A signaling protocol that depends on controlling inaccessible parameters is not 'possible in principle' in any operationally meaningful sense—it is nomologically impossible given the theory's own constraints.

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1 reason against

Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Operationally meaningful possibilities must be constrained by what agents can actually access, measure, or control within a theory's framework.
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2.If a protocol requires manipulating parameters the theory declares fundamentally inaccessible, the protocol violates the theory's internal consistency.
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3.Nomological impossibility correctly applies when physical law itself—not mere engineering difficulty—forbids an action.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.A protocol's theoretical possibility can be independent of current accessibility; theories can revise constraints without becoming incoherent.
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2.Inaccessibility to present agents differs categorically from inaccessibility in principle—future theories may reclassify parameters as accessible.
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3.Nomological impossibility requires metaphysical necessity, not consistency within one framework's present assumptions about observability.
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Key Terms

Nomological(The 'nomological' component of the DN model refers to the requirement that the explanans contain at least one essential law of nature): A philosophical term of art meaning roughly 'lawful', pertaining to laws of nature
constraints(Used in the context of time travel space-times to distinguish genuine lawlike constraints from mere contingent compatibility): Restrictions on states on spatial surfaces that hold as a matter of law rather than accidental fact
inaccessible parameters(as used in physics and epistemology): Properties or variables in a system that cannot be measured, observed, or controlled by anyone conducting an experiment.
nomologically impossible(as used in modal metaphysics and philosophy of physics): Something that violates the fundamental laws of nature according to a scientific theory, making it impossible—not just in practice, but in principle.
operationally meaningful(as used in philosophy of science and physics): Something that can actually be tested, measured, or observed through real experiments or practical actions.
possible in principle(as used in modal philosophy and philosophy of science): Something that doesn't violate the basic laws or rules of a theory, even if it might be practically difficult or currently impossible to achieve.
signaling protocol(as used in philosophy of physics and communication theory): A set of rules or methods for sending and receiving information or messages between different parts of a system.

Connections

2 topics

Causation1 linked Modality & Possibility1 linked

A protocol's theoretical possibility can be independent of current accessibility...If a protocol requires manipulating parameters the theory declares fundamentally...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit