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Quentin Meillassoux (6) - Critique 3: Hyper-Chaos and the Necessitarian Inference

45:551,240 summary words · ~6 min readEnglishBy Absurd BeingTranscribed Jul 4, 2026
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Summary

Nathan argues that Quentin Meillassoux's attempts to limit his radical 'hyper-chaos' and refute the frequentialist implication fail because they rely on semantic category mistakes, Anselmian ontological leaps, and the illegitimate application of Cantorian set theory to physical reality.

Exposing these logical vulnerabilities reveals how contemporary speculative realism can fall back into dogmatic rationalism by treating linguistic concepts and formal mathematical axioms as concrete ontological realities.

Section summaries

0:00-2:18

Introduction and the Threat of Hyper-Chaos

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Nathan introduces the concepts of hyper-chaos, the necessitarian inference, and the frequentialist implication in Meillassoux's philosophy. He explains that Meillassoux's 'principle of unreason' suggests that anything can happen at any time for no reason, which leads to a radical hyper-chaos. Because this hyper-chaos threatens to undermine the absolute grounds of scientific discourse, Meillassoux is forced to introduce two major logical limitations to tame it and bring it closer to Kant's weak correlationism.

  • Meillassoux's radical absolute contingency creates a hyper-chaos where physical laws have no ground or reason to remain stable.
  • To protect the validity of science, Meillassoux must introduce logical limits to rein in this chaotic contingency.

It establishes the foundational tension between hyper-chaos and scientific truth that drives Meillassoux's subsequent arguments.

2:18-6:54

The First Limit: Impossibility of Contradictory Entities

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Nathan examines Meillassoux's first limitation: the claim that a contradictory entity is absolutely impossible. Meillassoux argues that if such an entity existed, it would be necessary because it could not transition into non-being without violating its contradictory essence. Nathan critiques this as semantic wordplay, demonstrating that contradiction is a property of language, propositions, and predicates (such as a circle being square), not of concrete ontological entities or essences.

  • Meillassoux attempts to preserve the principle of non-contradiction as an absolute constraint on hyper-chaos.
  • Nathan exposes this as a category mistake; physical entities themselves cannot be logically 'contradictory'—only claims about them can.

Contains Nathan's primary critique of Meillassoux's first limiting move, using linguistic analysis.

6:54-11:30

The Second Limit: The Thesis of the 'There Is'

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The discussion moves to Meillassoux's second limitation, the 'thesis of the there is,' designed to prove that there is an absolute (contingency itself). Meillassoux addresses the opponent's 'weak thesis'—that if something exists, it must be contingent. Meillassoux argues that to even state this thesis, the opponent must treat the proposition itself as necessary. Because this necessary proposition asserts contingency, Meillassoux claims to have uncovered a 'second-order facticity' showing contingency is necessary.

  • Meillassoux uses a meta-argument to shift focus from contingent physical things to the necessity of the proposition asserting contingency.
  • This shift leads to the formulation of 'second-order facticity,' which Meillassoux equates with the absolute necessity of contingency.

Explicates Meillassoux's complex deduction of 'second-order facticity' before Nathan critiques it.

11:30-24:09

Critique of Second-Order Facticity and Ontological Jumps

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Nathan launches a deep critique of 'second-order facticity,' labeling it a metaphysical chimera and a category mistake. He argues that contingency and necessity only apply to concrete existents, not to abstract linguistic propositions or the concept of existence itself. He compares Meillassoux's deduction to St. Anselm's ontological proof, arguing that both suffer from the same flaw of trying to define concepts directly into reality, mistaking linguistic tricks for metaphysical truths.

  • Propositions and assertions cannot be contingent or necessary; only actual concrete existents hold those properties.
  • Nathan critiques the analytic and speculative tendency to mistake complex conceptual maneuvers for mind-independent reality.
  • Meillassoux's argument mirrors Anselm's ontological proof by jumping illegitimately from thought to reality.

This is the core philosophical critique of the video, illustrating the methodological flaw of Speculative Realism.

24:09-29:54

The Necessitarian Inference and Cantorian Set Theory

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Nathan introduces the opponent's objection to hyper-chaos: if physical laws were genuinely contingent, they would change constantly (the frequentialist implication), and since they do not, there must be a necessity underlying them (the necessitarian inference). Meillassoux attempts to dismantle this objection using Cantor's transfinite set theory. He argues that because there is no 'set of all sets,' the potential configurations of physical laws cannot form a thinkable 'numerical totality,' meaning probabilistic reasoning cannot apply to the universe as a whole.

  • The frequentialist implication argues that the observable stability of nature's laws disproves absolute hyper-chaos.
  • Meillassoux uses Cantor's transfinite sets to argue that the possibilities of the universe cannot be structured into a numerical totality.
  • By denying a numerical totality, Meillassoux claims that probability calculations cannot apply to the universe as a whole.

Explains Meillassoux's unique mathematical defense against the common-sense objection of natural stability.

29:54-40:15

Critique of Cantor's Speculative Application

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Nathan details the flaws in Meillassoux's mathematical defense. First, he points out that physical stability does not logically entail metaphysical necessity. Second, he argues that the frequentialist's objection does not require a mathematically rigorous numerical totality; it relies on a pragmatic physical intuition. Finally, Nathan accuses Meillassoux of a major domain transgression—taking Cantorian mathematical axioms meant for infinite sets and applying them to the limits of human conceptualization and physical reality.

