Determinism
Determinism holds that all events, including moral choices, are determined completely by previously existing causes. This is often contrasted with free will.
I. Time
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Grain | Continuous |
| Freedom | Deterministic |
| Traversability | Linear |
| Dimensionality | One |
| Direction | Uni-directional |
Time is substantival and finite — a real, independent dimension within which all events are necessitated by prior causes. Time is continuous, linear, and uni-directional: the causal chain proceeds inexorably from past to future with no branching or reversal. Determinism treats time as a one-dimensional track along which Laplace's demon could in principle trace every event from initial conditions to final outcome.
II. Space
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Curvature | Flat |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Local |
Space is substantival, finite, and flat — an objective container in which causally determined events unfold. It is local: every interaction is mediated by spatial proximity and obeys the laws of physics. Space is three-dimensional and operates according to strict causal principles that leave no room for spontaneous, uncaused events.
III. Matter
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Conservation | Conserved |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Local |
Matter is substantival, finite, and locally situated — it obeys deterministic causal laws without exception. Conservation is strict: matter is neither created nor destroyed but merely rearranged by the inexorable working of physical causation. Every configuration of matter is fully determined by the preceding configuration plus the laws of nature.
IV. Observer
| Time Instance | Single |
| Space Instance | Single |
| Extent of Knowledge | Total |
| Retainment of Knowledge | Total |
| Physicality | Embodied |
| Agency | Passive |
| Number | Plural |
V. Energy
Energy is substantival and finite — it is a real, independently existing quantity governed by deterministic physical laws. Conservation is strict: the total energy of the universe is fixed and every transformation is precisely determined. Dispersibility is irreversible, following the deterministic arrow of entropy.
VI. Information
Complete information about initial conditions determines all future states — the universe is an informationally closed system with no surprises. Information is substantival and strictly conserved.