FUNDAMENTAL LAWS
All science, language, and knowledge rests upon three á priori laws: Differences exist, Differences are dynamic, and Differences are scalar. I assert that these are the three fundamental laws of the universe. All others depend upon them.
The belief in differences is fundamental to all science, art, religion, and culture as well as every other human endeavor. We acknowledge the truth of differences within language by having multiple words such as the nouns "phone," "horse," "river," and "star." Each of these is different in some way from the others. We deal with differences every day, and our lives abound with them: buildings, desks, trucks, papers, clouds, mountains, oceans, plants, and animals.
The key to difference is the presence versus the absence of some quality or attribute (color, sound, texture, odor, etc.). When comparing two or more things, this absence is denoted by the term "not" and highlights the difference. A cloud floats on air, but a rock does not. A tree is tall, but a clover is not. A table has legs or a central column, but a mat does not. Fundamentally, these "nots" establish boundaries between things. Through the use of "not," we find the end of one thing and the beginning of another. Difference is the juxtaposition of "that which is" against "that which is not" - they define each other.
Formally, sentential logic asserts the propositions "p" and "not p." (Rogers, 1971, pp. 1-25) (Rogers, Robert. Mathematical Logic and Formailized Theories. London: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1971) Further, it asserts that they are not one in the same (law of noncontradiction). Mathematics and science are founded upon this concept, and their accepted three spatial dimensions (height, length, breadth) require this law to exist. One cannot have two or three of anything unless there is separation - difference. Height is not length, length is not breadth, and breadth is not depth.
The existence of differences is a universal law which has many names and was undoubtedly understood and accepted intuitively, if not formally so, by ancient humans. Without it, nothing can exist - no culture nor people, no flora nor fauna, no planets nor galaxies. I certainly make no claim for discovering this law, but for convenience and to differentiate it from "1st" laws of other sciences, I will denote it as fundamental Law of Difference #1 (LD1). Alternately, this will be called the Law of Nouns. (Verbs and modifiers are forthcoming.)
LAW II - DIFFERENCES ARE DYNAMIC:
In essence, "differences are dynamic" acknowledges the existence of motion: nature is dynamic and animated. Leaves on a tree shimmer in a breeze. A mouse scurries along a baseboard. Clouds drift across the sky. We drive lickety-split from place to place. We push, pour, pile, and pull. We read, write, think, plan, and do. Our earth spins at hundreds of meters per second - upwards of 1000 miles per hour. Meanwhile, our earth whirls around the Sun and travels over 18 miles every second and over 1.5 million miles per day. Our solar system, in turn, careens at an even greater speed around our galaxy which silently glides across infinite space. Our whole universe exudes motion - dynamism.
We intuitively understand motion, and we pay homage to it in language through our use of verbs. The motion of a bird's wing as it flies goes through a cycle: up, down, up, down, up, down. The motion is regular; it repeats. By being regular, we have learned to recognize it, and with our recognition as well as our need to express it, we have assigned the verb "flap" to the motion. The bird flaps its wings to fly. Similarly, we give names for all regular motions - "fly," "run," "twist," "melt," "shout," etc. In language, we collectively call these terms "action verbs."
Further, born of the law of "dynamic differences" is our concept of time (the fourth dimension) and our terms "before and after." We perceive sequences of events through this law. The seasons pass from Spring, through Summer, then Fall and Winter, only to start anew the following Spring. A seed takes root, grows, buds, and then blooms. We see a slalom skier shooting down a hill and navigating through flags and trees to the finish line. We perceive the passage of time through the sequencing of events before our eyes.
