The Four Fundamental Fources

Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force (also termed the strong interaction), and the weak force (weak interaction) together constitute the four fundamental forces, or what are collectively regarded as the four most foundational scientific phenomena pertaining to matter at this time.  As such, understanding the concept of each is vital to understanding the overarching framework of contemporary physics.  What almost no scientist seems willing to explore, address, or admit, however, is the epistemological difference between half of these forces.

Of these four fundamental forces, only two can be directly observed at the macroscopic level by ordinary people, meaning that only two can be observed during normal sensory experiences.  The most blatantly evident of the four, gravity, is constantly observed in everyday life as objects fall down to the ground and eventually come to remain in place, and electricity, one side of the electromagnetic force, can be directly observed in something as simple as plugging a phone charger into a wall socket.  The same is not true of the other two forces categorized as "fundamental."

The strong force, however, because it is what is said to hold the nucleus of atoms together, is epistemologically different.  The existence of atoms is itself philosophically unproven [1], as scientific evidence only proves information about perceptions of the external world, and the average person has little to appeal to besides hearsay from scientists who themselves claim only that the idea of atoms has explanatory power (though this does not mean either atoms or the strong force do not exist).  Thus, a strong force that holds the subatomic particles that constitute an atom together are also not truly observable.

Like the strong force, the weak force has to do with particles that cannot be seen macroscopically, meaning that these particles cannot be seen be simply looking at a tree, car, or other familiar object with one's unaided sense of sight alone.  Rather than holding neutrons and protons together to form an atom's nucleus, however, the weak force is responsible for the decay of certain subatomic particles.  Since this also has to do with the components of atoms, no one can truly know if it is an actual force from watching or analyzing scientific events at the macroscopic level.

Pointing to events in the external world that are directly observable and believing in unobservable scientific phenomena are very distinct epistemological approaches to science.  The former is nothing more than acknowledging one's sensory perceptions, but the latter is merely an assumption-based leap into the dark under the guise of knowledge.  There are fools who might consider this distinction hostile to science, yet this is not the case.  It is only hostile to assumptions, intellectual blindness, and the elevation of science over reason.  A thoroughly rational person who is aware of contemporary scientific models can understand them without accepting or dismissing them due to unprovable premises.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-existence-of-atoms.html