The Philosophy Behind the Theory of Relative Cosmic Equilibrium (RCE): The Final Truth of Physical Reality

Modern physics is built upon an implicit assumption: that measurable quantities such as mass, time, energy, pressure, or curvature exist as absolute entities capable of direct observation. In this work, we argue that this assumption is fundamentally incorrect. Every physical measurement is intrinsically differential in nature; instruments detect differences, not absolutes. This measurement fallacy has silently shaped major theoretical frameworks—from relativity and quantum field theory to fluid dynamics and cosmology—where observable effects have been repeatedly mistaken for foundational causes. We propose that the energy-difference field, denoted ∆E, constitutes the primary physical substrate from which time, mass, forces, and field excitations emerge as secondary relational patterns. Within this framework, existence itself is identified with a persistent, non-vanishing energy imbalance: when ∆E vanishes exactly, the conditions required for temporal evolution, gravitational interaction, and phenomenological distinction collapse. Using the RCE (Relative Cosmic Equilibrium) perspective, we re-examine several foundational paradoxes, including the cosmological constant problem, the misinterpretation of vacuum energy, the Navier–Stokes regularity question, and the Yang–Mills mass gap. We show that restoring causal primacy to ∆E dissolves multiple contradictions and provides a consistent conceptual basis for physical unification. This paper outlines a preliminary mathematical formulation of ∆E-dynamics, identifies experimental motifs relevant for empirical validation, and proposes a framework in which the ontology of physics is reorganized around differential causality. The resulting picture suggests that existence is not a static substance but a dynamic deviation from perfect equilibrium. When the difference disappears, existence itself fades.