Mutual Influence Corollary:
Perhaps the most important outgrowth of the second law of difference is "cause and effect" or "process." LD1 asserts that the end of one thing defines the beginning of another: "that which is" defines "that which is not." If a change occurs in one, by definition, a change must occur in the other. In other words, any change of any type causes corresponding changes to all other objects or entities within the surrounding environment. The effect of a sculpture is caused by cutting clay with a knife. A change in the artist's hand fosters a change in the knife's imprint. However, not only is the clay changed, but with each cut, the knife changes, too. It moves and grows duller; it changes in position and in sharpness. As a result, a change in one causes a change in the other, and vice-versa. Similarly the air surrounding the artist changes with each hand and body movement. And just as the hand affects the air, the air affects the hand. If the air is cool, the sculpter's skin gives up heat to the surrounding air. If the air is hot, the sculpter's skin absorbs heat and reacts by sweating. Of course, all of these interactions affect the sculpter's thoughts, too. Essentially, each affects or "influences" the other. Usually, we refer to such cause and effect sequences as processes, and our daily lives are filled with them. As we drive about on highways, our tires grow bald and our roads grow potholes as each contacts the other. On a massive scale, hurricanes cross shorelines to wreak havoc on land. Yet, it is the relatively cool, dry land which wreaks havoc on the hurricanes, denying them of warmth and moisture, and causing them to die. A change in one fosters a change in the other - one influences the other. Such is the nature of "cause and effect" processes. Because of this reciprocity, and for reasons which will be made apparent later when I define "control," I will refer to this corollary as "mutual influence."
The existence of dynamic differences is a universal law which has many names and was undoubtedly understood and accepted intuitively, if not formally so, by ancient humans. Heraclitus recognized this law when he noted that "... everything is in a state of flux ..." (Russell, 1945, p. 44). [Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1945] Sir Isaac Newton assumed this law prior to defining his three laws of motion. Without this law of dynamism, no actions can exist - no motion, no formulas, no reading, no writing, no thinking. Again, I certainly make no claim for discovering this law, but for convenience and to differentiate it from "2nd" laws of other sciences, I will denote it as fundamental Law of Difference #2 (LD2). Alternately, this is the Law of Verbs.
NOTE: The 2nd law of dynamic differences (LD2) may seem inseparable from the first law of differences (LD1). Any act of perception through our senses (perceiving colors, sounds, smells, etc.) is a process. Perceiving a wave of light or a soundwave is an animated process just as determining odors and tastes are animated processes. Any sensation of our senses and even our thoughts exhibit process. As a result, all human concepts are derived from processes. If it is possible for the first three dimensions to exist without the fourth (time), then we cannot experience them since our very nature requires the dynamic fourth dimension (time) to sense and recognize them. However, since we do perceive and refer to objects as if they were independent of time (in particular, through our use of linking verbs), it is useful to separate the first and second laws.
LAW III - DIFFERENCES ARE SCALAR:
Beside recognizing separate, dynamic objects around us, we also acknowledge that some differences are relative, and we compare attributes as if on a scale. One tree is higher than another. One trunk is more mottled. One tree has larger leaves. Higher, lower, more, less, full, sparse, salty, sour, bumpy, smoothe, loudly, softly, quickly, slowly, green, blue, fast, faster, fastest - all of these are scalar terms we have invented to help us describe our infinitely varied universe. In language, we collectively call these terms "modifiers" or "adjectives and adverbs."
The existence of scalar differences is a universal law and is á priori. Without it, the first three dimensions cannot exist. In a three-dimensional world, each dimension is a scale of distance, and any two objects have a relation within the three dimensions which are scalar.
Like LD1 and LD2, this law has many names and was undoubtedly understood and accepted intuitively, if not formally so, by ancient humans. Once again, I make no claim for discovering this law, but for convenience and to differentiate it from "3rd" laws of other sciences, I will denote it as fundamental Law of Difference #3 (LD3). Alternately, this is the Law of Modifiers.
NOTE: The fundamental Law of Difference #3 (LD3) occurs third since it relies upon a comparison (at least against a scale of measure if not against another object). A comparison is a process (LD2) which requires two "things" (LD1) for comparison before it is enabled. Technically, any object or proposition "p" must have a second object or proposition "not p" before a comparison can take place. The relationship found after the comparison (the result) is the scalar term (LD3) - bigger, smaller, sweetest, roughest, etc. Though reality may make no precedence, for the convenience of our sequence of logic, LD1 must precede LD2 which must precede LD3.
Back to Theory of Mind
Copyright
Page Design and Content by Monument Systems. All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2002 by Monument Systems