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Similarity Assessments, Spacetime, and the Gravitational Field: What Does the Metric Tensor Represent in General Relativity?

David, Rey (2012) Similarity Assessments, Spacetime, and the Gravitational Field: What Does the Metric Tensor Represent in General Relativity? In: [2013] Foundations of Physics 2013: The 17th UK and European Meeting on the Foundations of Physics (Munich; 29-31 July 2013).

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    Abstract

    In this paper I explore the dialectics underlying the choice between a geometrical and a field interpretation of the metric tensor gab in general relativity. My aim is to examine the role of a specific type of reasoning process (which I call ‘similarity-based reasoning’) in interpreting gab. In recent years, philosophers of physics have claimed that the problem of choosing between the two interpretations in question is somehow insubstantial. This appearance of insubstantiality, I contend, stems from a basic form of underdetermination that affects the concepts of spacetime and physical field in the context of general relativity.

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    Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
    Keywords: general relativity, metric tensor, similarity-based reasoning
    Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
    General Issues > Structure of Theories
    Conferences and Volumes: [2013] Foundations of Physics 2013: The 17th UK and European Meeting on the Foundations of Physics (Munich; 29-31 July 2013)
    Depositing User: Mr. David Rey
    Date Deposited: 12 Mar 2013 09:00
    Last Modified: 12 Mar 2013 09:00
    Item ID: 9615
    Official URL: http://www.ub.edu/grc_logos/david-rey
    URI: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9615

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