So You Think There are Laws in Nature?

Eleni Angelou eavesdrops on a conversation between a Believer and a Sceptic.

- Eleni Angelou

Two friends are debating whether there are laws in nature. Bob is a ‘Believer’; he sees regularities everywhere and supposes that some of them are good enough to be laws. Sue is a ‘Sceptic’; she feels that randomness prevails and the so-called ‘laws of nature are merely projections of our minds onto the world. Two worldviews oppose each other. Who will win?

Sue: Here we are, another Thursday, meeting up before a new movie starts. Who would have expected our friendship to last long enough to establish a movie habit together?

Bob: I know! Some things in life happen rather accidentally – like the meeting of two strangers who become involved enough to have their own little patterns in a relationship. Actually, I’ve been thinking about patterns and regularities a lot lately.

Sue: I’ll consider that another side-effect of studying philosophy. Do you want to share your thoughts while we’re waiting?

Bob: Sure. Well, look around you... Open a history book if you need to. Study some physics. Maybe even some economics. Observe your daily routines or the routines of your roommate. There are patterns everywhere. If it weren’t for patterns, repeated behaviors, or regularities, life would be much more confusing and difficult, because it’d be even more unpredictable than it already is.

Sue: Wouldn’t that be interesting to see, though?