School #12

Naturalism

Quine, Dewey

Naturalism holds that everything arises from natural properties and causes; supernatural explanations are excluded as a matter of method. Post-quantum naturalism accepts irreducible indeterminism as a natural fact: not all events are fully determined by prior states, and this openness is built into the fabric of physical reality rather than requiring any non-natural cause.

I. Time

Extent Infinite
Ontological Status Substantival
Grain Continuous
Freedom Non-Deterministic
Traversability Linear
Dimensionality One
Direction Uni-directional

Time is substantival and infinite — a real, objective feature of the natural world. Post-quantum naturalism accepts that time's flow may involve irreducible indeterminism at the quantum level. Time is continuous, linear, and uni-directional, governed by natural laws alone without any supernatural cause or telos.

II. Space

Extent Infinite
Ontological Status Substantival
Curvature Curved
Dimensionality Three
Locality Local

Space is substantival, infinite, and curved — an objective feature of the natural world described by general relativity. It is local: all interactions are mediated through spatial proximity at finite speed. Space is three-dimensional at the macroscopic scale, though deeper theories may reveal additional structure.

III. Matter

Extent Finite
Ontological Status Substantival
Conservation Conserved
Dimensionality Three
Locality Local

Matter is substantival and finite — it is the fundamental constituent of the natural world, fully governed by natural laws. Conservation is strict: matter is neither created nor destroyed. All material phenomena, including consciousness, are natural processes requiring no supernatural explanation.

IV. Observer

Time Instance Single
Space Instance Single
Extent of Knowledge Immediate
Retainment of Knowledge Total
Physicality Embodied
Agency Passive
Number Plural
Time Instance: Single — the observer is a natural entity embedded in the present moment of a causal universe
Space Instance: Single — the observer occupies one physical location in the natural world
Extent of Knowledge: Immediate — the observer's direct perception is immediate; science extends knowledge considerably but cannot totalize it
Retainment of Knowledge: Total — scientific inquiry and cultural transmission allow cumulative retention of knowledge across generations

V. Energy

Extent Finite
Ontological Status Substantival
Conservation Conserved
Dispersibility Irreversible

Energy is substantival and finite — a real, natural quantity governed by the laws of thermodynamics. Conservation is strict: no supernatural creation or destruction of energy is possible. Dispersibility is irreversible, following the natural direction of entropy increase.

VI. Information

Ontological Status Emergent
Conservation Conserved
Granularity Continuous

Information is a high-level pattern in physical processes — real and causally relevant but not a separate substance. It emerges from the arrangement of matter and energy and is conserved because the laws of physics preserve information content.

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