Causality in Quantum Phenomena: Beyond Linear Chains

Causality is a foundational concept in both physics and philosophy, traditionally conceived as a linear chain of events — cause leads to effect in a temporal sequence. However, quantum phenomena challenge this classical intuition, demanding a re-examination of what causality means at the fundamental level.

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1. Classical Causality: Linear and Local

In classical physics:

• Causes precede effects in time.

• Effects are locally determined by their causes.

• The causal chain is a sequence of distinct events linked by transfer of energy or information.

This fits well with the intuitive experience of everyday macroscopic phenomena.

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2. Quantum Challenges: Nonlocality and Indeterminacy

Quantum experiments reveal phenomena that strain classical causality:

• Nonlocal correlations in entanglement appear instantaneous across space.

• Outcomes are probabilistic rather than deterministic.

• Measurement choices influence the very conditions under which outcomes become actual.

These features resist explanation by simple cause-effect chains.

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3. Relational Ontology: Causality as Systemic Co-Actualisation

In relational terms, causality is not a linear chain between independent events but:

• An emergent property of systemic co-actualisation within relational fields.

• Events are co-constituted through perspectival cuts that bring forth distinctions.

• Cause and effect are aspects of a single relational configuration, not separate events linked by transfer.

Thus, causality is contextual, non-linear, and perspectival.

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4. Implications for Quantum Causality

This view accommodates quantum phenomena naturally:

• Nonlocal correlations reflect the indivisibility of the relational configuration.

• Probabilistic outcomes arise from the systemic dynamics of potential actualisation.

• Measurement interactions are punctuations that instantiate causal relata rather than triggers propagating effects.

Causality becomes a pattern of relational actualisation, not a chain of local transmissions.

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5. Towards a New Causal Paradigm

Rethinking causality in relational terms encourages us to:

• Abandon the assumption that cause and effect must be temporally ordered or spatially local.

• Embrace causal holism, where events and influences are distributed in the system.

• Understand causality as a mode of construal, dependent on how and where cuts are enacted.

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Closing

Quantum mechanics invites a profound shift in how we conceive causality — from linear chains to holistic relational patterns.

This shift resonates with broader philosophical reflections on interdependence and co-emergence, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of how reality unfolds.

Next, we will examine how these ontological insights intersect with the nature of time itself in quantum physics.