Causality in Nature

A philosophical category that reveals the causal connection of objective things; one of the manifestations of the universal connection and interaction of objective matters. “Reason” refers to the matter or phenomenon that causes another matter or phenomenon, which is the condition for causing a certain result. “Result” refers to the matters and phenomena caused by reasons, which is a certain state a matter develops and reaches at a certain stage. For example, the development of social internal contradictions is the reason that promotes social metabolism, while the transition from the old society to the new is the result of the development of social internal contradictions.

Various phenomena in the objective world have certain causal links with each other. The links are inherent in objective things. They exist independent of human consciousness and is not subject to human will. In the objective world, this kind of links is universal. Every phenomenon has its causes, and any cause will inevitably lead to certain results.

The reason and result are not just objective but also dialectical and constitute a unified whole. The two are opposite to each other, yet interrelated and interconvertible. When we examine two phenomena with causal connections separately, the reason and the result are opposite to each other. The reason is the reason, and the result is the result—neither one of them can replace the other one. Yet, the reason and the result are also interdependent. The reason is only a reason in relative to its result, vice versa. If one party disappears, the other party will not exist, neither. There are two situations when reasons and results are interconvertible. Reasons and results often take each other’s position. A reason here and now can be a result when the time and place change. For example, if Phenomenon A causes Phenomenon B, and Phenomenon B causes Phenomenon C, B is the result of A and the reason of C. Viewing from different perspectives, reasons and results may also be mutually causal. For example, since the economic base determines the superstructure, the economic base is the reason and the superstructure is the result. However, considering their reciprocal relationship, superstructure will become the reason for the further development of the economic base.

The causality of objective matters is complicated. In real life, due to changes in specific conditions, there are often situations of “one reason leading to multiple results” and “one result caused by multiple reasons”. We need to find out the root cause among various causes, identify the major result among various results, and grasp the development direction of things.