What is Law?

[Steve Johnson <***>]

There has been a lot of argument about what law is an
isn't. I felt that in many cases this was mostly a
linguistic argument. For example, the following four
usages of the word "law" have as much to do with each
other as bark of a dog has to do with bark of a tree.

1. Kepler's Laws. A set of observations of regularity
in Nature that have been written down. Also in this
category: "The Sun rises everyday Law" and "Halley's
comment shows up every 86 years Law".

2. General Relativity. A timeless mathematical form
that has been put into congruence with a set of
observables.

3. Natural Law as per Rosen. An epistimological
principle deliniating what is open to (human?)
congnition.

4. Law as in emergent property of matter as in John
K's post. "The laws themselves are a formal product of
reality, which is a complementarity between formal and
realized components of a system."

Anyone who can provide a definition of what "Law" is
for the purpose of present discussion?

- Steve


--- Judith Rosen <***> wrote:

> 
> Although Robert Rosen never did set down a list of
> what he suspected 
> the knowable "Laws of Nature" were (insofar as he
> had been able to 
> tell), I think I have a glimmer of what they would
> be, if he had. It 
> might be a useful exercise to play with some of
> these ideas (although 
> it would be a miracle if we all agreed on any of
> it!)
> 
> 1.) Causality is possible because of the complex
> co-organization of 
> space and time.
> 
> 2.) The universe, as we perceive it, is among the
> effects of the 
> relations and interactions made possible/constrained
> by the complex 
> organization of space, time, and causality.
> 
> 3.) Causality in the universe is a closed entailment
> loop such that 
> everything in the universe is entailed by something
> else in the 
> universe.
> 
> 4.) The universe entails itself (Causality entails
> space/time and 
> space/time entails causality).
> 
> 5.) Some Combination of A.) the Ancient Greek notion
> that "Either 
> matter is infinitely divisible or it isn't. If it
> isn't, there is a 
> finite smallest particle.";  B.) Einstein's theorem
> that matter and 
> energy are different forms of the same "thing."; C.)
> Energy/Matter is 
> a consequence of the interaction of space in complex
> co-organization 
> with time.
> 
> 6.) Space is more than "the absence of stuff". Even
> an empty 
> three-dimensional area is full of potential when
> time and space are 
> co-organized. Space, at the very least, is the
> capability for three 
> dimensional existence in the universe. It's
> potentially the capability 
> for a great deal more than that.
> 
> Judith 
> 



                
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