Imagine not a single planet, but a small solar system: a star, several planets, and perhaps a nearby passing star. Conventionally, we would describe their motions in terms of curved spacetime and gravitational interactions. From a relational ontology, the story is simpler and clearer: what emerges are patterns of relational potential actualised as instances, not objects moving through a warped container.
1. The System of Multi-Body Potential
Each mass-energy configuration — star, planets, passing bodies — defines a system of potentials:
-
Every possible trajectory of every object is constrained by the presence of the others.
-
Potentials overlap, interfere, and constrain each other in locally predictable ways.
-
No “field” or curved space is needed; the system is simply relational.
These overlapping potentials create a rich structure, akin to the wavefunction’s space of possibilities in quantum mechanics.
2. Instances Across the System
Each planet, asteroid, or comet actualises its own sequence of events — instances — within the system.
-
Each orbit is a series of actualised positions that satisfy the constraints of the multi-body system.
-
Dots of matter, like dots on a detection screen, accumulate to form patterns of relational regularity.
-
No single instance carries ontological priority; the system constrains and coordinates all trajectories simultaneously.
3. Sub-Potentials: Local Constraints
Local configurations generate sub-potentials:
-
Close encounters, resonances, or near-collisions create regions of tightly constrained possible pathways.
-
Planetary resonances, orbital precession, and tidal locking all emerge as patterns across these local constraints.
-
These sub-potentials are relational structures: they shape the dynamics of individual instances without invoking curved space or additional forces.
4. Horizon: Edge of Possibility
At every moment, each object’s horizon of possible next positions is shaped by:
-
Its prior positions (the history of instances)
-
The constraints imposed by other bodies
-
The systemic configuration of potential pathways
-
Light bending around massive bodies is an emergent feature of these shifting horizons.
-
Precession of orbits and orbital perturbations are visible consequences of relationally evolving constraints.
The horizon is the dynamic frontier of relational potential.
5. Emergent Patterns Across Instances
Over time, the accumulation of instances across all bodies creates recognisable patterns:
-
Planetary orbits in stable configurations
-
Resonances between multiple planets
-
Gravitational lensing visible when light from one body passes near another
These patterns are second-order construals, like the interference pattern in the two-slit experiment. The dots themselves — the actualised positions of planets, comets, or photons — are first-order instances, while orbits, resonances, and lensing effects are emergent regularities.
6. Relational Gravity Without Curvature
All gravitational phenomena emerge relationally:
-
There is no curved spacetime bending objects along a pre-existing grid.
-
Orbits, precession, and lensing are consequences of how potential is constrained and instances are actualised.
-
What we call “forces” are shorthand for relational patterns of constraint across multiple interacting bodies.
Much as interference arises naturally from the structure of the wavefunction, celestial dynamics emerge naturally from relational potentials.
7. Historical Accumulation
Patterns are historical traces of relational actualisations:
-
Each orbit, each lensing event, each resonance reflects the cumulative effect of prior instances and evolving constraints.
-
Predictable phenomena — such as Keplerian motion or relativistic precession — emerge as stable patterns within this historical accumulation.
-
Nothing bends; nothing curves; nothing acts as a hidden medium. All dynamics are relationally intelligible.
8. Summary: The Celestial Interference Pattern
In relational terms, a multi-body system is an interference pattern of instances:
-
Potential: the overlapping, structured constraints imposed by all bodies in the system
-
Instance: each actualised position of each object
-
Sub-potential: local constraints from nearby bodies or resonances
-
Horizon: the dynamically evolving frontier of possible next instances
The emergent patterns — orbits, precession, lensing — are recognisable regularities across first-order events. Just like quantum interference, they arise entirely from relational constraints and the actualisation of potential.
No comments:
Post a Comment