Relational Epistemologies: 4 Relational Knowledge in Physics, Biology, and Society

Relational knowing is not a philosophical abstraction. It is everywhere. From the tiniest particle to sprawling ecosystems, from quantum entanglements to human communities, knowledge emerges through interaction, alignment, and co-individuation.

Consider physics. Traditional narratives present measurement as passive observation: a photon detected, a particle counted, a field measured. In reality, every measurement is an interaction. Quantum systems do not exist independently of the cuts we enact. Observables, outcomes, and even probabilities are contingent on the experimental configuration. Knowledge in physics is a relational lattice — patterns of alignment between observer, apparatus, and potential.

Now consider biology. Life is a network of interacting potentials: species, genes, environments, behaviours. Ecological knowledge is never extracted; it is co-enacted. Observing a species, intervening in a habitat, or modelling an ecosystem are relational acts. They do not simply reveal; they shape the potentials that organisms and environments can occupy. Knowledge emerges through alignment, feedback, and iterative engagement.

Social systems are no different. Norms, practices, and institutions exist not as static objects but as relational potentials sustained through enactment. Sociological “data” is the residue of ongoing relational negotiation. Political knowledge is inseparable from the practices, interactions, and constraints that generate it. Understanding society relationally is not optional; it is unavoidable.

Across these domains, several patterns emerge:

1. Knowledge is co-structuring: Systems and epistemic agents mutually shape one another. Observing, interacting, and modelling are generative acts.

2. Relational alignment stabilises knowledge: Repetition, coordination, and patterned interactions produce consistent, predictable outcomes without assuming an independent reality.

3. Perspectival cuts are domain-general: The same principles apply from quantum fields to ecosystems to human collectives. Knowledge is perspectival, enacted, and emergent.

This universality is the power of relational epistemology. It explains why science works, why ecological understanding matters, and why social insight cannot be reduced to passive observation. Knowledge is never separate from the world it engages; it is a lattice of interaction, alignment, and co-emergence.

In short, the lesson is clear: whether we are probing particles, modelling populations, or shaping societies, knowledge is relational. It is always an act, always a construal, always a cut into potential.