Form, Substance and Dynamics

Physics Approach to Theistic Science

Form, Substance and Dynamics

Back to basic analysis:

There are three categories of terms in physics:
existential terms
- about what exists
formal terms
- about the structure & static properties of what exists
dynamical terms
- about what would happen, in new and/or hypothetical conditions
- only by hypothesizing dynamics, can we deduce the future.
- these are the dispositional terms discussed earlier.

Examples of Formal Terms

shape, number, form, relation, configuration, symmetry
function, field, oscillation, wave, flow,
point, length, area, volume, amplitude,
vector, matrix, operator, Hilbert space, bra, ket,
ratios, relative frequency, probability, ...

Examples of Existential Terms

particle, material, matter, corpuscle, body,
fluid, ether,
substance, actuality, reality,
event, interaction, outcome,
person, experience, observation, sensation, thought, feeling, ...
(we know we exist!)
world, universe, ...

Examples of Dynamical Terms

cause, propensity, disposition, power, capability, potentiality,
energy (kinetic and potential),
mass, charge, field coupling,
force, pressure, momentum, impetus, elasticity/rigidity,
(for people: intention, motivation, skill, desire, intelligence, …)

Summary of the Three Categories

Form	Existence	Dynamics
1. shape, number, form, relation, configuration, 2. function, field, oscillation, wave, flow, 3. point, length, area, volume, amplitude, 4. vector, matrix, operator, Hilbert space, 5. ratios, probability, relative frequency.	1. mass, particle, material, matter, corpuscle, body, 2. fluid, ether, 3. substance, actuality, reality, 4. event, interaction, 5. experience, observation, 6. world, universe.	1. cause, propensity, power, disposition, capability, 2. energy (kinetic and potential), 3. mass, charge, field coupling, 4. force, pressure, 5. momentum, impetus, elasticity/rigidity.

What makes a Complete Physical Theory?

Our challenge is to describe the quantum world in existential and dynamical terms, not just formally.
That is, talk of ‘wave function’ or ‘probability amplitude’ is not really sufficient.
Existence must contain/imply some dynamics!
We want to say ‘what exists’ as well as ‘what form’ it has:

What exists with the wave function as its form?
What is its dynamics?

New idea: ‘Dynamic substance’

Try to derive ‘existence’ from ‘dynamics’
For example:

‘electromagnetic force field’,
‘potential energy field’
‘matter is a form of energy’
wave function is a ‘propensity field’

propensity to interact, or
propensity to choose actual outcome

Propensity (of some kind) is substance.