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Is There an Alternative to the Block Universe View?

Petkov, Vesselin (2005) Is There an Alternative to the Block Universe View? [Preprint]

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    Abstract

    This paper pursues two aims. First, to show that the block universe view, regarding the universe as a timelessly existing four-dimensional world, is the only one that is consistent with special relativity. Second, to argue that special relativity alone can resolve the debate on whether the world is three-dimensional or four-dimensional. The argument advanced in the paper is that if the world were three-dimensional the kinematic consequences of special relativity and more importantly the experiments confirming them would be impossible.

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    Item Type: Preprint
    Additional Information: Published in: D. Dieks (ed.), The Ontology of Spacetime (Elsevier, Amsterdam 2006); "Philosophy and Foundations of Physics" Series, Volume 1, pp. 207-228.
    Keywords: Block universe, Minkowski spacetime, special relativity, existence
    Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
    Depositing User: Vesselin Petkov
    Date Deposited: 06 Dec 2012 18:30
    Last Modified: 06 Dec 2012 18:30
    Item ID: 9470
    URI: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9470

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