  • The physical stability of natural laws is a pattern of consistency, not a logical proof of absolute necessity.
  • Meillassoux commits a 'domain transgression' by applying formal mathematical rules of infinite sets to empirical reality and intuitive probability.
  • Frequentialists do not need a perfect mathematical calculation of cosmic totals to recognize the improbability of stable laws under hyper-chaos.

Exposes the semantic and logical cracks in Meillassoux's mathematical defense of speculative contingency.

40:15-44:51

Summary and Series Wrap-Up

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Nathan summarizes the core arguments made throughout the video, restating how both of Meillassoux's limits on hyper-chaos fail due to semantic sophistry, and how his Cantorian defense against the frequentialist implication is a flawed mathematical domain transgression. He concludes by previewing the final, shorter video of the series, which will examine the task of philosophy and discuss some positive elements of Meillassoux's thought that he actually agrees with.

  • Speculative Realism's attempts to limit hyper-chaos and reject the frequentialist objection are logically untenable.
  • The next and final video will conclude the series by looking at the task of philosophy and finding some common ground with Meillassoux.

Provides a useful summary of the arguments made in the video, but does not present new content.

Key points

  • The Category Mistake of 'Contradictory Entities' — Meillassoux asserts that a contradictory entity is absolutely impossible because, if it existed, it would be necessary (as it could never transition to non-being). Nathan counters that 'contradiction' is a logical property of propositions and human claims, not an inherent attribute of mind-independent physical entities.
  • The Semantic Chimera of Second-Order Facticity — Meillassoux attempts to secure contingency as an absolute by moving back a step to the proposition 'only contingent things exist,' calling this 'second-order facticity.' Nathan identifies this as a category mistake, arguing that contingency and necessity are predicates that presuppose actual existence and cannot be applied to abstract statements or existence itself.
  • Domain Transgression of Cantorian Set Theory — To defeat the frequentialist objection (that stable physical laws imply necessity), Meillassoux uses Cantor's proof that there is 'no set of all sets' to claim the possible configurations of laws cannot form a thinkable totality. Nathan argues this mathematically limits formal set conceptualization but has no bearing on our physical and intuitive reasoning about the stability of the natural universe.
Contradiction applies to things like ideas, to propositions, claims, beliefs about things, not to existing things themselves or the essences of things. Nathan
This is the danger with and and why I don't like analytic philosophy because it takes language concepts which are inherently ambiguous as they must be... but it misuses them in all sorts of subtle ways that seem reasonable at first glance. Nathan

AI-generated from the transcript. May contain errors.

0:08

Hey everyone, Nathan here, absurd being

0:11

and video six in this series on Mayor

0:14

Sue. We're going to be looking at

0:18

two ideas basically hyper chaos and the

0:22

necessitarian inference or also and

0:25

probably more focusing on the

0:28

frequentialist implication which kind of

0:32

goes along with that.

0:34

Uh so yeah, we're just going to look at

0:36

at the ideas, some of the arguments in

0:38

detail that Mayor Sue puts forward

0:41

regarding these two concepts and then um

0:46

analyze them, see if they see if they

0:48

stack up. So we'll start off with hyper

0:52

chaos.

0:56

So the arguments that Mayasu uses

0:59

regarding hyper chaos are essentially to

1:01

try and rein that idea back a bit.

1:05

We've gone he's kind of gone too far

1:07

with what he was trying to do here. So

1:10

his principle of factuality

1:12

ends up as as um

1:17

putting forward the idea that the

1:18

absolute is pure contingency. Another

1:23

[clears throat] way he puts that the

1:24

principle of factiality, the principle

1:26

of unreason.

1:28

And the basic idea is that anything can

1:30

happen at any time for no reason at all.

1:35

So we have hyper chaos and that doesn't

1:38

work for Mayu because he wants to ground

1:41

scientific discourse in something

1:44

certain in an absolute.

1:48

And we we've he's gotten an absolute but

1:52

the nature of this absolute is such that

1:56

it brings about this notion of hyper

1:58

chaos which doesn't ground which can't

2:00

ground scientific discourse. So he wants

2:04

to rein it back and he's going to put

2:07

two limitations on hyper chaos that he

2:10

thinks um

2:13

follow. And the the two limitations are

2:16

basically going to bring it back in line

2:18

with the weak version of correlationism

2:22

which was Kant's version uh which leaves

2:25

us with something which is in itself

2:28

which is unknowable but thinkable

2:33

and um and yeah so the the limitations

2:36

that we're going to look at here kind of

2:38

bring bring the this notion of hyper

2:41

chaos or the principle of factuality

2:43

back into kind of a place which is

2:48

solid instead of this rampant hyper

2:52

chaos.

2:54

So the first limitation

2:57

is the notion that a a contradictory

3:01

entity is absolutely impossible.

3:06

And Mayasu's argument goes like this. If

3:08

an entity were contradictory,

3:11

it would be necessary

3:13

because there would be no alterity

3:16

for it which it could become.

3:22

And the idea behind this is that what

3:25

Mayasu is saying is if a contradictory

3:28

entity existed,

3:30

it couldn't lapse into non-being because

3:34

even if it happened to not be,

3:38

it would still be in accordance with its

3:42

paradoxical or contradictory essence.

3:47

So that's the argument

3:49

and the point of this is to validate the

3:54

principle of non-contradiction which

3:56

you're if you remember was one of the

4:00

um ideas behind K's thing in itself.

