Draft:Raphael Neelamkavil

= Raphael Neelamkavil = Raphael Neelamkavil, Ph.D. (Pune), Dr. phil. (Duisburg-Essen); born 2 May 1964; Pavaratty, Kerala, India, is a philosopher of cosmology and physics, and a metaphysician of the physical and mathematical sciences with corresponding interest in philosophy of mind, neuroscience, epistemology, philosophy of artificial intelligence, etc.

Contributions in Philosophy of Physics & Cosmology, and in Metaphysics
He has postulated the Gravitational Coalescence Paradox (GCP), which generalizes cosmologically and metaphysically at the possible rational interface of the various cosmological and cosmogenetic theories; and he has suggested also its cosmological solution which he has termed as Gravitational Coalescence Cosmology (GCC). He continues to develop GCC further.

GCC attempts:(1) to create the most basic conceptual and physical-ontological Categorial basis for all physical existents dealt with in cosmology, physics, biology , etc., (2) to unify many cosmogenetic theories into a comprehensive whole,

(3) to work out its consequences in cases where the cosmos is of finite or infinite content,

(4) to draw the cosmogenetic and generally cosmic-evolutionary consequences on the structure of the cosmos in the sub-cases of the finite-content and infinite-content cases, and

(5) to base all the above on his derivation of the fully exhaustive implications of To Be (existence), namely, Extension (compositeness, i.e., possessing a finite number of finitely extended parts) and Change (extended parts exerting finite impacts on a finite number of other such parts and wholes), which he terms the physical-ontological Categories of all existents.

It is for the first time that a philosopher draws the fully exhaustive implications of To Be, namely, Extension and Change."I shall therefore use the process-aware, extension-change causal, language concerning all exist-ents as a whole in its To Be and individually in their “to be” for the simple reason that no existent exists as vacuum, but can only exist in absolute extension-change. That is, anything exists as extended-changing in terms of transfer of impact elements within and to each other finitely in finite time, every iota in physical existents is permanently in extension-change as such, and there-fore exists causing effects within and without, all finitely in finite time, which fact again shows that causal processuality is irreducibly extension-change. The constant causal togetherness of some processes with a finite or infinite amount of stability in activity is Process. A process is an existent in such togetherness."Faced with the metaphysical Categories of Extension and Change, space becomes merely the epistemic-quantitative measure of Extension as appertains any existent; and time becomes merely the epistemic-quantitative measure of Change. Thus, space-time curvature, merely quantitatively mathematical representations of physical processes, etc. are insufficient as characterizations of existing processes. A systemic philosophy of the cosmos requires also purely qualitative ontological universals that pertain to groups (natural kinds) of Extension-Change-wise existent processes. The state of Extension-Change-wise existence of all existents is nothing but Universal Causality.

Extension-Change-wise existence becomes the physical test of both observable and unobservable entities alike. Through his scientific and philosophic efforts, Raphael Neelamkavil remains a protagonist of Universal Causality, whereby each finite-content entity has an unlimited number of ever-smaller and hence near-infinitesimal parts that continue in Extension-Change-wise exercitation of and existence in Universal Causality."“Extension” is the abstract there-being-multiple-parts in anything existent with some activity and stability; and “Change” is the abstract aspect of anything whereof it is in the state of projecting impact elements within and without. These are two essentially general- and physical-ontological categorial Laws or nomic a priori presuppositions at the general intersection of existence and of experience and knowledge of existent processes. These are measured epistemically as space and time respectively. Time is the measure of change with respect to stipulated measurement criteria.A temporal relation is that between two results of measurement of change. "Currently, Raphael Neelamkavil devotes time to the general philosophical (mainly metaphysical and epistemological) synthesis of cosmology, astrophysics, physics, mathematics, brain science, technology, artificial intelligence, information, etc. into as general a science of the ultimate meaning of Reality as possible. Such a system permits itself great flexibility to further enhancement and revamping. Such are the foundational notions defined into his system of though.

In short, what he does is to create a new systemic metaphysics and epistemology of the physical sciences and to make the sciences conceptually possible by facilitating science in an advancement-enhancing manner. He is also interested in the cosmological aspects of the various religious philosophies and in ways of reconciling Universal Causality with freedom.

His grounding-vision of Reality, synthesizing the points of contact between physics, cosmology, scientific ontology, mathematics, logic, philosophy of mind, and various other branches of philosophy, may be termed a new process philosophy beyond phenomenology. "We need the very concept of processual existent in general as existent, that too within the said primordial ontological commitment. Therefore, the use of the concept of ‘something-s’ is the backbone of all thought."He attempts thereby to suggest methodological improvements in the sciences. This distinguishes him as one of the few persons who have dedicated themselves fully to research in the philosophy of physics and cosmology under a processually metaphysical and trans-analytic-philosophical foundations and attitudes. He considers Alfred North Whitehead and Edmund Husserl as his philosophical Gurus.

To number his main philosophical contributions to date, they are: (1) Gravitational Coalescence Cosmology, (2) the postulation of the physical-ontological Categories, namely, Extension, Change, Causality, Process, (3) Causal Horizonal Research (CHR) as tools to ground and systematize all philosophy, natural and human sciences, and exact sciences , (4) the Maximal-Medial-Minimal (MMM) method of access values of Existents and their pertinent ontological universals, and (5) Minimal Metaphysical Physicalism (MMP) which reinterprets the questions of physicalism, materialism, panpsychism, monism, dualism, etc. in a systemic and cosmologically metaphysical manner.

