Huggett, Nick (2018) Spacetime 'Emergence'. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Could spacetime be derived rather than fundamental? The question is pressing because attempts to quantize gravity have led to theories in which (arguably) there are either no, or only extremely thin, spacetime structures. Moreover, recent proposals for the interpretation of quantum mechanics have suggested that 3-dimensional space may be an ‘appearance’ derived from the 3N-dimensional space in which an N-particle wavefunction lives (cross- reference). In fact, I will largely assume a positive answer, and investigate how it could be; in particular, I want to explicate the role of philosophy in producing a satisfactory explanation of spacetime, providing a roadmap for philosophical engagement with quantum gravity.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Huggett, Nick huggett@uic.edu 0000-0002-5699-5479
Additional Information:	To appear in Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics, edited by Eleanor Knox and Alastair Wilson.
Keywords:	quantum gravity, explanation, emergence, reduction, spacetime, Kuhn, Descartes, Newton
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity General Issues > Reductionism/Holism General Issues > Theory Change
Depositing User:	Nick Huggett
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2018 20:38
Last Modified:	13 Dec 2018 20:38
Item ID:	15440
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity General Issues > Reductionism/Holism General Issues > Theory Change
Date:	12 December 2018
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15440

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