4:06

So trying to validate this principle of

4:07

non-contradiction um a contradictory

4:10

entity is impossible.

4:12

If something sounds a little bit off

4:14

with that as I've described it, um,

4:17

you're not alone in thinking that

4:19

because basically

4:22

this is all just semantics. It's all

4:24

just word play I think. And the reason

4:28

is that contradiction

4:31

does not apply to entities themselves or

4:35

as Mayasu says they're their essences.

4:39

In other words, talk of a contradictory

4:42

entity

4:44

is conceptual nonsense. And that's

4:47

exactly what Mayasu is trying to put

4:49

forward here. The notion that a con a

4:51

contradictory entity is absolutely

4:54

impossible. But right from the start

4:56

there, if you if you just direct your

4:58

focus on that on that expression, that

5:01

proposition,

5:04

it's it's easy to let it slide and kind

5:06

of um go go with it from there. Go with

5:11

it as Mayasu puts it forward. But if you

5:14

actually take a moment to think about

5:16

it, we know what contradictory is and we

5:18

know what entity is. So, we know what

5:21

the words all mean here,

5:24

but they've been put together in such a

5:27

way that they just don't make any sense.

5:29

That and that's the trick here. That

5:31

that's why it sounds plausible because

5:34

we know what these words mean

5:35

individually.

5:37

So, we think there that he's saying

5:39

something meaningful, but actually if

5:41

you put them together, you don't get

5:43

anything meaningful. A contradictory

5:45

entity. What What could that even mean?

5:49

Contradiction applies to things like

5:52

ideas, to propositions, claims, beliefs

5:57

about things,

6:00

not to existing things themselves or the

6:05

essences of things.

6:09

So it it's contradictory, say, to

6:11

believe in evolution and creationism at

6:14

the same time, to think that they're

6:15

both true in some way. Or it's a

6:18

contradiction to say to claim that I

6:20

took the bus to work and that I drove to

6:23

work as well. So contradictions about

6:27

things

6:29

claims or beliefs about certain things,

6:33

not about things themselves. It just

6:35

doesn't mean anything to say this is a

6:37

contradictory entity.

6:40

And you might think about this, this

6:43

might come to mind. What about a square

6:45

circle? Isn't that an example of a

6:47

contradictory entity? But the circle is

6:51

not contradictory there.

6:54

What's contradictory is the claim that

6:56

the circle is square, i.e. that it has

7:01

certain properties.

7:05

In other words, it's a claim about the

7:08

predicates of the circle, the properties

7:11

of the circle, not the circle itself,

7:15

the essence of the circle, whatever that

7:17

might mean. So, this is the problem with

7:20

this. A contradictory entity is is

7:22

impossible. May sue claims, but a

7:25

contradictory entity just doesn't it

7:27

doesn't mean anything.

7:29

So there's so that that's the first the

7:32

first claim and the first problem with

7:35

it or and the the problem with that

7:38

first claim. The second claim uh of May

7:42

to try and limit this hyper chaos he

7:46

calls the thesis of the there is

7:50

and basically the idea with this he

7:52

wants to say that he wants to emphasize

7:54

that there is an absolute. So even

7:58

though his absolute

8:00

um

8:03

his principle of factuality gave us or

8:05

gave him an absolute that was

8:08

contingency

8:10

possibility facticity. This opened the

8:13

door to that that notion of hyper chaos

8:15

in which we might be able to say that

8:17

maybe there there could be nothing then

8:20

for no reason at all. um there could be

8:22

no absolute that the situation might

8:25

change in some way again for no reason

8:27

at all but he wants to rule that out

8:29

that possibility

8:32

there is an absolute

8:34

and so the argument

8:38

that may uses here he starts by

8:40

considering a possible objection

8:44

against his claim that there is an

8:46

absolute and there are two possible

8:49

thesis here that he puts forward the

8:51

weak thesis is if something exists then

8:54

it must be contingent

8:57

and the strong thesis there are things

9:00

and those things must be contingent.

9:03

So both of those claims argue that there

9:05

are only contingent things. There's no

9:08

nothing is absolute.

9:10

So the strong thesis

9:12

um we don't need to worry about so much

9:14

because may for mayor sue this grants

9:17

his goal already. In other words, that

9:20

contingency is necessary. Right? To say

9:23

that the strong thesis there are things

9:26

and those things must be contingent is

9:28

to grant that contingency is necessary,

9:31

which is exactly what he wants to say.

9:34

There is an absolute.

9:36

So he assumes the weak thesis.

9:40

And if we assume the weak thesis,

9:43

the situation is it's not necessary that

9:46

factual things exist. In other words,

9:49

things don't have to exist. But if they

9:52

do, they're factual.

9:56

But once you grant that, once you allow

9:58

that, you've already unwittingly given

10:02

Mayor Sue everything he needs because he

10:05

then will just move his analysis back a

10:08

step

10:11

and say that okay, the things

10:13

themselves, the things that exist, if

10:15

they do, are factual or contingent. And

10:19

he calls this first order facticity.

10:22

But the proposition

10:25

that only factual things exist is itself

10:29

being treated as necessary here. In

10:33

order for you to state that thesis in

10:36

the first place, you're having to

10:38

presuppose something necessary, namely

10:41

that proposition that only factual

10:44

things exist.

