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The Geometry of Conventionality

Weatherall, James Owen and Manchak, John Byron (2013) The Geometry of Conventionality. [Preprint]

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    Abstract

    Hans Reichenbach famously argued that the geometry of spacetime is conventional in relativity theory, in the sense that one can freely choose the spacetime metric so long as one is willing to postulate a "universal force field". Here we make precise a sense in which the field Reichenbach defines fails to be a "force". We then argue that there is an interesting and perhaps tenable sense in which geometry is conventional in classical spacetimes. We conclude with a no-go result showing that the variety of conventionalism available in classical spacetimes does not extend to relativistic spacetimes.

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    Item Type: Preprint
    Additional Information: This version correct a serious typo in the previous draft.
    Keywords: Reichenbach, conventionality of geometry, general relativity, Newton-Cartan theory, geometrized Newtonian gravitation
    Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
    General Issues > Conventionalism
    General Issues > Logical Positivism/Logical Empiricism
    General Issues > Philosophers of Science
    Specific Sciences > Physics
    Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
    Depositing User: James Owen Weatherall
    Date Deposited: 20 Feb 2013 08:32
    Last Modified: 08 Aug 2013 04:26
    Item ID: 9577
    URI: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9577

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