A Rational Cosmology: Contradictions in Considering Force Fields as Things

Essay LX

This is Essay LX of Mr. Stolyarov's series, "A Rational Cosmology," which seeks to present objective, absolute, rationally grounded views of terms such as universe, matter, volume, space, time, motion, sound, light, forces, fields, and even the higher-order concepts of life, consciousness, and volition. See the index of all the essays in "A Rational Cosmology" here.

Here, we explore the logical absurdities evident in viewing force fields as entities in their own right, rather than simply models or abstractions.

The idea of a field as an entity in itself inevitably entails the assertion that it exerts a non-local effect. Most force fields are known to be inversely proportional to distance (or the square of distance) between the entity which is said to originate the field and the entity which is said to be affected by it.

However, no matter how large the denominator of the field expression becomes, i.e., no matter how large the distance of separation between the two entities, the magnitude of the field never reaches zero. That is, according to the field-as-entity model, the field must exist at all distances from the entity which originates it, no matter how great, and must therefore encompass all of existence instantaneously and simultaneously, as it is assumed that the field would be established as soon as the originating entity acquires a given mass or charge.

The field-as-entity would also need to have infinite measurements in all three of the spatial dimensions, since it can produce effects at any distance, no matter how great. Not only is the idea of an entity having limitless measurements of any quality a logical contradiction, as shall be subsequently seen, but this model also brings about the absurdity of trillions of such infinite field-entities occupying the same space, since multiple entities are observed to originate multiple types of fields!