10:46

Further, this necessary proposition,

10:49

this proposition that you must make if

10:52

you want to put forward this thesis

10:56

expresses a contingency

10:58

in the fact that it says if something

11:01

exists

11:03

and this Mayu calls a second order

11:06

facticity.

11:08

So putting all of that together, we have

11:12

the situation that there is an absolute,

11:15

the proposition that factual things

11:17

exist, and it is contingent because the

11:21

proposition may or may not hold.

11:26

So contingency is necessary. That's

11:29

exactly what Mayasu was after. Um, and

11:32

that's what he's got. Problems.

11:35

First first of all just note before we

11:38

look at the problems this is basically

11:40

saying the same thing as the principle

11:42

of factiality.

11:44

Um so it it asserts that there is an

11:46

absolute by arguing that the absolute is

11:49

contingency or facticity which is the

11:52

same as possibility when we were talking

11:54

about it in the last video but it does

11:58

use a slightly different argument.

12:02

Um so

12:04

given that it's the same kind of thing

12:06

although

12:08

um coming at this

12:10

deriving the conclusion slightly from a

12:13

from a slightly different position.

12:16

What we're going to see is that it will

12:19

um

12:21

it's also as we saw with the principle

12:24

of factuality a kind of a bit of a

12:26

semantic game of mirrors. And even

12:29

although it works in a slightly

12:31

different way, it falls to exactly the

12:33

same kinds of criticisms.

12:37

So I'm going to frame this whole section

12:41

in exactly the same with exactly the

12:44

same um format that I used to talk about

12:46

the principle of factiality.

12:48

and and there as with we did as as we

12:51

did with that we'll start by looking at

12:54

with the word play the semantics that

12:57

are going on here. So Mayasu's weak

13:00

thesis says that if something exists

13:03

then it must be contingent

13:06

which on its own is 100% reasonable.

13:09

There's no problem with that. But Mayasu

13:12

can't leave it there because he wants to

13:14

prove that something does exist.

13:18

namely the absolute. So the whole as I

13:21

said the whole thing the whole focus of

13:24

Mayu's

13:26

um

13:27

the whole Mayasu's entire focus shifts

13:31

back a step from the things themselves

13:34

to the proposition about those things

13:38

and this is exactly where the problem

13:41

is. His conclusion is that there is an

13:44

absolute the proposition that factual

13:47

things exist

13:49

and it is contingent because the

13:51

proposition may or may not hold.

13:54

The you what we saw with the usage of

13:57

the word if. But

14:00

propositions, statements, ideas,

14:05

these things can't be necessary or

14:08

contingent.

14:11

What what can be necessary or contingent

14:15

are things actually concrete existing

14:19

things they can be necessary or

14:21

contingent. In other words, first order

14:24

facticity

14:25

which is actually the only order

14:28

facticity here.

14:30

Second order facticity is actually

14:32

nothing. It's it's a metaphysical

14:35

chimera.

14:37

Um because what it claims is factical

14:44

is an abstract concept i.e. that

14:47

proposition that factual things exist

14:51

and this just doesn't mean anything to

14:54

say that a proposition

14:56

an assertion a claim is necessary or

14:59

contingent.

15:01

It's just not the kind of thing that can

15:04

be necessary or contingent. It's a

15:06

category mistake.

15:09

And u it's interesting you because this

15:11

is exactly the opposite of what we just

15:15

saw mayu

15:17

asserting regarding um contradictory

15:20

entity.

15:22

Right? Contradiction applies to ideas,

15:26

things and beliefs, not actual things.

15:30

But now it's the reverse. The necess

15:34

necessity or contingency doesn't apply

15:38

to ideas, propositions, beliefs. It only

15:40

applies to real existing things.

15:44

And this is and this is the the game.

15:47

This is the the the

15:49

semantic play that's going on here,

15:53

shifting around these meanings. So

15:55

second order facticity, which this whole

15:58

argument turns on, it's it's not real.

16:02

It's nothing. It's it's an it's an empty

16:05

abstraction.

16:08

So what about this then? Mayu could

16:10

possibly then pivot to claim that the

16:13

proposition

16:14

that factual things exist is actually a

16:17

synonym for existence

16:19

such that the claim would then be that

16:21

existence itself

16:24

is the necess the necessary/contingent

16:27

thing the necessity that is contingent.

16:31

But again, it's the same problem.

16:33

Existence is just not something that can

16:36

be contingent or necessary.

16:39

Contingency and necessity are predicates

16:42

that presuppose existence in the first

16:45

place. In order for something to be

16:48

contingent or necessary, there must be

16:52

something in the first place.

16:56

And this is

16:58

the same kind of thing that we saw

17:00

Anelm, St. Anselm arguing in the last

17:04

video when he tried to argue backwards

17:06

from the predicate perfect to the

17:09

existence of God.

17:12

Both of these

17:15

ways of arguing are perfect examples of

17:18

what happens when you start forming

17:20

arguments with abstract concepts.

17:24

And just to take a little detour here,

17:27

this is I think in general and it's

17:30

something that pervades all of Mayu's

17:33

arguments. It's what happens. It's the

17:35

danger with and and why I don't like

17:38

analytic philosophy because it takes

17:41

language concepts which are inherently

17:45

ambiguous as they must be which which is

17:49

not a bad thing in and of itself. It's

17:51

just what they are. It's how they

17:55

it's how they must be if they're to do

17:57

the job that we want them to do.

18:00

but it misuses them in all sorts of

18:04

subtle ways that seem reasonable at

18:08

first glance. That was the problem.

