Q&A: The Uniformity of Nature, God
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Uniformity of Nature, God
Question
Hello Rabbi,
What does the Rabbi think about the argument that if nature is God,
then the laws of nature are included within it (immanent).
And therefore they are derived from nature. If so, who made sure that in different and distant places nature would operate according to the same law as elsewhere?
One would have to say that the source of the law is external to nature: God.
What does the Rabbi think of this argument?
Answer
I didn’t understand a thing. If you want, spell out the assumptions and the line of reasoning more clearly. At first glance, this seems to me like nonsense. A few comments that may help you formulate and define it:
- The very claim that nature is God (= pantheism) is already nonsense. It basically means that there is no God; they just call that non-God “nature.” It’s just a word, nothing more.
- The laws of nature are not entities, so I don’t understand what it means to say that they are “included within it.”
- What does it mean that they are “derived from nature”? They are part of it (if anything).
- Why is there any need for someone to supervise the uniformity of the laws of nature? They are part of the very essence of nature, which is uniform.