Solid Objects and Collisions
Solid Bodies in an Event-Based Ontology
Solid objects, like rocks, tables, or mountains, may seem at odds with the fluid and dynamic nature of an event-based ontology, which emphasizes the transient nature of reality as composed of momentary happenings. However, process philosophy offers a framework to reconcile the stability and persistence of solid objects with the ontology of events. Here’s how solid objects can be understood:
1. Solid Objects as Aggregates of Events
In an event-based ontology, solid objects are not independent substances but aggregates of countless momentary events (actual entities). These events occur in specific regions of the space-time continuum and collectively generate the perception of solidity. For instance, a table’s apparent stability arises from the enduring organization of its microscopic events, such as molecular interactions, which persist over time.
2. Stability as a Pattern of Recurrence
The solidity of an object is an emergent property of stable patterns of events that recur in predictable ways. While individual events are transient, their organization into repetitive patterns gives rise to the perception of permanence. For example, the crystal lattice structure of a diamond reflects the recurring arrangement of atoms in specific energy states, creating its apparent immutability.
3. Emergence of Solidity from Relationships
Solidity emerges from the relational dynamics of an object’s constituent events. These relationships give the object its coherence and resistance to external forces. In this view, a solid object is less a “thing” and more a dynamic network of energy exchanges that maintain its structural integrity.
4. Perceived Solidity and Macroscopic Scale
Human perception operates on a macroscopic scale, where the complex interplay of microscopic events is not directly observable. Solid objects appear stable and rigid because the underlying events occur on scales too small and too fast for our senses to detect. This perceptual limitation creates the intuitive sense of solidity, even though the object is fundamentally dynamic.
5. The Role of Habit in Event Organization
Whitehead’s concept of “societies of events” helps explain how solidity arises. Societies are groups of events that maintain continuity through habitual patterns of interaction. A rock, for instance, is a society of events whose components exhibit a high degree of stability, giving rise to its enduring physical presence.
6. Collisions and Solidity
Collisions, where solid objects interact, can be understood as exchanges of energy between organized patterns of events. When two solid objects collide, the energy from one set of events influences the pattern of the other, resulting in observable effects like motion, deformation, or sound. Solidity, in this context, is an emergent property of the relational interactions within and between these event-patterns.
7. Insights from Physics: Quantum and Condensed Matter
Quantum physics and condensed matter physics provide a scientific basis for understanding solidity in terms of events. Quantum theory views matter as composed of energy events, while condensed matter physics explores how these events organize into stable states like solids, liquids, and crystals. These disciplines show how macroscopic stability arises from microscopic dynamism.
8. Solidity as a Human-Centered Perception
The experience of solidity is shaped by human sensory and emotional engagement with the world. We interact with objects as stable and reliable entities because this perception aids survival and practical engagement. An event-based ontology does not deny this experience but enriches it by revealing the dynamic processes underlying solidity.
In an event-based ontology, solid objects are not fixed entities but emergent phenomena arising from the organization and interaction of momentary events. Solidity reflects the stability of patterns within this dynamic process, bridging the apparent tension between the fluidity of events and the enduring presence of the material world. This perspective invites us to see solid objects not as static substances but as vibrant expressions of relational energy and process.
Collisions in an Event-Based Ontology
One of the key challenges of an event-based ontology is reconciling the reality of collisions—solid objects physically interacting with one another—with the idea that all matter is ultimately composed of momentary events. Process philosophy offers ways to understand collisions that complement both our intuitive experiences and the underlying event-based framework:
1. Collisions as Patterns of Energy Transfer
In an event-based ontology, collisions are not interactions between solid, unchanging substances but rather exchanges of energy between patterns of events. When two objects collide, the underlying events composing each object interact and transfer energy, leading to changes in the event-patterns of both. For instance, when a billiard ball strikes another, the kinetic energy from one set of events is transferred to another, creating the observable effect of motion.
2. Relational Dynamics at the Microscopic Level
At the microscopic level, collisions occur as interactions between atoms, molecules, or quantum particles. These entities, understood as aggregates of energy events, "collide" when the relational dynamics of their respective energy fields influence each other. This process is governed by laws such as conservation of momentum and energy, which describe how event-patterns adjust in response to one another.
3. Emergence of Macroscopic Collisions
While the individual events composing solid objects are transient and localized, their collective organization gives rise to macroscopic phenomena like collisions. The stability of an object, such as a billiard ball, arises from the recurring patterns of its underlying events. When two stable patterns interact, the result is perceived as a collision—a transfer of energy and momentum between the two patterns, producing macroscopic effects.
4. Collision as Contact Between Event-Patterns
From a process perspective, a collision is best understood as the interaction of two overlapping regions of events. These regions, which constitute the objects involved, temporarily influence each other's trajectories and states. The solidity we associate with collisions is an emergent property of the structured relationships within and between these regions of events.
5. Collisions and Whitehead’s “Extensive Continuum”
Whitehead’s concept of the "extensive continuum" helps frame collisions within an event-based ontology. The extensive continuum is the spatial-temporal framework within which all events occur and relate to one another. Collisions can be seen as events in which two regions of the continuum become densely related, leading to mutual influence. The continuum ensures that events are not isolated but always interconnected, allowing for interactions like collisions.
6. Human Perception of Collisions
Our perception of collisions as direct and tactile interactions arises from our macroscopic sensory experience. When two objects collide, we perceive the result of countless microscopic energy exchanges as a single, unified event. This perception does not contradict the event-based ontology but rather reflects an emergent phenomenon made intelligible by the organization of events into stable, observable forms.
7. Insights from Physics: Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Physics helps clarify how collisions fit within an event-based framework. Elastic collisions, where energy is conserved and objects rebound, and inelastic collisions, where energy is dissipated or transformed, can both be understood as different modes of energy exchange between event-patterns. These distinctions align with the process view, where interactions are dynamic and context-dependent.
8. Collisions as Processes of Becoming
In an event-based ontology, a collision is not a static event but a process of becoming, where new patterns of events emerge as a result of interaction. For example, when two cars collide, the energy exchange not only alters their motion but also creates new forms, such as dents or debris. These changes reflect the creative advance of events, where novelty emerges from interaction.
Bridging the Gap Between Perception and Ontology
Understanding collisions in an event-based ontology requires bridging the gap between our intuitive experience of solidity and the dynamic reality of energy events. Collisions are not seen as interactions between rigid substances but as relational processes within the continuum of events. This perspective retains the physical reality of collisions while deepening our understanding of their underlying dynamics.