18:11

As we saw with the the notion of a

18:13

contradictory entity, we know what

18:14

contradictory means. We know what entity

18:16

means. So, we think if they put

18:18

together, we think there must be a

18:21

meaning there. But if you actually take

18:23

a moment to to dwell on it, you'll see

18:27

that it doesn't mean anything. What

18:29

could what could it mean to say an

18:31

entity is contradictory?

18:33

Contradiction doesn't apply to entities.

18:38

So, it takes these these concepts, puts

18:41

them together in ways that seem

18:43

reasonable at first, but in the end, if

18:46

you if you let that kind of um

18:49

method slide, in the end, you find

18:52

yourself surrounded by a whole bunch of

18:56

abstract phantoms and um illusions that

19:01

you've completely lost touch with

19:03

reality. And that's that's my number one

19:05

complaint with abstract uh with analytic

19:08

philosophy is that's what

19:11

I I find it doing all the time. It gets

19:15

lost in concepts and definitions and

19:18

meanings and and it it it equivocates on

19:22

certain things and applies concepts to

19:26

entities when it shouldn't and and

19:28

applies um predicates to concepts when

19:33

it shouldn't and just it does all of

19:35

this this um

19:38

abstract conceptual maneuvering

19:43

with concepts that that makes sense, but

19:45

in the end you've you've lost yourself

19:48

in the concepts. There's nothing. It

19:51

doesn't it it just doesn't connect back

19:53

to reality. Doesn't connect back to

19:55

anything concrete, anything meaningful.

19:59

Um, and not only that, another danger is

20:02

that you can you can

20:05

deceive yourself because you're creating

20:08

arguments out of thin air believing that

20:12

you are reasoning clearly when all

20:14

you're doing is generating fictions like

20:17

Mayasu's second order facticity.

20:21

It just doesn't mean anything. It's a

20:23

it's a it's an abstract empty

20:27

conceptual illusion.

20:30

But if you let it slide and it seems

20:32

like it might be real. It seems like it

20:34

might be talking about something and if

20:37

you let it slide then there's no hope

20:41

after that because you can never claw it

20:44

back. Once you let that initial

20:48

um semantic trick take hold

20:53

uh nothing else you can never get out of

20:55

it after that point. You've got to stop

20:57

it there.

20:59

So that's the first problem anyway, the

21:01

first part of this critique, word play

21:04

and semantics. The second part following

21:07

the framework from the last video is the

21:11

way that this argument also jumps from

21:14

thought to reality.

21:16

Remember that everything that Mayosu is

21:18

talking about here is happening in

21:20

thought. It's all abstract. It's all

21:22

conceptual. He's taking ideas, concepts,

21:26

and thoughts and trying to conclude

21:29

something about reality from them. And

21:32

this is impossible.

21:35

My point here,

21:37

as I mentioned in a comment on the last

21:39

video, it it's not that you can't think

21:42

about reality or use reason and logic to

21:48

glean certain things about reality. My

21:51

point is that something about your

21:53

thoughts, concepts, ideas themselves

21:56

cannot be reality

22:00

like a second order facticity. That

22:03

can't be metaphysical truth,

22:06

metaphysical reality. It cannot be

22:08

being. It can't be the absolute.

22:13

It It's just It's just a concept. It's a

22:16

proposition.

22:20

It's literally creating reality. Well,

22:23

it's not literally, but it is creating

22:25

reality out of thin air.

22:29

And it is literally defining a concept

22:32

into existence.

22:35

And that um is it was exactly what we

22:37

saw Anelm do with God. Masu does the

22:41

same thing, I think, with um with every

22:44

with all of this facticity, with

22:46

possibility. He's turning these

22:50

concepts into

22:53

existing things, metaphysical things.

22:59

And finally, although this is a minor

23:01

point, but just note the structure of

23:03

this argument, it's another style

23:07

argument. And that Mayus starts by

23:10

getting his opposition, the fool, to

23:13

declare their position before applying a

23:17

semantic maneuver to undermine it. He

23:20

gets the thesis first. What's your

23:22

thesis? Okay, let's take your weak

23:24

thesis and now I can

23:28

go to work on it and point out these

23:32

inconsistencies or point out in this

23:34

case find a a necessity

23:38

behind the very fact that you're making

23:41

this claim. So it it it has that same

23:44

structure that Anselm style structure.

23:47

get if you can get your opponent to to

23:50

stake their claim in a position in a in

23:53

a proposition then you can work your

23:56

semantic magic on it and um undermine

24:00

it. Okay. So that is what I have to say

24:03

about um hyper chaos and the limitations

24:06

that may tries to impose on it. Now

24:11

let's turn to the necessitarian

24:13

inference and the frequentialist

24:15

implication.

24:18

Okay. So the necessitarian inference and

24:21

the frequentialist implication the um

24:24

this is basically an objection that may

24:27

assue assumes or puts forward in order

24:30

to

24:32

knock it down and and strengthen his his

24:35

claim.

24:37

So the objection as may imagines it to

24:40

his [clears throat] principle of

24:41

factuality might go like this. If

24:44

everything were contingent as you say,

24:46

this would mean then that the physical

24:48

laws would also be contingent.

24:52

Meaning that they would be changing all

24:54

the time. And this is the frequentialist

24:57

implication.

24:59

Since this isn't what we observe,

25:02

these laws, these physical laws must be

25:05

underwritten by a necessity that rules

25:07

out disorder.

