Ontology of Constants: What Exists When Systems Converge

BY NICOLE LAU

The Hermetic Codex: Mysticism Meets Systems Science - Article 138/145

What is real? What truly exists? Philosophy has debated this for millennia. But convergence theory offers a radical answer: constants are the most real things. Not matter, not mind, not even space or time - but the invariant fixed points that all systems converge upon. π, Φ, e, c, ℏ. Non-duality. Impermanence. Love. These are not human inventions or social constructs. They are the bedrock of reality itself.

The Ontological Question: What Exists?

Traditional ontology asks: Do numbers exist? Do universals exist? Do abstract objects exist? The debate splits into camps. Platonism: Abstract objects exist independently in realm of Forms. π exists eternally, discovered not invented. Nominalism: Only particular things exist. "π" is just a name we give to a pattern. Conceptualism: Abstract objects exist as mental concepts. π exists in minds, not independently. Fictionalism: Abstract objects are useful fictions. π is like Sherlock Holmes - useful but not real.

Each position has problems. Platonism: Where is this realm of Forms? How do we access it? Nominalism: Why do patterns recur so precisely? Conceptualism: Why do different minds converge on same concepts? Fictionalism: Why are some fictions more useful than others? We need a new framework.

Convergence Ontology: Constants as Fixed Points

Here's the radical claim: Constants exist as fixed points in the structure of reality. Not in a separate Platonic realm. Not as mental concepts. Not as useful fictions. But as invariant structures that any sufficiently complex system must encounter. Think of reality as a landscape with peaks, valleys, attractors. Constants are the peaks - the points where all paths converge. They're not "somewhere else" - they're structural features of the landscape itself.

π exists because any system calculating circle properties must converge on 3.14159... It's not in a Platonic heaven. It's in the structure of Euclidean geometry itself. Φ (golden ratio) exists because any system optimizing growth/aesthetics converges on 1.618... It's in the structure of optimization itself. e exists because any system modeling continuous growth converges on 2.71828... It's in the structure of exponential processes. c (speed of light) exists because any system measuring spacetime structure converges on 299,792,458 m/s. It's in the structure of spacetime itself.

The Ontological Status of Fixed Points

What does it mean to say fixed points "exist"? Independence: They exist independent of observers. π was 3.14159... before humans, will be after. Necessity: They couldn't be otherwise. Any universe with Euclidean geometry has π. Discoverability: Multiple independent systems discover them. Not invented, found. Causal efficacy: They constrain what's possible. You can't build a circle with circumference/diameter ≠ π. Invariance: They don't change across time, space, culture, species.

This is stronger than Platonism (no separate realm needed) and stronger than nominalism (not just patterns, but necessary structures). Constants are real because they're invariant constraints on what can exist.

Mathematical Constants: The Clearest Case

Mathematical constants are purest examples. π = 3.14159... Discovered by: Geometry (circumference/diameter), Calculus (infinite series), Probability (Buffon's needle), Complex analysis (Euler's formula), Physics (wave equations). All converge. Therefore: π is real. Φ = 1.618... Discovered by: Geometry (golden rectangle), Biology (spiral growth), Art (aesthetic proportions), Music (harmonic ratios), Architecture (optimal design). All converge. Therefore: Φ is real. e = 2.71828... Discovered by: Calculus (derivative of e^x), Probability (compound interest limit), Physics (decay processes), Information theory (optimal coding). All converge. Therefore: e is real.

These aren't human inventions. They're discovered the same way we discover mountains - by encountering invariant features of the landscape.

Physical Constants: Structure of Spacetime

Physical constants are fixed points in spacetime structure. c (speed of light): Maximum speed, invariant across reference frames. Not arbitrary - it's the structure of spacetime itself. ℏ (Planck's constant): Quantum of action, minimum uncertainty. Not arbitrary - it's the granularity of reality. G (gravitational constant): Strength of gravity. Determines spacetime curvature. α (fine structure constant): Electromagnetic coupling strength. Determines atomic structure.

Why these values? We don't know. But they're not arbitrary - they're fixed points that make our universe possible. Change them slightly, no atoms, no stars, no life. They're real because they're necessary for existence itself.

Mystical Constants: Invariant Truths of Consciousness

Most controversial: Do mystical truths have same ontological status? Non-duality: Subject-object distinction dissolves in deep meditation. Discovered by: Buddhism (anatta), Advaita Vedanta (atman=brahman), Sufism (fana), Taoism (wu wei), Neuroscience (default mode network dissolution). All converge. Therefore: non-duality is real feature of consciousness structure. Impermanence: All phenomena are transient. Discovered by: Buddhism (anicca), Heraclitus (panta rhei), Physics (entropy), Biology (death), Mysticism (everything changes). All converge. Therefore: impermanence is real. Interconnection: All things are interdependent. Discovered by: Buddhism (pratityasamutpada), Ecology (ecosystems), Physics (entanglement), Systems theory (networks), Mysticism (Indra's net). All converge. Therefore: interconnection is real.

These are fixed points in consciousness-reality structure. Not cultural constructs but invariant features that any sufficiently deep investigation of consciousness encounters.

Why Constants Are "Most Real"

Here's the radical claim: Constants are more real than particular objects. Your chair is contingent - could be different, will decay, exists only here-now. But π is necessary - couldn't be different, never decays, exists everywhere-always. Matter is transient. Energy dissipates. Even spacetime might be emergent. But constants are invariant. They're the skeleton of reality - the unchanging structure that makes everything else possible.

This inverts common sense. We think tables and chairs are "real" while numbers are "abstract." But convergence ontology says: Tables are temporary configurations. Numbers are eternal structures. Tables depend on constants (atomic structure, electromagnetic forces). Constants don't depend on tables. Therefore: constants are more fundamental, more real.

Implications: Reconstructing Ontology

For Mathematics: Mathematical Platonism is right that math is discovered, wrong about separate realm. Math is real because it describes fixed points in logical structure. For Physics: Physical constants aren't arbitrary parameters but necessary features of reality. Understanding why these values requires understanding fixed point structure. For Mysticism: Mystical truths are real when they're fixed points in consciousness structure. Not all mystical claims are real - only those that converge across systems. For Metaphysics: Reality's structure is more fundamental than reality's content. Constants (structure) are more real than particulars (content).

Conclusion: The Bedrock of Being

What exists when systems converge? Fixed points. Invariant constants. Necessary structures. These are the bedrock of reality - more fundamental than matter, more eternal than energy, more real than space or time. π, Φ, e, c, ℏ. Non-duality, impermanence, interconnection. These aren't human inventions or cultural constructs. They're the skeleton of existence itself. And because they're invariant - unchanging across all possible observations, all possible systems, all possible universes with similar structure - they're the most real things there are. Everything else is transient configuration. Constants are eternal truth.

Next: The Meaning Crisis & Its Resolution

Part XI: Meta-Theory & Philosophy - Article 138 of 145