Ontological Unity and Non-Separability: From Primordial Differentiation to Quantum Relations
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The Theory of Ontological Differentiation (TOD) proposes an ontological framework founded on two complementary principles: the unitary origin of multiplicity and the constitutive role of relations within differentiated reality. The theory begins with an original undifferentiated condition, denoted by Ω₀, from whose self-differentiation the first distinction, represented by Δ, emerges. Multiplicity is therefore not assumed to be primordial, but understood as the outcome of ontological differentiation. The transition Ω₀ → Δ constitutes the fundamental genealogical postulate of the theory. Its conceptual motivation lies in the structural tension associated with the impossibility for an absolutely undifferentiated unity to know or describe itself in the absence of distinctions. The second principle assigns relations a fundamental role in the constitution of identity. Entities are not regarded as ontologically self-sufficient realities to which relations are subsequently added, but as configurations emerging within a relational structure. Differentiation makes distinction possible without necessarily entailing the absolute ontological independence of the configurations that emerge from it. The article develops these two propositions through a comparison with the problem of quantum non-separability. It examines the EPR argument, Bell's theorem, experimental tests of Bell inequalities, and selected contemporary relational approaches. This comparison brings into focus a shared question: what meaning can be assigned to the autonomy of parts when the description of a composite system cannot always be reduced to descriptions of its components considered independently? TOD's specific contribution lies in integrating a genealogical account of the origin of multiplicity with an ontology in which relations participate in the constitution of the identity of configurations. The article clarifies the scope of this comparison and identifies the conceptual and formal developments required to specify the theory of relations and the criteria governing identity. Quantum non-separability is not presented as a proof of TOD, but as a scientific domain in which the ontological problem of the relationship between unity, differentiation, and relation becomes particularly relevant.
Author: Salmoiraghi, Giuseppe
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225397960