Motion, mobility and movement: A philosophical perspective

Motion describes that which is not still. Movement is an act of changing the physical location or position of a being. Mobility could be defined as the ability to move or be moved. Through mobility and movement everything is in constant motion — on a physical as well as atomic level. The importance of mobility and motion could be understood by taking a look at evolution. Today, we are in a world which is defined by movement, and at a scale and frequency which is ever growing. This can be seen in the case of transportation, migration, media, technology and climate change to name a few. Recent developments in quantum studies note how everything in the universe is in constant flux. This changes our perspective of understanding the world and its functioning, not as stasis but through motion. 

This calls for a new ontology, which understands the primacy of motion and offers a unified framework of the universe in motion. Philosophical theories on motion proffer this, by understanding the temporal and spatial connotations of motion. They argue that everything in nature moves, and this movement could be logically classified. This begins by assuming that there is no matter which is not moving; and any movement between (A) and (B) is to be understood as a constant transformation of both (A) and (B), as well as everything in between. Motion, therefore, is not simply that which enables movement between two points, but is something which is fundamentally constructive of beings themselves along with the points. This view, as opposed to the traditional view, understands that there is no identity of A, or B, and that there is no linear transformation between the two. 

Traditional philosophical perspectives on Motion

Earlier philosophical theories of motion and movement elaborated mainly on the reality of flux. This could be seen in dominant traditions of Buddhist schools, such as kshanabhangavada, which understands that everything is momentary. According to this view, everything passes out of existence as soon as it takes place; we are a new entity every second as we are ever evolving. The same goes with nature. Similar ideas are found in works of Heraclitus, who famously quotes “[w]e cannot step twice in the same river” due to its constant flux. Similar themes can be traced in the Greek schools of Parmenides, Zeno, Democritus. In the schools of western philosophy, the arguments revolved around the debate between the absolute and relational concepts of motion. Philosophers like Descartes, Leibniz, Mach along with Einstein and Newton, developed these concepts of flux initially introduced by ancient philosophers. Recent developments in quantum studies in these themes call for a much deeper understanding of these concepts. Especially at a level which could be objectively applied to all themes of life. 

A Philosophy of Motion

A sub-field of Philosophy emerged in the contemporary times, which combines the social, aesthetics, scientific and ontological domains in order to understand the importance of movement. This school of philosophy attempts to grasp the degree to which movement holds primacy, and does not “simply define motion, which almost every philosopher and layperson has done”.  According to Thomas Nail, all bodies are a result of moving flows of matter which are continually folding themselves up in multiple patterns. This, he terms as “fields of motion”. Scholars then proceed to offer a conceptual framework to identify these patterns of motion through history. This research amounts to tracing down patterns of motion in fields of science, politics, physics, nature and climate change, evolution of aesthetics, ontology, and in understanding development and migration in general. This work offers a new materialist perspective of everyday life, which becomes important as we attempt to understand the experiences of an increasingly mobile reality.

Understanding Movements and Mobility 

Nail notes that there are four kinds of basic movements under which every form of movement and mobility that we experience in the physical world could be understood. These patterns are very much a reflection of the ways of nature. These are the patterns of entropy, of spreading out of energy. Human and social structures are not constructed out of thin air. They are highly fractal and spread out, mimicking nature.

Nail classifies these movements as centripetal, radiation, tensional and elastic. Centripetal movements are ones which attract the peripheral material towards the center. The increased movement of masses from rural to urban hubs in recent years could be seen as an example of centripetal movement. Radiation movements are the ones which are displacing material away from the center. This could be seen during times of natural or man-made calamities (like wars). Gradually, once the center has been established (be it a grain tower, or centralisation of power), there is always a possibility that it could be overthrown and weaponised into an army by radiating back out. This radiation is therefore the movement of center to periphery. Once the center of the civilization is established, be it place of worship, or of power, or a source of water — we find that it spreads out the culture, thereby creating a completely different socio-historical pattern. Such a settlement pattern usually takes time, due to the disillusionment of the happenings between the various features around the civilisation. These disillusionments could be caused due to various in-group and out-group frictions, or feudal structures which cause small changes in the general lifestyle. This claiming of a new authority, be it a religious, political, territorial or legal authority gives rise to micro-centralisation, or de-centralisation due to the tensions with one another. This gives us the third kind of movement called tensional motion. The fourth motion is elastic, where in the movement is no longer fixed. Here, the point of conflict in authority is no longer as rigid. The ruptures caused during the three previous forms of movements usually result in amending the laws and understanding of religion, politics, territory and other forms of identity. This thereby creates a much more flexible environment and easy movement within. 

Forms of Motion — reflections from micro to metaphysical states

According to the quantum perspective, there is a continuous swerving and transformation which forms a meta-stable stage. Such a stage makes time and space appear relative to each other, which changes the equation and compels us to view them as a result of movement. While looking at how these four kinds of movements reflect universally, scholars notice how these movements often affect phenomenons in three ways. Through these ways — which include flow, fold and fields — we can understand the evolution of anything material and ideological. Flow understands reality as a process. It is not ‘being’, or ‘not being’ — but rather is becoming. Although early philosophers considered this theme in a metaphysical manner, we are now looking at these concepts in a material sense. Being is considered a state of permanence or stasis, while becoming is understood as constantly evolving. Therefore, reality which is constantly evolving in all stages, is the first form of motion. 

The second form of motion is the energy which responds to itself, fold. It captures the matter as we see it, and describes how any phenomenon holds itself in its current position. This could be the meta-stable matter or principles and phenomena. Through this produced meta-stability, the energies affect themselves as well as others. This, through repetition, becomes a pattern. The more the pattern repeats, the more stable a phenomenon seems. This is what makes logical induction possible. 

The third form of motion is fields of circulation, which is when the cycles of repeated pattern come together, and a major leap (in retrospect) takes place.  

What we consider as normal in our everyday lives, is flow. Here, we focus mainly on surviving, or in philosophical terms — becoming. We learn things, adapt and grow. Upon an incidental, or what seems like gradual shift in paradigms, we experience a fold. These micro or major frictions in time are what test the being. These could be in the form of individual identity crises, or a national crisis, or sometimes a simple change of plans. These events create incidental landmarks in history. Upon recovery from these folds, we experience a new normal, which could be considered ‘flow 2’, and the cycle repeats itself. This, on a grander scale, repeats throughout time, and this repetition is understood as fields. Any phenomenon, idea or art could be applied to this concept of motion.

Conclusion 

In a world which is increasingly moving and transforming — culturally, politically, and socially; it becomes important for us to find and understand these patterns. This will not only aid in understanding the experience of paradigm shifts and mobility of individuals better, but they also offer us perspectives of dealing with these changes efficiently. Especially upon realizing that history is mere repetition. The new wave of process philosophy offers to study the processes, changes and the shift in relations of everyday phenomenon. Philosophy of motion, highlights the primacy of motion and mobility, for they could be seen in physical as well as micro and meta-physical levels. Therefore, any transformation in an object could be viewed as movement. 

Bibliography 

Batty, Michael, and Paul A. Longley. Fractal cities: a geometry of form and function. Academic press, 1994.

Masih, Yakub. A critical history of Western philosophy: Greek, medieval and modern. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1999.

Nail, Thomas. Being and motion. Oxford University Press, 2018.

Nail, Thomas. “The ontology of motion.” Qui Parle 27.1 (2018): 47-76.

Renn, Jürgen. “Einstein’s invention of Brownian motion.” Annalen der Physik 517 (2005): 23-37.

Sharma, Chandradhar. A critical survey of Indian philosophy. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2000.