25:10

And that's the necessitarian inference.

25:14

So that's the objection. Mayor Sue gives

25:17

an argument then to refute this.

25:20

So he he's going to attack this via the

25:24

frequentialist implication.

25:26

The notion that um if everything were

25:29

contingent, the physical if the physical

25:32

laws, including the physical laws, were

25:34

also contingent, they would be changing

25:36

all the time. That's what he's going to

25:38

attack. So he says this

25:41

this um objection the frequentialist

25:45

implication is a piece of probabilistic

25:47

reasoning

25:49

which notes that there are many a priori

25:53

possible configurations of laws but only

25:56

one configuration that is constantly

25:59

experienced.

26:02

Now for probabilistic reasoning to be

26:05

valid, the total possible configuration

26:08

of laws must be thinkable in terms of a

26:12

numerical totality.

26:14

And this total totality must be larger

26:17

than the set of physically possible

26:20

events.

26:22

For example, a single throw of a die. um

26:26

there are six possibilities but there's

26:29

only one physically possible outcome and

26:32

what may is going to argue here is that

26:35

probabilistic reasoning based on this

26:38

totality which is an important idea

26:43

is valid only for events internal to the

26:47

universe so empirical not the universe

26:51

as a whole which is only conceptualized

26:55

ible

26:57

not empirical.

27:00

When we try to apply this probabilistic

27:03

reasoning which works for things within

27:06

the universe

27:08

to our conception of the universe as a

27:11

whole, we assume that it's legitimate to

27:14

consider the conceivable as a totality

27:18

in the same way that we considered the

27:21

total number of empirical possibilities

27:23

as a totality.

27:26

And the specific problem [clears throat]

27:30

for probabilistic reasoning here comes

27:33

in the form of Canour's set theory. And

27:36

this is going to get a little bit tricky

27:39

um especially if like me you're not um

27:44

well-versed in mathematics. So, Cantor

27:47

showed that mathematically there can be

27:50

actual comparable infinite sets and

27:54

[snorts] that there are therefore

27:55

degrees of infinity which can be

27:58

quantified by what he called transfinite

28:00

numbers.

28:03

More importantly for Mayu he showed that

28:05

there can be no set of all sets. In

28:09

other words, the totality of an infinite

28:12

set [snorts] can always be exceeded by a

28:15

larger one, i.e. a larger transfinite.

28:20

Um, and that's what he showed. So, Mayu

28:23

is going to use that

28:26

to

28:28

undermine this idea of the

28:30

frequentialist implication. So he takes

28:32

KTOR's proof that there can be no set of

28:35

all sets

28:37

um regarding infinite sets and applies

28:40

that to our conception of the universe

28:43

[snorts] which is specifically here a

28:47

set of possible configurations of

28:49

physical laws.

28:52

And so what I think may is getting at

28:54

here is he's saying that

28:58

um infinite sets are not subject to

29:01

empirical observation. They're therefore

29:04

only conceptualizable

29:07

and nor is the set of the universe as a

29:10

whole which we've already said is only

29:14

conceptualizable as well. Therefore,

29:17

what applies to the former infinite sets

29:20

also applies to the latter, the set of

29:23

the universe. And Mayasu glosses all of

29:27

this by saying the quantifiable totality

29:31

of the thinkable is unthinkable.

29:37

And I I think we can summarize the

29:38

argument in

29:41

with three premises and a conclusion.

29:44

So, premise one, since the universe as a

29:46

whole isn't susceptible to empirical

29:48

observation, it is therefore only

29:51

conceivable.

29:52

Premise two, probabilistic reasoning

29:55

requires a totality thinkable in terms

29:58

of a numerical totality.

30:01

Premise three,

30:03

by we can't think the totality of what

30:07

is only conceivable.

30:09

And the conclusion is therefore

30:11

probabilistic reasoning cannot apply to

30:14

the universe as a whole.

30:19

So

30:20

let's see if we can um break some of

30:23

that down. First of all, the uh

30:27

necessitarian inference. I don't I I

30:31

just don't get the argument here when um

30:37

so I kind of reject

30:40

the necessitarian inference and of

30:42

course this is an objection that Mayor

30:44

Sue has raised himself. So in rejecting

30:48

it it looks a little bit like I'm

30:49

helping him but really what I'm doing is

30:52

pointing out what I think are flaws in

30:54

his thinking.

30:56

So my problem with the necessitarian

30:58

influence is just is that just because

31:01

the laws of physics are stable doesn't

31:04

mean they're underwritten by a

31:06

necessity. That's that's the leap I

31:09

can't see here. Um just because a

31:13

certain situation holds

31:16

doesn't mean that that that situation is

31:19

necessary. Doesn't mean that it must be

31:22

the case.

31:24

So that that's the first small point a

31:27

problem with the the the necessitarian

31:29

inference itself.

31:32

Now the frequentialist implication the

31:35

problems here are a little bit more

31:36

complicated

31:38

and basically

31:40

the way I think of this is it's all a

31:45

game of mathematical semantics. So, it's

31:48

still semantic games, but this time with

31:51

with math.

31:54

Um,

31:55

yeah, because I mean, we've seen Mayasu

31:58

take abstract concepts and ideas and

32:02

twist them and and work with them and

32:05

manipulate them in such a way that he's

32:07

able to generate paradoxes or reality,

32:11

ultimately concrete metaphysical

32:14

realities out of them. Now he's doing

32:16

something similar this time with

32:17

mathematics. Specifically, he's taking

32:20

an he's taking abstract mathematical

32:22

axioms

32:25

and applying them to thought.

