Baker, David John (2019) 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; substantivalism; relationism; relativity theory
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	David Baker
Date Deposited:	29 Mar 2019 12:33
Last Modified:	29 Mar 2019 12:33
Item ID:	15860
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	2019
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15860

Available Versions of this Item

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

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