Causality is crucial for humans, serving as a necessary condition for their existence in the physical world, which operates on constructive logic rather than destructive chaos.
The Dutch Paradigm uses causality as a metaphor to comprehend the events of the Big Bang.
The definition of causality is:
Wikipedia:
Causality is the relation between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first.
In common usage, causality is also the relation between a set of factors (causes) and a phenomenon (the effect). Anything that affects an effect is a factor of that effect. A direct factor is a factor that affects an effect directly, that is, without any intervening factors. (Intervening factors are sometimes called “intermediate factors.”) The connection between a cause(s) and an effect in this way can also be referred to as a causal nexus.
Though the causes and effects are typically related to changes or events, candidates include objects, processes, properties, variables, facts, and states of affairs; characterizing the causal relation can be the subject of much debate.
Causality, from a human perspective, is closely tied to the concept of time. It is especially important in maintaining a physical environment that provides us with predictable and consistent conditions. This predictability is essential for our stability and security. For example, when someone takes a step, we assume that the surface will support them predictably each time. Not once, but every ‘time’. Predictability allows us to have a reasonable understanding of what will happen when we take the next step. We breathe the air around us and use our senses to assess our surroundings. We assume that we understand the physical world, which supports our existence. This is a fundamental aspect of life, even not being aware of the necessary physical conditions that lead to unforeseen effects, such as someone deciding to take the next step.
The predictability of physical causalities translates into laws of nature. These laws describe the so-called macrocosmic world, but also the microcosm. We assume that the laws of nature for the microcosm also determine the final behavior of the macrocosmic world.
Particle physics focus on observations and understanding of phenomena in this microcosmic world. The status of findings is as in the Standard Model of Fundamental Particles and Interactions.
In particle physics, we translate observations of phenomena with causal relations into mathematical formats using algorithms, principles, and similar methods. These mathematical representations reflect assumed causal relationships within the timeframes of the observed and measured phenomena. We refer to these representations as laws of nature until a deviating observation requires an adjustment or refinement, leading to falsification.
Laws of nature and causality are expressed in a mathematical format, typically using the equality sign.
“ = “
in the resulting mathematical equation. The principle of dimensional homogeneity suggests that numerical values and units, as well as the dimensional formats of observed and measured phenomena, are equivalent. However, it does not imply causality at any specific time, as these phenomena require a minimum amount of time to occur.
Therefore, the effect of a cause is only valid after this minimum amount of time has passed.
A brief period can be perceived as almost instantaneous, or it may unfold over a longer duration. In the context of particle physics, it reflects contemplation on the perceived coherence in the observed movement of matter and energy over time. We can observe a specific situation at time T1 and another at T2 and assume coherence to predict the repetition of the event under equal conditions. This can be expressed using mathematical formulas that are valid under specific assumptions. It is important to note that Heisenberg proposed an additional uncertainty principle based on the assumption that a complementary set of observations at a given moment cannot be precisely defined.
When a situation at T1 evolves into a situation at T2, we must acknowledge that this evolution requires a period of time to occur; by definition, it is not immediate. It is widely accepted in quantum physics that a situation could exist where equality is timeless, represented by “=” and where cause and effect are only potential “quantum” states of a phenomenon.
The current state of the phenomenon during the transition can also be observed, and the transition can be broken down into a logical sequence that follows its own rules and principles. Feynman diagrams serve as an example of this kind of transition logic.
We have long been content with observing stable phenomena that appear to transition almost instantaneously. For example, a big rock is perceived as a heavy stone and remains so in our human perception. We do not perceive this as the result of continuous microcosmic causalities, but still, it is.
We recognize that a minimum amount of time is required for a subsequent instance of observable causality to occur.
This smallest unit of time in the universe is called the Planck time.