[Alamo-Girl]

Just as I went to press the "post" button on my reply to you last night, we lost power in our little town. And this morning both the phone and cable were still out so I could not reply until just now.

Naturally, I have forgotten all that I wanted to say exactly except for two things. First, I thank you, dearest sister in Christ, for your continuing insights into the great philosophers - in this case, Hume.

And secondly, that causality is a fundamental principle of physics. This is certainly true in Newtonian physics.

It is only when time is understood as geometry (General Relativity, Vafa's f-theory, Wesson's 5D2T etc.) that the arrow of time can be disturbed in theory and thereby, causality.

If time is volumetric, then effect>cause is possible as surely as cause>effect, etc. And in the warping of space/time (General Relativity) it is possible for the space/time continuum to fold onto itself and hence, facilitate faster than light travel as well as time travel.

Obviously a prime objection to all such theories among physicists is precisely that, the principle of causality without which their investigations would be groundless.

The objection presumes that the observer (or investigator physicist) has an objective grasp of reality and/or truth.

I would say "not so" - that on principle an observer "in" space/time cannot know "all that there is" all at once. Even if his sensory perception would allow him, he would nevertheless be a part of his own observation.

Only God the Creator is not part of the Creation. He alone sees every where and every when. Only He knows objective truth. Only He speaks objective truth.

Indeed, He IS Truth. When He says a thing, it is. It is because He said it.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. - Genesis 1:3

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. - Psalms 33:6

And I aver whereas we mere mortals as observers "in" space/time can only sense apparent cause>effects as a directional arrow of time or worldline (thermodynamic entropy, etc.) - God, having no such limitation, could reverse time direction and causality. And the observer "in" space/time would be unaware it happened.

To me, the following verse declare that God is not causally constrained or limited in any way by the dimensionality of time:

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. - Revelation 13:8

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: - Ephesians 1:4

To God be the glory, not man, never man.

[betty boop]

...causality is a fundamental principle of physics. This is certainly true in Newtonian physics.

Oh so true, dearest sister in Christ! Evidently the reason physicists reject the idea of final cause is it "looks like" a "pull" from the future — which in Newton's theory of causation cannot happen.

And yet as you say "If time is volumetric, then effect>cause is possible as surely as cause>effect, etc." Newton's formalism, however, is premised on time being linear and irreversible.

Also so very true: "on principle an observer 'in' space/time cannot know 'all that there is' all at once. Even if his sensory perception would allow him, he would nevertheless be a part of his own observation."

Thank you so very much for your outstanding observations! Sorry to hear you lost power.... I'm SO glad it's back on, and you're here! We're supposed to get hit by Irene sometime tomorrow. So I expect we'll lose power at some point, too....