The Mechanism of Guaranteed Scientific Prediction

The Mechanism of Guaranteed Scientific Prediction. What gives us confidence in the prediction of natural events and of manmade mechanisms? Is it simply empirical, in the sense of being expectations based on repeated sequences of past behaviour? Or, is there something else ensuring a certain guarantee? In the footsteps of Galileo, Newton in 1687 introduced abstract force as the 'cause' of the observable 'effect, ' 'rate of change of momentum of mass, ' lighting the way towards the understanding of the mechanics of motion. In conjunction with the ensuing concept of potential in his theory of gravitation, Newton's laws of motion form the basis of the entire theory of classical mechanics. That force as 'cause, ' is a mathematical abstraction, the common currency of exchange linking the various forms of energy, is pointed out. Explicitly, abstract force or 'cause, ' measured as its observable 'effect, ' the time differential of a state of inertial momentum, or 'mass x acceleration, ' is the space derivative of potential energy, through the latter's formulation as the space integral of the same abstract force or 'cause.' This is a reversible transformation, allowing such necessarily connected 'cause' and 'effect' dualities to be considered simultaneous, so mirroring their relationship as synchronous and not sequential. In such a synchronous identity formulation, the existence of the 'effect' comprising a complete compatible set of measurable observables, representing the rate of change of a state of inertia, ensures the abstract 'cause' to exist simultaneously of necessity, thereby guaranteeing prediction. This guaranteed predictive mechanism is described and presented here as a synchronously causal 'abstract-observable identity' potential. Importantly, Newton's laws of motion formed the foundations of not only classical mechanics but also led the way to all the other fields of the natural sciences, carried by the torch of abstract force. Likewise, synchronously causal probability propensities enable guaranteed prediction in quantum mechanics, and as chance and necessity in biological evolution. The consequential fallout from the above is that abstract force, by virtue of being the currency of exchange among all the known forms of energy, is the binding link in the sought after 'Theory of Everything, ' the Holy Grail of Science. Further, abstract force as 'cause' synchronous with observable 'effect, ' powers the principle of stationary action which traces the unique paths of Nature's ceaseless change. This apparent stability of Nature's geodesic course, mirrors the 'Anthropic Principle, ' without recourse to uncheckable theories such as those invoking 'parallel universes.' Lastly, it follows that the above described guaranteed predictive laws of science are creations of mind, and not embedded independently somewhere outside in sensory reality.

About the Author :
Panchan Aruliah, from a background in Mathematics, Physics and Engineering, is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Apart from his published papers, he has maintained a parallel interest researching scientific method in the mechanical and life sciences. As a practising engineer, seeking at the same time the reason why certain scientific theories achieve consistently successful realisation, he has identified and presents the principle of "synchronously causal 'abstract-observable identity' potentials" as the mechanism of guaranteed scientific prediction.