce a larger phenomenon, event, experience, or "Existence". Existence-itself can be claimed to be the "Infinite Set of All Possible Causes". Hypothetically: Causality produces Existence. Or, Existence is the Product of Causality.
What is a Determination or Determinism?
Determination or Determinism is "Correct, Real, True, Rational, Accurate, Logical, Scientific, Probable, Possible, Etc." attribution of Causes to their Effects. When human intellect accurately and correctly assigns causes and effects, a probable and "realistic" understanding of Natural Phenomena occurs. This is most notably associated with Physics, Chemistry ("chemical reactions"), and Order of Operations (Logic & Math). The problem of Determinism, however, is the very limited human intellect making Determinations. Determinations are highly subjective, prone to Confirmation Biases, logical fallacies, and "emotional thinking". To put it shortly, many "Causes" are not actually the case, but rather wished to be so, because a particular human Subject presumes to benefit from it...or is motivated by Fear / Irrationality, which is far worse. When human imagination is unrestrained, Humanity historically turns to Mysticism (Gods, Demons, Goblins, Spirits, Ghosts, Etc.) to explain, describe, or rationalize areas of human ignorance.
Thus Determinism / Determinations are relative to Human Knowledge (ie. Epistemology).
Cause of Being versus Cause of Becoming:
Things which are 'Being', do not have Causes. A rock at the end of the Universe, has no "Cause to Be". It has been there for an infinite amount of time; it will continue "To Be" there forever. Because it has no Beginning and no End. It is infinite. It is eternal. It interacts with Nothing. In turn, it Causes nothing. And nothing Caused it to be.
It is an "Uncaused" Rock.
The counter-claim here is that rocks, as does all Mass and Matter in the Universe, must have a "Gravitational Pull". The problem with this though, and the problem with "Soft or Hard Determinism", is Relativity. If Gravity is a Universal Force or Effect, then that Eternal Rock supposedly must interact with the rest of the Universe, and the Universe with it. However this cannot and can never be proven. It can never be demonstrated. Therefore the Eternal Rock cannot be in the realm of Science or Empiricism. The "Physical Law" which humans wish to apply to the Eternal Rock, is simply that...a wish.
According to Subjectivity, the Eternal Rock must be 'Observed' to Exist. Otherwise it is "Objective" and requires no Observation. From the Objective Perspective then, Physical Law is applied to the Eternal Rock, and its Gravitational Force (Cause / Causality) is claimed to interact with the rest of the Universe, and the Universe with it. But, this is purely hypothetical. And I claim here as my argument, that Gravity is a "Local, Temporal, and Relative" Force, not a Universal Force.
There are NO Universal Forces and therefore there is no Universal Causality. It is only relative to other objects that a 'Force' can occur, exist, or interact. Therefore there is no actual grounding for Human claims for Universality. Then what Humanity believes to be "Physical Laws, Chemical Reactions, Necessary Forces, and General Causality" are all based on subjective human understanding and Human Epistemology. Furthermore, Human "Sciences" are only relegated to what is Known and Observed (Subjectivity). Therefore abstract notions of "Hard Determinism" and "Universal Causality" are outside the bounds of Science--entering Fantasy, Fiction, and Mysticism themselves.
The conclusion then, is that not everything is "Caused" or "interacts with all else Universally". This is how 'Causality' is undermined and refuted. If there are in fact "Causes and Causality", then they could only ever be relative to specific Locations in space and time, and relative to specific human knowledge (Epistemology), based on particular human subjects Assigning Causes "to be" as Beginnings of Sequences. Without this Assignment, there is no separation or 'disentanglement' of Causes from their Effects. There is no notion of Beginning from End. And the phenomenon of Causality from Interaction, returns to "The Universe" as all part of "One".
A cause is a 'Beginning' force or 'Catalyst' to a chain of events or sequences of actions (Interaction), which if removed, a subsequential event (right now, in the present) would not have occurred.
Causality then, is a finite or infinite set of 'Causes' which culminate (are Added together) to produce a larger phenomenon, event, experience, or "Existence". Existence-itself can be claimed to be the "Infinite Set of All Possible Causes". Hypothetically: Causality produces Existence. Or, Existence is the Product of Causality.
What is a Determination or Determinism?
Determination or Determinism is "Correct, Real, True, Rational, Accurate, Logical, Scientific, Probable, Possible, Etc." attribution of Causes to their Effects. When human intellect accurately and correctly assigns causes and effects, a probable and "realistic" understanding of Natural Phenomena occurs. This is most notably associated with Physics, Chemistry ("chemical reactions"), and Order of Operations (Logic & Math). The problem of Determinism, however, is the very limited human intellect making Determinations. Determinations are highly subjective, prone to Confirmation Biases, logical fallacies, and "emotional thinking". To put it shortly, many "Causes" are not actually the case, but rather wished to be so, because a particular human Subject presumes to benefit from it...or is motivated by Fear / Irrationality, which is far worse. When human imagination is unrestrained, Humanity historically turns to Mysticism (Gods, Demons, Goblins, Spirits, Ghosts, Etc.) to explain, describe, or rationalize areas of human ignorance.
Thus Determinism / Determinations are relative to Human Knowledge (ie. Epistemology).
Cause of Being versus Cause of Becoming:
Things which are 'Being', do not have Causes. A rock at the end of the Universe, has no "Cause to Be". It has been there for an infinite amount of time; it will continue "To Be" there forever. Because it has no Beginning and no End. It is infinite. It is eternal. It interacts with Nothing. In turn, it Causes nothing. And nothing Caused it to be.
It is an "Uncaused" Rock.
The counter-claim here is that rocks, as does all Mass and Matter in the Universe, must have a "Gravitational Pull". The problem with this though, and the problem with "Soft or Hard Determinism", is Relativity. If Gravity is a Universal Force or Effect, then that Eternal Rock supposedly must interact with the rest of the Universe, and the Universe with it. However this cannot and can never be proven. It can never be demonstrated. Therefore the Eternal Rock cannot be in the realm of Science or Empiricism. The "Physical Law" which humans wish to apply to the Eternal Rock, is simply that...a wish.
According to Subjectivity, the Eternal Rock must be 'Observed' to Exist. Otherwise it is "Objective" and requires no Observation. From the Objective Perspective then, Physical Law is applied to the Eternal Rock, and its Gravitational Force (Cause / Causality) is claimed to interact with the rest of the Universe, and the Universe with it. But, this is purely hypothetical. And I claim here as my argument, that Gravity is a "Local, Temporal, and Relative" Force, not a Universal Force.
There are NO Universal Forces and therefore there is no Universal Causality. It is only relative to other objects that a 'Force' can occur, exist, or interact. Therefore there is no actual grounding for Human claims for Universality. Then what Humanity believes to be "Physical Laws, Chemical Reactions, Necessary Forces, and General Causality" are all based on subjective human understanding and Human Epistemology. Furthermore, Human "Sciences" are only relegated to what is Known and Observed (Subjectivity). Therefore abstract notions of "Hard Determinism" and "Universal Causality" are outside the bounds of Science--entering Fantasy, Fiction, and Mysticism themselves.
The conclusion then, is that not everything is "Caused" or "interacts with all else Universally". This is how 'Causality' is undermined and refuted. If there are in fact "Causes and Causality", then they could only ever be relative to specific Locations in space and time, and relative to specific human knowledge (Epistemology), based on particular human subjects Assigning Causes "to be" as Beginnings of Sequences. Without this Assignment, there is no separation or 'disentanglement' of Causes from their Effects. There is no notion of Beginning from End. And the phenomenon of Causality from Interaction, returns to "The Universe" as all part of "One".