What question did this study set out to answer?

This note aims to establish that no causal chain can exist without an initial occurrence that is not derived from prior events.

May 20, 2026Open Access

No Causal Chain Proceeds Without Initiation - A Structural No-Go Result

Key Points

This note aims to establish that no causal chain can exist without an initial occurrence that is not derived from prior events.
Analysis of the distinction between order and causal derivation.
Presentation of a structural no-go framework with a falsifier.
Demonstration that every occurrence in a chain must derive from a prior occurrence, lacking an initiation.
Clarification that a functioning causal chain necessitates a distinct initiation event.

Abstract

This note states a structural no-go claim: no causal chain proceeds without an initiation. The argument turns on the distinction between mere order and causal derivation. Derivation transmits occurrence from a prior event to a later event; it does not generate the occurrence it transmits. A chain in which every occurrence is derived from a prior occurrence within the chain therefore supplies no occurrence to derive from. A causal chain that proceeds must contain an occurrence within it that is not derived from any prior occurrence within the chain: its initiation. The result is presented as a compact structural no-go with a clear falsifier.

No Causal Chain Proceeds Without Initiation - A Structural No-Go Result

Key Points

Abstract

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