Nature’s laws
Having all the time in the world, now living on borrowed time, it dawned on me, as a mental exercise, to list some universal concepts and principles of nature based on the sciences, and other disciplines like economics and law, in short concepts, some counter intuitive, having a universal relevance in all our affairs. Few years ago, I had occasion to read a book titled “Meaning and Purpose” by the famous British Surgeon Kenneth Walker.
Whether these concepts are purpose-driven or not is a matter for the readers to decide. The above list may be enlarged and or interpreted by interested readers who have the time for it.
Concepts; Increase and multiply; kill, eat, live (true for microorganisms that cooperate, kill and destroy pathogens); in meiosis, in reproduction, two become one and then in mitosis they multiply; rules of genetics (Mendel’s laws); self-replicating molecules like DNA, the genetic code for protein synthesis; chicken and egg situation; genes carrying information for starting, correcting and ending the process, and for passing down physical characteristics; cloning; the Cell as the unit for all biological activities like respiration, growth, metabolism; enzymes in reactions; Immunity; left handedness(chirality); natural chemicals like CO2, H2O, CH4 and man-made chemicals like synthetic ones. Nervous system and the working of valves in the heart muscle;
The theory of the Big Bang and expansion of the universe, Black holes; Inverse square rule for gravity (remember Robert Hook’s accusation against Newton for copying), so also for light diminishing exponentially with distance. Equivalence of mass and energy. Dark matter /dark energy; Speed of light cannot be exceeded; like charges repel and unlike charges attract, so also in magnetism ; the constants named after their discoverers like Lenz, Avogadro, Faraday, Kirschoff, Joule, Maxwell; entropy, quantity of matter cannot increase/decrease; sources of energy needed for all reactions; relationship between heat, volume and pressure; low resistance to electron flow at very low temperatures; color spectrum(from ultraviolet to infrared), wave/particle theory of light, massless, chargeless photons, space/time in Relativity theory, quantum theory ( action at great distances, entanglement, etc.), le Chatelier’s law, resonance, half-life and radioactive decay, growth factor of “e”, law of diminishing returns; equilibrium of supply and demand; Savings being equal to Investment for sound financial management; marginal costs/marginal revenue; division of labor; comparative advantage in trade.
Rule of law, let the other side be heard (audi alteram partem), a judge cannot hear his own case, (nemo judex in sua causa), one cannot give what he does not have (nemo dat quod non habet), Law does not concern itself with petty matters (de minimis lex non curat); buyer beware (caveat emptor)
Predictability, modelling/calculations rely on mathematical tools like calculus, trigonometry etc.
Dr. Leo Fernando
Talahena, Negombo
