Causality and Levels of Describing Reality

  • We regard reality on different levels which reach from quanta and elementary particles at the lower end, via molecules, and macroscopic objects to structures. The behavior of each level is emergently induced by the behavior of the entities on the level below.

  • We describe the behavior on the different levels with specific physical laws, like quantum physics, classical physical laws for macroscopic objects, or models describing the physical properties of matter.

  • On structural level, dissipative structures occur, the interaction of which on structural level can not be described by any physical law. Instead we use cause-and-effect interrelations to describe their interactions. One structure causes an effect in another structure. Causality thus solely occurs on the structural level.

  • All these aspects only relate to our description of reality. Reality itself just behaves in a certain way and especially does not know anything about our physical laws.