What is order?

[SuperDarkMan12]

I was debating with an atheist on intelligent design found within the universe and he was asking what I think order was. I’m not quite sure. Tell me, what are some definitions of order found within philosophy.

 

[MrSnaith]

I was debating with an atheist on intelligent design found within the universe and he was asking what I think order was. I’m not quite sure. Tell me, what are some definitions of order found within philosophy.

I’m not an expert in this question, specifically with regards to how order has been discussed in philosophy historically. Nevertheless, I will give you my thoughts on it.

It seems to me that there are at least four different kinds or order that we talk about in everyday language.

First, there is the order that we mean when we talk about structure. That is to say, a thing, a being, or organization of any kind, is made up of many component parts. These parts fit together in a coherent, stable, and efficient manner. This is one kind of order. The order of structures.

Next, there are two other kinds of orders that closely related. The first regards obedience to authority and the rule of law. In a society of persons, there is a governing authority that sets down laws that must be obeyed so that society can function harmoniously. If the authority lays down incoherent laws, is inconsistent in the enforcement of those laws, or those who are under the law disobey the law, then the order of the society breaks down.

The second regards adherence to principles and the rule of natural laws. The universe operates according the what we call “Natural Laws.” All beings operate according to these laws, consistently and universally. An intersection of this kind of order and the order of societal laws regards “Natural Moral Laws” and human obedience to such. Perhaps this is another kind of order, I’m not sure, but for this point, the obedience of nature to natural laws is the universal cosmological order that I think we normally mean when we discuss “order in the universe.”

The fourth kind of order regards precedence or sequence. That is, what order do things come in? There is a saying, “first things first.” This suggests that there is a universal order of precedence, and that “first things” should always come first in our lives. But this doesn’t just apply to life priorities. We see the rule of precedential order within mathematics, both in numerical sequences, and in operational sequences (multiplication and division before addition and subtraction, for example).

The bottom line is that all of these kinds of orders exist in the universe, and (except, arguably, legal/societal order), all orders are essential elements of how the universe actually works. For our universe to be coherent, it must have order. Order of structures, order of principles, orders of sequence and precedence, and perhaps even the order of authority for sentient beings.

 

[Bahman]

I was debating with an atheist on intelligent design found within the universe and he was asking what I think order was. I’m not quite sure. Tell me, what are some definitions of order found within philosophy.

Consider a measurable quantity like Q. Now consider C(R)=<Q(0)Q(r)> which bracket means an average over a statistical ensemble, Q(0) is the value of Q at origin and Q(R) is the value of measurement at R. We say, that the system is ordered if C(R) is big enough for large R.

 

[Lucretius]

I was debating with an atheist on intelligent design found within the universe and he was asking what I think order was. I’m not quite sure. Tell me, what are some definitions of order found within philosophy.

If you are interested, I posted recently on the classical understanding of order, and on teleology and the Laws of Physics here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=935404&page=2 , specifically posts #18, #21, #31, and #36.

Christi pax,

Lucretius