Baker, David John (2018) On Spacetime Functionalism. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Eleanor Knox has argued that our concept of spacetime applies to whichever structure plays a certain functional role in the laws (the role of determining local inertial structure). I raise two complications for this approach. First, our spacetime concept seems to have the structure of a cluster concept, which means that Knox's inertial criteria for spacetime cannot succeed with complete generality. Second, the notion of metaphysical fundamentality may feature in the spacetime concept, in which case spacetime functionalism may be uninformative in the absence of answers to fundamental metaphysical questions like the substantivalist/relationist debate.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Baker, David John djbaker@umich.edu
Keywords:	spacetime functionalism, substantivalism, relationism
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	David Baker
Date Deposited:	28 Feb 2018 17:01
Last Modified:	28 Feb 2018 17:01
Item ID:	14301
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	2018
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14301

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• On Spacetime Functionalism. (deposited 28 Feb 2018 17:01) [Currently Displayed]
  • On Spacetime Functionalism. (deposited 29 Mar 2019 12:33)

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