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Fundamental Forces or Placeholders? The Illusion of Understanding the Universe

Rational Belief
Rational Belief
Published in
6 min readDec 17, 2024

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Science provides powerful tools for understanding and predicting the workings of the universe. From the motion of planets to the behavior of subatomic particles, humanity has developed models that describe these events with remarkable precision. But do these descriptions truly explain what causes them? Are we justified in saying that “gravity does it” or that “electric charges interact because of the electromagnetic force”? This article explores the gap between observation, naming, and explanation to investigate the nature of the so-called “fundamental forces” of the universe.

AI generated. Image by Julius H. from Pixabay

The Four Fundamental Forces

Modern physics describes the universe as governed by four fundamental forces:

  1. Gravity, which governs the attraction between masses (as described by Newton’s Law of Gravitation or warped spacetime in General Relativity).
  2. Electromagnetism, responsible for electric and magnetic interactions between charges.
  3. The Strong Nuclear Force, which holds atomic nuclei together.
  4. The Weak Nuclear Force, which governs certain types of particle decay.

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Rational Belief
Rational Belief

Published in Rational Belief

Rational Belief explores the harmony between reason and faith through an Islamic lens. Delve into topics like belief, God, worship, philosophy, science, and the universe with clarity, wisdom, and logic. Discover the beauty of rationality in Islamic thought.

Rational Belief
Rational Belief

Written by Rational Belief

Muslim, interested in Religion, Philosophy, Science and Engineering.

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