action at a distance

action at a distance (countable and uncountable, plural actions at a distance)

1. (physics) the concept that an object can be affected, changed, moved, or otherwise affected without being physically touched by another object.
   • CONSTRUCTING THE UNIVERSE, David Layzer, p. 7, 1984: For Descartes, as for Aristoteles, the doctrine of the Plenum rested on two self-evident truths: Nature abhors a vacuum, and there can be no action at a distance .

• action

• spooky action at a distance