tHE nICHES

The following list is a beginning. I plan to supplement it with analysis, revision, and perhaps with further categories. I will look at pre-Newtonian niches later.

1. Chemistry

2. Molecular theory of gases, liquids and solids

3. Mechanics of gases, liquids, and solids

4. Geology, especially plate tectonics

5. Functional biology and medicine

6. Evolutionary biology

7. Electromagnetism and light

8. Technologies of exploration

9. Molecular and cellular biology; biochemistry

10. Psychology, especially understanding the nature of awareness and consciousness

11. Mathematics and logic. Are these truly niches? The universal metaphysics and consequent theory of concrete and abstract objects shows that they are.

12. Computation

13. Nuclear and sub-nuclear chemistry

14. Elementary particle theory—the standard model

15. The world of the quantum

16. Special theory of relativity as a theory of the immanence of space and time

17. Large scale interaction of space, time, and matter—i.e. the relativistic theory of gravitation

The Universal metaphysics reveals a number of niches. If the purpose of this list is to show the fundamental character of the unknown prior to the universal metaphysics then the latter and its revealed niches should not be part of the list. Therefore those niches are listed separately below. Here I list

18. The limitless universe

19. The world of identity

20. The world beyond extension, duration, and matter (stable manifest being)