Simultaneity Dimension: Spontaneous Occurrence of Chicken and Egg
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? When there is something with a cyclical causal structure, such questions arise. In this article, we propose to re-examine problems that are difficult to explain well with causality, from the perspective of simultaneity.
Simulation by Cause and Effect
When we think about things, we sometimes run simulations in our minds.
When there are multiple objects of focus, it is relatively easy to run simulations by simulating each object individually.
Object A makes a move, and object B responds to it. Then, in response, object A makes its next move, and so on.
Games like chess or shogi follow exactly these rules. It is also effective for simulating strategies in sports like soccer or baseball, or in business, policy, social issues, etc. It is the same for technology and product development.
In more familiar situations, like conversing and gauging the other person’s response, or planning shopping or travel, such simulations are also effective.
This can be seen as simulating the continuity of cause and effect. To simulate this continuity, it is necessary to grasp the causal relationships of things and find the laws that appear there.
If a law with high certainty is found, the accuracy of simulating cause and effect improves. Therefore, focusing on causal relationships and identifying laws has great value. Conducting this at a high level is science. This applies not only to natural sciences but also to social sciences and humanities.
Things that cannot be handled well by the causal relationship between elements
There are cases where simulating the causal relationships between multiple elements in order does not work well. A classic example is Achilles and the tortoise. If the fast Achilles moves to the position of the tortoise, the tortoise will have moved forward in the meantime. If this is repeated, Achilles will never catch up to the tortoise.
Another example is the chicken and the egg. A chicken lays an egg, and the egg grows into a chicken. But when asked whether the chicken or the egg came first, there is no answer.
Computers are good at simulations. However, there are things that do not work well even with computer simulations when simulating causal relationships in order. A classic example is collision detection between objects.
Consider objects A and B moving towards each other in a virtual world created by a computer. If object A is moved first, it will collide with object B at a certain point.
However, this situation is different from reality. In reality, objects A and B should collide at a midpoint. If you simulate by moving A first and then B, no matter how finely you divide the time, the simulation will eventually result in a collision at a different point than the actual collision point.
An easily imaginable example of something that doesn’t work well with simulation of cause and effect is standing two cards against each other for support. It is impossible to stand the first card and then the second card.
Dimension of Simultaneity
These examples show that problems arise when trying to move or process two objects one by one. There is a special dimension beyond the dimension of causal relationships between elements.
That is the dimension of simultaneity.
In the case of Achilles and the tortoise, or standing two cards against each other, if you consider each moving simultaneously rather than one after the other, there will be no problems. Although it is difficult to implement accurate collision detection between objects in a virtual world created by a computer, if you consider the two objects moving simultaneously, it is possible to determine the collision point.
Simultaneity in the Structure of Chicken and Egg
When we consider the composition of chicken and egg, we tend to think about the causality dimension and wonder which one was born first. However, if we look at it from the dimension of simultaneity, the answer is simple: both the chicken and the egg were born at the same time. Just like it is pointless to consider which card stood up first when placing two cards upright, understanding that the chicken and egg were born simultaneously resolves the question.
By thinking this way, we can move on to the next question: How were they born at the same time? This question allows us to search for an answer without falling into a logical paradox.
Primordial Cyclical Structure, Feedback Loops, and Evolution
It is unlikely that the chicken and the egg were created by chance all at once.
It is believed that initially, by chance, a very simple primordial cyclical structure equivalent to the chicken and egg composition was created.
Using cards as an analogy, it is unlikely that a complex pyramid-shaped card tower with many layers would form by chance. However, if you repeatedly drop several cards from above, it is conceivable that a structure of two cards supporting each other might appear by chance.
In the case of the chicken and egg composition, after the primordial cyclical structure was created by chance, it is believed that this structure interacted with the environment and exhibited self-reinforcing behavior.
The structure of cards supporting each other does not self-reinforce, so even if two cards supporting each other appear by chance, that’s the end of the story.
However, once a chicken and egg type of primordial cyclical structure is created by chance, it will replicate itself and increase the original structure. This means that the primordial cyclical structure is self-reinforcing its existence.
Furthermore, if slightly different replications are created during self-replication, the mechanism of natural selection will work through interaction with the environment, leading to evolution.
In this way, relying on chance within the dimension of simultaneity, the primordial cyclical structure is born, self-reinforcement occurs, and through mutation and selection, the chicken and egg are created.
This explains the actual biological chicken and egg. However, it is not limited to this; the cyclical structures seen in the composition of chicken and egg in society, culture, and economic activities can also be explained with a similar model.
In ecosystems, as well as in society, culture, and industry, various primordial cyclical structures have been created, maintained, and evolved. We are surrounded by such things.
And in the future, various primordial cyclical structures will continue to be created in the dimension of simultaneity.
In Conclusion
When we try to understand things, we unconsciously apply a certain framework of thinking. Causality is widely applicable, but it is just one of the frameworks of thinking.
In the dimension of simultaneity, we do not understand things in a sequential manner like causality, but assume that two things were born or moved at the same time. The birth of two things, such as the chicken and the egg, or the intersection of two objects, such as two cards or Achilles and the tortoise, cannot be understood without the dimension of simultaneity.
There are many things in language that should be captured in the dimension of simultaneity. Concepts that are paired, like light and shadow, day and night, are supposed to be recognized simultaneously, not one after the other. Phonemes are also thought to have appeared simultaneously.
Causality is a powerful framework, but it has its limitations. Understanding these limitations and re-examining them from the perspective of the dimension of simultaneity may lead to new insights and discoveries in various fields.
