Philosophy beyond spacetime : implications from quantum gravity / edited by Christian Wuthrich, Baptiste Le Bihan, Nick Huggett.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Huggett, Nick, editor.

Le Bihan, Baptiste, editor.

Wüthrich, Christian, editor.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Quantum gravity--Philosophy.

Quantum gravity.

Space and time.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 292 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Implications from quantum gravity

Place of Publication:

New York, New York : Oxford University Press, [2021]

Summary:

Quantum gravity seeks a unified theory in which quantum matter is dynamically related to generally relativistic spacetime. Although a continuing work in progress, research programmes in the field such as string theory, loop quantum gravity, and causal set theory make it clear that a successful theory of quantum gravity will raise important challenges to our conceptions of space, time, and matter-perhaps abolishing them altogether as fundamental entities. But just as important, there is good reason to think that some of the problems in finding a theory of quantum gravity are themselves conceptual, in need of philosophical analysis. 'Philosophy Beyond Spacetime' assembles original papers from philosophers (and one physicist), establishing a definitive statement of the current state of play, on which future research into this area can build.

Contents:

Cover

Philosophy Beyond Spacetime: Implications from Quantum Gravity

Copright

Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

List of Contributors

1: Introduction

Abstract

1.1 Searching for Spacetime

1.2 The Metaphysics of Spacetime Emergence

1.3 Methodological Issues

References

2: Levels of Spacetime Emergence in Quantum Gravity

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Level 0: Classical and Quantum (Modified) General Relativity

2.3 Level 1: New Degrees of Freedom-Geometry and Spacetime as Emergent Entities

2.4 Level 2: Non-Geometric Phases-The Atoms of Space(time) Are Really Not Spatiotemporal

2.5 Level 3: Geometrogenesis-The Emergence of Spacetime via a Phase Transition as a Physical Process

2.6 An Analogy: From the Atoms to the Hydrodynamics of (Super)fluids

2.7 Conclusions

3: On Dualities and Equivalences between Physical Theories

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Prospectus: The Remark and the Implication

3.1.2 Relations to Other Work

3.2 A Schema for Duality

3.3 Interpreting Physical Theories

3.3.1 Intensional Semantics

3.3.2 Subject-Matters: (Contr) and (Diff)

3.3.3 Credo

3.4 Examples in Classical and Quantum Physics

3.4.1 (1): Newtonian Mechanics with Different Standards of Rest

3.4.2 (2): Position-Momentum Duality in Elementary Quantum Mechanics

3.5 An Implication about Theoretical Equivalence

3.5.1 A Warning about Jargon

3.5.2 The Implication: For Logical Equivalence

3.5.3 The Implication: For Weaker Notions of Equivalence

3.6 Envoi

4: From Quantum Entanglement to Spatiotemporal Distance

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Constructing the Metric from Entanglement Entropy in the AdS/CFT Context

4.3 The Entanglement Entropy-Distance Link Beyond AdS/CFT: Area Laws

4.4 From Correspondence to Emergence?.

4.5 Gluing with Entanglement?

4.6 Back to Ryu-Takayanagi and Black Hole Thermodynamics

4.7 No Support for Emergence

4.8 Conclusion

5: Taking Up Superspace: The Spacetime Setting for Supersymmetric Field Theory

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Arriving at Spacetime Structure

5.2.1 Earman's Principle

5.2.1.1 Earman on Absolute Objects

5.2.1.2 Spacetime Symmetries from External Symmetries

5.2.2 The Geometrical Approach

5.2.3 The Dynamical Approach

5.2.4 Spacetime Functionalism

5.2.5 How to Do Things with Spacetime

5.3 Supersymmetric Field Theory and Superspace

5.3.1 What Is Supersymmetry?

5.3.2 Supernumbers and Superspace

5.3.2.1 Supernumbers

5.3.2.2 Superspace

5.4 On the Spatiotemporality of Superspace

5.4.1 The Three Approaches to Spacetime

5.4.1.1 Earman's Principle

5.4.1.2 The Dynamical Approach

5.4.1.3 Spacetime Functionalism

5.4.2 Chronometry in Superspace

5.4.2.1 What Is It to Be Spatial?

5.5 Conclusion

6: Thinking about Spacetime

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 The Problem of Empirical Coherence

6.1.2 Realist and Antirealist Solutions

6.2 Spacetime Antirealism

6.2.1 Transparent vs. Non-Transparent Concepts

6.2.2 Phenomenal Realizer Functionalism

6.2.3 Theoretical Realizer Functionalism

6.3 Spacetime Realism

6.3.1 Role Spacetime Functionalism

6.3.2 Grounded or Caused?

6.4 Conclusion

7: Finding Space in a Non-Spatial World

7.1 The Two Images

7.2 Primitivism and Functionalism about Color

7.3 Primitivism and Functionalism about Space

7.4 Spatial Functionalism and Explanatory Gaps

7.5 What Is the Space Role?

7.6 Virtual Reality and Cartesian Skepticism

7.7 Spatial Functionalism and Spacetime Functionalism

7.8 The Emergence of Spacetime

References.

8: Explanations of and in Time

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Demarcation Criteria

8.3 The Mediation Criterion in Loop Quantum Gravity

8.4 Spacetime Functionalism

8.5 Grounding the Spatiotemporal in the Many-Instant Landscape

8.6 Conclusion

9: Do You See Space? How to Recover the Visible and Tangible Reality of Space (Without Space)

9.1 Introduction

9.1.1 Quantum Gravity

9.2 Part 1

9.2.1 Mach on the Construction of Phenomenological Space

9.2.2 Coordination

9.2.3 Phenomenology

9.2.4 The Upshot

9.3 Part 2

9.3.1 Maudlin's Warning: Stay Away from the Observer

9.3.2 Putting the Observer Back In

9.4 Conclusion

10: The Measurement Problem for Emergent Spacetime in Loop Quantum Gravity

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Rovelli's Relational Quantum Mechanics

10.2.1 What Is a State?

10.2.2 Systems, Interactions, and Processes: Quantum Mechanics

10.2.3 Systems, Interactions, and Processes: Quantum Field Theory

10.3 Loop Quantum Gravity

10.4 The Measurement Problem

10.5 Relational Loop Quantum Gravity

10.6 The Measurement Problem in Relational Loop Quantum Gravity

10.7 Morals of the Story

11: The 'Philosopher's Stone': Physics, Metaphysics, and the Value of a Final Theory

11.1 Introduction

11.2 What Is 'Naturalistic Fundamentality Metaphysics'?

11.3 Theory Change in Metaphysics

11.4 The Problem of Theory Change in Science

11.5 The Problem of Progress in Metaphysics

11.6 Conclusion

12: Problems with the Cosmological Constant Problem

12.1 Introduction: What's the Problem?

12.1.1 Multiple CCPs

12.2 The Steps Required to Accept a CCP

12.2.1 Is the Vacuum Energy Real?

12.2.2 How Much Energy Is in the Vacuum?.

12.2.3 How Should the Vacuum Energy Enter Einstein's Field Equations?

12.2.4 Does Anything Else Act Like Λ?

12.3 Plausibility of Attempted Solutions

12.3.1 't Hooft Naturalness

12.3.2 Violate Equivalence Principle

12.3.3 Statistical Solutions

12.4 Conclusions

Index.

Notes:

This edition also issued in print: 2021.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-258247-X

0-19-187977-0

0-19-258246-1

OCLC:

1263874674