32:29

And that's where this whole thing goes

32:30

wrong. Everything comes back to thought.

32:32

Everything that may the the content of

32:35

all of his arguments, it's all thoughts.

32:39

It's all ideas. It's all concepts. And

32:42

it's it's kind of the same problem again

32:45

and again just

32:48

cropping up in a different in a

32:49

different kind of format.

32:53

Or rather it's the same format but

32:55

cropping up in a different with

32:57

different content. It's the same formal

32:59

problem just with different ideas.

33:03

So the best way to to go through this I

33:05

think is look at the the argument that I

33:08

laid out premise by premise. So premise

33:10

one, [snorts] since the universe as a

33:12

whole isn't susceptible to empirical

33:14

observation, it's therefore only

33:17

conceivable. We can only think of the

33:19

universe as a whole. We can't

33:23

empirically observe it or measure it or

33:26

quantify it. That's fine. I have no

33:29

problems with that. Um, I I might even

33:33

go a step further and say that it isn't

33:36

actually conceivable, but that's kind of

33:39

drifting down my own lane of

33:42

metaphysics, which is not really

33:45

relevant here. As that premise stands,

33:48

there's nothing wrong with it. Premise

33:50

two. Now, this is okay. The premise is

33:56

probabilistic reasoning requires a

33:58

totality thinkable in numerical terms

34:02

quantifiable. [clears throat]

34:04

Now this is false

34:07

um or rather

34:09

its validity is restricted to the domain

34:13

of mathematics.

34:15

So if you want to quantify or calculate

34:19

probabilities then yes I would agree

34:21

with mayasu you need a numerical

34:24

totality of the possibilities

34:27

in this case the configuration the

34:30

number of configurations of possible

34:34

laws of nature but the frequentialist

34:37

doesn't need this

34:40

um they don't need to perform a

34:42

mathematical calculation all they need

34:44

to know is that there is some massive

34:47

number of possible configurations of

34:49

physical laws which they do because this

34:52

is obviously true. That's no one's

34:55

denying that even may sue and that means

34:58

that there's nothing wrong. There's

35:00

nothing illegitimate about the

35:02

frequentialist implication.

35:04

They don't need to have a numerical

35:07

totality,

35:09

a quantifiable totality for the possible

35:12

configurations of laws. If if they were

35:15

doing if they wanted to perform some

35:17

kind of mathematical calculation, fit it

35:19

into an equation, calculate something

35:22

with it, then yes, they would need to

35:24

know that, but they don't need to know

35:26

it. So this this whole digression of

35:29

Mayus into Canour's set theory and

35:32

transfinites, it it's it's irrelevant

35:36

here. The frequentialist doesn't need to

35:40

concern themselves with any of this. We

35:43

know that there is some massive number

35:46

of possible configurations of physical

35:48

laws and we know that only one is in

35:52

evidence and that's the problem. We

35:55

don't need to quantify the

35:58

possibilities.

36:00

And then premise three by contour we

36:04

can't think the totality of what is only

36:06

conceivable.

36:09

And this is also I think false or at the

36:15

very least it's not it's an

36:17

interpretation of cantor didn't say we

36:22

can't think the totality of what is only

36:24

conceivable.

36:26

This is

36:28

like I said mayasu's interpretation or

36:30

even better his extension of canour the

36:36

transfinite and canour set theory.

36:40

It's a piece of mathematical reasoning

36:43

but it says nothing at all about limits

36:46

to conceptualization in general.

36:50

Thus our probabilistic reasoning isn't

36:54

faulty and the frequentialist

36:56

implication is again valid.

37:00

And this by the way is another example

37:03

of Mayor Sue and the the other um thing

37:08

that he does quite regularly is

37:11

transgressing domains. taking what what

37:14

works in one domain and applying it in

37:16

another domain where it doesn't work

37:18

where it's it's illegitimate there. So

37:21

for example, we've seen him go from

37:24

thought to reality. Jump from those

37:26

domains as if as if as if you can. We've

37:30

seen him jump around between

37:33

metaphysical, conceptual, and scientific

37:35

being conflating all of those different

37:38

kinds of being beings.

37:41

Um, and also the the latest one from

37:44

first order to second order facticity.

37:47

This these kinds of these jumps that

37:50

just don't respect these different

37:52

areas. Um, which [clears throat]

37:55

and you just can't apply things that

37:59

work in one area, one domain to these

38:03

other domains or or you can, but that's

38:06

my whole problem with analytic

38:07

philosophy. That's what it does. That's

38:10

that's how it secures all of these

38:12

insights that it that it that that it um

38:16

gleans

38:17

by by manipulating words and concepts

38:21

and misapplying them, misappropriating.

38:24

Um and that's that's this is just

38:26

another example of that.

38:28

So that's that's the main problem with

38:31

the frequent with Mayasu's criticism of

38:34

the frequentialist implication. This

38:36

mathematical semantics

38:39

that um I think he he indulges in a

38:42

smaller problem with this

38:45

is that Mayasu himself says that the

38:49

non-totalizing aiomatic of the

38:51

transfinite is not the only possible

38:55

aiomatic. So all he's done is show that

38:58

there is at least one way to think that

39:01

the possible is untotalizable.