The first is planned for further theoretical elaboration. The second, based on the metaphysical Categories and a few meta-metaphysical Ideals, could become a philosophically and scientifically equally useful instrument to systematize together the physical and philosophical sciences from a vision that goes beyond linguistic analytic philosophy, philosophy of science, phenomenology, process philosophy, pragmatism, scientism, physicalism, panpsychism, postmodern philosophies, etc.

Academic Formation and Book-Length Publications
In 2014 he obtained his Ph.D. (“Distinction”) in India, with a dissertation published under the title: Causal Ubiquity in Quantum Physics: A Superluminal and Local-Causal Physical Ontology, 2014, Frankfurt, 361 pp., where he explains the foundations and basic experimental results of quantum physics in terms of the ubiquity of causality in all physical existents. This thesis has been considered innovative by his doctoral tutor and jury.

Soon he published the second edition of his Indian Master’s dissertation (“Distinction”) under the title: '[https://www.peterlang.com/document/1049460 Physics without Metaphysics? Categories of Second Generation Scientific Ontology]', 2015, Frankfurt, 386 pp., where the effort has been to ground philosophy and the physical sciences on three meta-metaphysical foundations or Ideals. It must be mentioned that he was permitted to write a Master’s dissertation of more than 250 pages in order to be able to do justice to the theme chosen.

He pursued another doctoral study in Germany. This time he researched on the connection between causality, cosmology, and cosmogenetic theories. He obtained his Dr. phil. (“Magna cum laude”) in Germany in 2017, with a voluminous dissertation, published entitled: Gravitational Coalescence Paradox and Cosmogenetic Causality in Quantum Astrophysical Cosmology, 2018, Berlin, 647 pp.

This has been his dream project in philosophy, for which he sacrificed many things dear to him in life – like teaching, life with the dear ones, community, etc. –, with the hope that this sort of work will sooner or later be acceptable for the sciences, philosophy, and the humanities alike. The kernel of Gravitational Coalescence Cosmology, which he had formulated way back in May 1985 and refined in the course of decades, has been elaborated in the 2018 work.

After his second doctoral research, he authors mostly book-length works in the interface of the philosophy of physics and metaphysics. He published a short work in KDP Amazon: Essential Cosmology and Philosophy for All: Gravitational Coalescence Cosmology, 2021, and its second edition in 2022, 94 pp. His own German translation of this second edition appeared in 2022 in KDP Amazon, entitled: Essenzielle Kosmologie und Philosophie für alle: Gravitational-Koaleszenz-Kosmologie, 104 pp. These are meant to popularize his ideas among both students and experts in philosophy of science, physics, astrophysics, cosmology, etc.

Future Works in the Philosophy of Physics
Currently he is working on a set of books for publication: Cosmic Causality Code and Artificial Intelligence: Analytic Philosophy of Physics, Mind, and Virtual Worlds, circa 180 pp., and its self-made Italian version (to be corrected by native Italians): Il Codice di Causalità Cosmica e l’Intelligenza Artificiale: Filosofia Analitica di Fisica, Mente, e Mondi Virtuali, circa 200 pp. These two books are academically dense and at the same time addressed to scholars, researchers, students, and the educated public alike.

This is an attempt to base physics, mind, language, unobservables, artificial intelligence, virtual worlds, and information upon the general physical-ontological Categories that he has developed, and thus especially upon Universal Causality. He attempts thus to build a systemic philosophy of these regions of science and philosophy.

Other works are in progress, all of them with the broad-based attitudes proper to the metaphysics of the sciences. For example, (1) a new meta-metaphysics beyond language, mind, and physical science, (2) a cosmology beyond modal and quantum possible worlds, (3) a reconciliation of Universal Causality with freedom, based on a trans-complexity kind of notion of causal advancement in consciousness, (4) foundations of minimal metaphysical physicalism (MMP) beyond physicalism and panpsychism, (5) inter-dynamic panentheism, (6) restructuring the Ultimate in Vedāntic and Mahāyāna philosophies, etc. Note that the book published in 2015 has already been an introduction to meta-metaphysics.

Languages Known
He speaks three European languages (English, German, Italian) and four Indian languages (Malayāḷam, Hindī, Marāṭhī, Tamiḷ), has about ten years of teaching experience in philosophy, especially in the philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology, and has published many philosophical articles in philosophical journals in India. He has a not-very-dormant passion about Indo-European philology.

Publications

 * Neelamkavil, Raphael (2014). Causal Ubiquity in Quantum Physics: A Superluminal and Local-Causal Physical Ontology. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
 * _____ (2015). Physics without Metaphysics? Categories of Second Generation Scientific Ontology. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2015, second revised and enlarged edition.
 * _____ (2018). Gravitational Coalescence Paradox and Cosmogenetic Causality in Quantum Astrophysical Ontology. Berlin: Peter Lang.
 * _____ (2022). Essential Cosmology and Philosophy for All: Gravitational Coalescence Cosmology, second edition. KDP Amazon.
 * _____ (2022). Essentielle Kosmologie und Philosophie für Alle: Gravitational-Koaleszenz-Kosmologie. KDP Amazon.