Ontological Evasions in Physics, Part 16 Emergent Gravity: Residual Accounting

Some approaches in modern physics propose that gravity is not fundamental but emergent from underlying microscopic degrees of freedom, such as entanglement entropy or quantum information. While this idea is mathematically and conceptually appealing, it often functions as a placeholder, evading the deeper ontological question: how does relational actualisation at the fundamental level give rise to spacetime curvature and gravitation?

The evasive manoeuvre

By invoking emergence, physics substitutes a label for an explanation. Gravity is described as a collective residual effect, rather than as the outcome of fully articulated relational dynamics. This preserves calculational and theoretical convenience while deferring the task of specifying how large-scale actualisation arises from microscopic interactions.

The ontological cost

The relational grounding of gravity is left opaque. Space, time, and curvature are treated as secondary phenomena rather than perspectival consequences of relational alignment. Possibility and constraint are obscured behind the label “emergent,” turning incompletely understood dynamics into a semantic fix rather than a reconceived ontology.

The epistemic collapse

While models can reproduce gravitational behaviour, they provide limited insight into why the system behaves as it does. Explanatory depth is sacrificed: predicting effects does not equal understanding the relational source. Science risks mistaking technical sufficiency for ontological clarity.

The theological return

Emergent gravity carries the echo of a hidden hand: a governing microstructure that, though inaccessible, produces observable order. Like a divine principle, the underlying substrate ensures coherence while remaining ontologically insulated.

A relational reframing

From a relational standpoint, gravity is not emergent in a residual sense; it is the manifestation of collective alignment across material and energetic relations. Curvature and force are perspectival outcomes of relational actualisation at multiple scales. Emergence becomes intelligible, not as a black-box label, but as the unfolding of structured possibility into actualised relational patterns.

Conclusion

Emergent gravity illustrates ontological evasion through semantic substitution. By labelling gravity as emergent without detailing the relational mechanics, physics sidesteps foundational questions. Relational ontology restores coherence: gravitational dynamics are intelligible as structured actualisation, fully grounded in relation rather than residual abstraction.