# A Unified Theory of Metaphysics, Physics, and Ontology for Middle-earth



## Matthew Bailey (Jun 29, 2016)

Has anyone, _EVER_ (besides me), given any thought to this?

Even though Middle-earth is a "fictional" world/universe/creation, it seems Tolkien both intended and desired that it have unifying principles in the same way that our world does.

In Middle-earth we see physics, biology, and even chemistry behaving almost identically to how they behave in our universe, save for a few _seeming _contradictions (and the "seeming" is very important here, because given the correct Metaphysical and Ontological assumptions, there are no deviations from a consistent Physics within Middle-earth - and upon Physics is build Chemistry, and upon Chemistry is build Biology, and so on).

As I have pointed out in a few other threads, Middle-earth has two properties that are not true in our world (or at least not as we have yet discovered, and all evidence so far falsifies these properties):

• Cartesian (Substance) Dualism.
• Manichean Dualism (That Good/Evil & Light/Dark are tangible, physical things).

In fact, Manichean Dualism can itself be derived from Cartesian (Substance) Dualism.

Tolkien was very explicit about there being both Hröa (Body) and Fëa (Soul) to every entity (and possibly object, inanimate as well) within Middle-earth.

And we see that the Fëa itself is often tangible, and visible, although usually hidden.

This means, as Descartes proposed, that the Fëa (Soul) _MUST_ be made of some sort of _Stuff_.

You can equivocate all day long about what the word "stuff" means, but with what we understand now about the world, this "stuff" meets every definition of the word "physical" even if it is not made of what we define as "Baryonic Matter" ("_Stuff_" made of Atoms and Molecules).But given that it is _Something_ rather than _No-thing_, this means that it too needs to be composed of something that can both interact with, and affect matter made of molecules; as we see in the form of Gandalf Lighting a fire in the pass over Caradhras, or in the Ruling Ring having an effect upon both mind and body of the possessors, or in the Three, the Seven, and the Nine having various effects over the physical world.

Given these properties, this means that the Fëa would need some sort of carrier, both for the forces involved with the Fëa (the creation of fire, the preservation of matter, or the turning of a physical body into a wraith), and with the composition of the Fëa itself (what the Fëa itself is _made from_).

There is actually a very simple solution to this problem, which allows for _EVERY_ seeming conundrum of magic and "supernatural" properties to simply remain "natural" properties (at least within Middle-earth).

And that is proposing a simple alteration to a couple of very well known formulae in Physics:

• F = ma
• e = mc^2

If we insert another term in these equations for "Fëa" (Call it "ƒ") they become :

• F = ƒma
• e = ƒmc^2

At this point, many people are probably shaking their heads, and saying to themselves "But it's _fiction_!" or "But it's _MAGIC_!" or some other tendency to dismiss this outright, or otherwise avoid thinking about it. Or, perhaps they are just lost, scratching their heads wondering "What???"

But whether it is "fiction" (or not), and whether it is "magic" (or not) still does nothing to address that Tolkien himself seemed to think that the world operates under a set of rules (knowable or not), rather than a collection of Kludges and Deus ex Machina interventions for everything... And even a Kludge or Deus ex Machina needs to have some mechanism to explain *HOW* an interaction with physical matter takes place.

There is much much more to this than has been laid out in a basic form here. For starters, the term "ƒ" in the equations above mean that there must be a collection of "particles" that make up the "stuff" out of which the Fëa is made. These particles both form the Fëa itself (as Protons, Neutrons, Electrons, Quarks, etc. make up the Atoms and Molecules of regular "Matter" - another word for "Stuff"), as well as operate as the carriers for the forces involved with the Fëa: binding the particles together, forces that repel the different particles of the Fëa, carrying the "charge" of the particles that make up the Fëa (such as "Good" or "Evil" charges - for that matter, what are these "charges"), and so on....

But what this allows is for the identity of Physical Matter (What Descartes called "Physical _Stuff_"), Energy (as is the case with traditional Physics), and that of Spiritual Matter (What Descartes called "Soul _Stuff_"). That means that you can take your Fëa, and through the application of Will, you can turn that Fëa into energy to light a fire (as Gandalf did on the Redhorn Gate). Or, you can have the Body itself affected by the Fëa (such as when it is made intangible by a Ring of Power). And so on.... It basically provides a vehicle for everything in Middle-earth we tend to think of as "magic," and does so in a way that is consistent with both what we know about our everyday world and what would be true about our world if Cartesian and Manichean Dualism were True (such as in Middle-earth).

I am trying to work out the various properties of the "stuff" that the Fëa is composed of (the various different particles that would be needed; the different "charges," or "properties" they would need; as well as what sort of force carriers they would need - beware that the word "force" here might be a bit more specific than might be thought of outside of Physics or Metaphysics).

