The Cosmic Web

Metaphor: The large-scale structure of the universe as a spiderweb, with galaxies strung along filaments like beads on threads.

Problem: This metaphor suggests fixed, deterministic connections and rigid architecture. It frames the cosmos as a pre-woven design, rather than a dynamic field of relational potentials. Observers may imagine that galaxies “follow the strands” of a cosmic loom, erasing the emergent, contingent nature of clustering.

Relational ontology: The universe is not pre-spun silk. Galaxies and clusters arise through relational alignments of matter, energy, and spacetime. Filaments are patterns of actualisation, not static wires, and voids are relational absences, not empty holes threaded with intention.

Parody punchline: If the cosmic web were literal, astronomers would need giant flyswatters, quasars would get stuck in the corners, and the Milky Way would be tangled like a toddler’s headphone cables.