At first glance, quantum interference and planetary motion seem worlds apart: one is the mysterious flicker of electrons on a screen, the other the majestic sweep of planets around stars. Yet, when viewed through relational ontology, both are manifestations of the same underlying principle: potential constrains, instances actualise, and patterns emerge relationally.
1. Systems of Potential
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Quantum case: The wavefunction defines the space of potential detections in a two-slit experiment. Each electron or photon is an instance constrained by the relational system of possibilities.
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Celestial case: Mass-energy configurations — stars, planets, and comets — define the system of potential pathways. Each planet, asteroid, or photon follows instances constrained by these relational potentials.
In both cases, the “geometry” of outcomes is a readout of constraints, not a pre-existing substrate bending under force.
2. Instances as First-Order Events
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Quantum: Each dot on the detector is a first-order instance, an actualised event that satisfies the constraints of the wavefunction and experimental arrangement.
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Celestial: Each planet’s position at a given moment is a first-order instance, an actualised trajectory satisfying multi-body relational constraints.
Instances do not reveal hidden reality; they are intelligible because the system of potential exists.
3. Sub-Potentials and Local Constraints
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Quantum: Slit geometry and detector configuration generate sub-potentials that shape the statistical interference pattern.
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Celestial: Close encounters, orbital resonances, or tidal influences create local sub-potentials that constrain subsequent planetary positions.
In both cases, these sub-potentials generate regularity without introducing new substances or hidden fields.
4. Horizons: The Edge of Novelty
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Quantum: The horizon is the possible next detection event, dynamically shaped by the history of prior events.
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Celestial: Each object’s horizon of possible positions evolves with prior positions and the configuration of other bodies.
Novelty emerges naturally at the frontier of potential, yet it is fully constrained by relational structure.
5. Emergent Patterns Across Instances
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Quantum: The interference pattern is a second-order construal — a recognisable pattern emerging from many first-order detections.
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Celestial: Orbits, precession, resonances, and gravitational lensing are second-order patterns emerging from accumulated instances.
In both domains, what we call “laws” or “curvature” are descriptions of relational regularity, not properties of a background medium.
6. Historical Accumulation and Relational Coherence
Across scales:
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The patterns we observe are historical traces of actualised instances constrained by potential.
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First-order events accumulate, producing recognisable structure at a higher level.
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Relational coherence — the structured unfolding of potential through instance — is the unifying principle.
The electron on a screen and a planet in orbit are governed by the same ontological logic: potential defines what is possible, actualisation produces events, and patterns emerge from the accumulation of instances.
7. Implications: Unity Across Physics
This perspective dissolves the apparent chasm between quantum and classical physics:
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There is no need for hidden causes, mysterious collapses, or curved substrates.
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The same ontology — relational potential and instance — suffices to explain phenomena from micro to macro.
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Laws and regularities are second-order construals: patterns intelligible across instances, not impositions on a pre-existing reality.
8. Conclusion
Whether it is the dots of a two-slit experiment or the paths of planets and comets, the story is the same: events are actualised instances, constrained by relational potential, and emergent patterns are historical traces across those instances.
Quantum interference and celestial patterns are thus two faces of the same ontological principle, demonstrating the power of relational thinking to unify our understanding of reality — from the smallest particle to the largest orbiting body.
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