But this allows the creation of an overarching Metaphysics and Ontology for Middle-earth (how does the Physics arise, and what _IS_ and _IS NOT_ within Middle-earth).

It could be worth exploring more deeply. And, if one applies it to almost any problem or question that arises about the seemingly "Supernatural" elements of Middle-earth, one usually finds that the answers then arises as it would from a typical problem of Physics, Chemistry, or Biology in our universe.

MB


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## Starbrow (Jul 10, 2016)

I wonder if your physics rules would also apply to another universe, such as explaining the Force in Star Wars.


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## Matthew Bailey (Jul 10, 2016)

Starbrow said:


> I wonder if your physics rules would also apply to another universe, such as explaining the Force in Star Wars.



Technically they would have to, since they are based upon a dualist philosophy.

Although.... The Dualist Philosophy is technically converted again to a Monist Philosophy in how I have described it.

Since Ontologically the "Soul Stuff" remains something that can affect what we call "Physical Stuff."

And that technically means that it too is "Physical," even if it is not the typical "Stuff" that we call "Physical" (Molecules, or Electromagnetic Waves - "Stuff" that arises from Baryonic Matter).

But in terms of Star Wars, the "Force" obviously affects "Physical Matter."

And to affect (move, manipulate, etc.) Physical Matter requires a "force" (In the Newtonian sense: F = ma), and a "force" then requires "Energy" to create (Either _Potential_, or _Kinetic_). 

But, yes, ultimately anything which claims that something "Supernatural" exists, or is possible is based upon a form of _Substance Dualism_. 

The complete Theory, and exposition would be as vast as is our current Sciences explaining the Physical World.

But, like out Universe, the various Properties of Middle-earth remain fixed in the Metaphysical System of that Universe.

This is the central issue (How does it fit with a coherent Metaphysics?) against which I measure _EVERY QUESTION_ regarding Ëa/Arda/Middle-earth. 

It makes most questions fairly simple to answer. And it provides key insights to the more complex or difficult questions.

MB


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## Palantir (Mar 20, 2018)

One thing that interests me is the primal use of sound in the creation.
Vibration.
If we take a look at Ancient knowledge held by the people of the Indus valley, among other civilizations, we see that they attached primal cosmology to vibration.
String theory. Fundamental particles vibrate.

But the beauty of Tolkien's cosmology is that it fits into an infinite fractal universe (reality) just as well as it does fit into a something-out-of-nothing universe (Standard-Model fiction).


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## Azrubêl (Mar 21, 2018)

Nice.

I think that sound(which grows into language) could be seen as the Logos of Tolkien's world, the vehicle for divine transformation within the physical material of Arda.

I find that it is helpful for understanding his sub-creation to draw maps of relationships between things, but I don't have much interest in "science-ism" as a way of understanding the universe, personally. But I think what you say is true, that even details like Tolkien's conception of the soul are very analyzable via science.

Check out the description of the Ancient Egyptian conception of the soul, and how much it has in common with Tolkien, including the importance of name/sound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_concept_of_the_soul


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## Rána (Mar 26, 2018)

Short answer: Yes.

Not to that extent, however, I'm not a physicist.

I've definitely thought about how darkness/evil/(whatever you want to call it) behaves like Matter. You can break it, scatter it, transfer it, but it never appears to be destroyed. It swirls around like star-dust until it starts to concentrate in an area, then it appears to draw all the surrounding darkness to it. I sometimes think about Gravitation when reading about the Powers that move the Middle-earth.

When there are conversations about "is the Ring sentient?" I have a "sort of, but not really: the will of the Ring is an extension of the will of Sauron" point of view that resonates when I learn things about quantum mechanics.

It's a part of the lore that we're supposed to understand Middle-earth as place that existed within our own world. For as much time as Tolkien spent figuring out distances, travel times, geographical restrictions... Middle-earth is generally bound by the laws of physics. Even Gandalf needs help from horses and eagles to get around more hastily. I think we're encouraged to try to figure out how it all fits together.

That's part of what I love about these writings so much: everyone can find a field of study inside the literature that corresponds to something they're passionate about in the real world.

I know I've been moved toward trying to understand the ecology of Middle-earth, especially in Valinor- decay is such an essential part of life that the driver of life in a land without decay must be radically different.
The life-cycle in Middle-earth seems to be:
partially a call-and-response between Yavanna and Melkor through countless ages and 
partially a replacement mechanism for the Power of Yavanna that drives life as it was originally intended in the Undying Lands.

I very badly want to make the connections between the mystical powers of Yavanna and the real physical forces of our Universe. If only we could learn the chemical composition of Lembas or Ent-draught... we'd all be off to a running start.


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