39:05

And this really weakens his claim. I

39:08

think he tries to claw back some

39:12

legitimacy here by noting that reason

39:15

suggests there's no necessity to

39:17

physical laws. That's what may argued

39:20

for, but I've already argued against

39:23

that.

39:24

And he tries to also say that the

39:27

necessitarian inference results in

39:29

physical laws being necessary with no

39:32

one knowing why it is these laws rather

39:35

than others which necessarily exist.

39:39

But first, I've already argued that the

39:42

stability of the laws of physics doesn't

39:45

mean that that they're necessary. And

39:47

second,

39:49

the fact that no one knows why we have

39:51

these laws rather than others is not a

39:54

good reason for either accepting or

39:57

denying anything in relation to it. So

40:02

it's a smaller problem, but it's one

40:04

that may himself um discusses. So to his

40:08

credit, I guess he points that out, but

40:11

that seems like a bigger problem than

40:13

May Sue um lets on there.

40:17

Uh this brings me to the end of my

40:19

critique of Mayasu's um conception of

40:23

the necessitarian inference and his

40:25

defense against the frequentialist

40:27

implication.

40:29

Uh neither of which seem compelling to

40:32

me.

40:33

It also brings me to the end of the

40:35

video. So let me close out with a

40:39

summary.

40:41

So first up the limitations on hyper

40:44

chaos. This was an attempt by Mayasu to

40:47

reign in the situation

40:50

we've found it he's found himself in in

40:53

which anything can happen at any time

40:55

for no reason.

40:57

And the first limitation he imposes is

41:03

on a contradictory entity. A

41:05

contradictory entity he says is

41:06

absolutely impossible. And this is an

41:09

attempt to validate the principle of

41:11

non-contradiction.

41:14

The problem here was as we saw talk of

41:17

an of a contradictory entity is pure

41:20

sophistry. Contradiction applies to

41:23

ideas, properties, sorry, propositions,

41:26

claims,

41:28

etc. Claims about entities, not entities

41:32

themselves.

41:34

How can an entity be contradictory? It

41:38

just doesn't make sense.

41:40

And his second limitation he called the

41:44

thesis of the there is.

41:47

[clears throat]

41:48

And this says that there must be an

41:50

absolute.

41:52

Uh

41:54

and this argument then starts from the

41:57

weak thesis of the advocate against the

42:00

existence of an absolute. So if

42:03

something exists then it must be

42:05

contingent.

42:07

And Mayasu says assuming the weak thesis

42:11

presupposes a second order facticity.

42:15

So if we assume the weak the thesis this

42:19

makes the thesis itself which is a

42:21

proposition necessary and because this

42:24

proposition might or might not hold it's

42:27

contingent.

42:29

The problems I have with this first it's

42:34

this notion of second order facticity is

42:36

pure sophistry. Contingency and

42:39

necessity apply only to concrete

42:42

existence. They don't

42:45

by that I mean concretely existing

42:48

things. They don't apply to propositions

42:50

or ideas. What could it mean to say a

42:54

proposition is necessary or a

42:56

proposition is contingent? nor do they

42:59

apply to existence itself.

43:02

Contingency

43:04

or necessity presuppose an existent to

43:08

be contingent or nec necessary in the

43:10

first place.

43:12

The second problem is this whole

43:16

style of argumentation jumps from

43:18

thought to reality by turning an ab

43:22

abstract fiction which is second order

43:25

facticity into a metaphysical existent.

43:30

Then we looked at the necessitarian

43:31

inference and the frequentialist

43:33

implication.

43:35

The frequentialist implication basically

43:37

says that if everything were contingent,

43:39

we would expect to see physical laws

43:41

changing all the time. And the

43:44

necessitarian infer inference says that

43:47

since we don't see this, these physical

43:49

laws must be underwritten by a necessity

43:52

that rules out disorder.

43:54

Mayu's response probabilistic reasoning

43:58

applies to empirical objects within the

44:01

universe but doesn't apply to the

44:03

conceptualized universe itself

44:06

and mayasu uses canour's set theory and

44:09

the transfinite here

44:13

the problems that I have with this first

44:16

regarding this the necessitarian

44:18

inference the stability of the physical

44:21

laws doesn't imply their necessity I I

44:24

don't think there's no there's no

44:27

logical leap from one to the other.

44:31

And regarding the frequentialist

44:33

implication,

44:34

my first problem, my biggest problem was

44:37

the one of mathematical semantics.

44:40

So Mayasu's restriction on probabilistic

44:42

reasoning doesn't transfer to the

44:45

probabilistic intuition of the

44:47

frequentist.

44:49

And second, KTO's transfinite numbers in

44:52

relation to infinite sets don't transfer

44:55

to our conceptualized

44:58

totality of the universe.

45:02

And so that is us for this video, which

45:07

means there's only one video left. And

45:10

um it's going to be a much shorter

45:12

video. I'm just going to there's one

45:14

more thing I want to

45:17

um critique in May's philosophy and it's

45:21

regarding what he calls the task of

45:23

philosophy and then I want to close off

45:26

with some positives actually some things

45:29

that I agree with in Mayu uh even though

45:32

I don't agree with maybe the reasoning

45:36

behind how he gets to the certain things

45:40

there are some things that I think he's

45:42

he he has right that I I agree with

45:45

anyway. Um and we'll talk about those as

45:48

well. But that's it for today. Thanks

45:50

for watching. I'll see you next time.

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