Merriam, Paul and Habeeb, M. A. Z. (2025) Resolving Paradoxes Through Presentist Fragmentalism: Eight Key Thought Experiments. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Einstein's special and general relativity emerged from his systematic analysis of three seminal thought experiments: chasing a light beam, the train-platform scenario, and the equivalence principle. Following this tradition of using Gedankenexperiments as core theoretical tools, we examine eight fundamental thought experiments through the lens of Presentist Fragmentalism - a framework positing that reality consists of fragments with independent A-series temporal flows connected by B-series relations. Our analysis spans both relativistic scenarios (Einstein's train) and quantum phenomena (EPR correlations, delayed choice eraser, Schrodinger’s Cat), demonstrating how this interpretation naturally resolves apparent paradoxes without sacrificing causality or introducing faster-than-light signaling. The framework's success in systematically resolving these diverse thought experiments, while preserving both relativistic and quantum principles, suggests it captures fundamental features of physical reality. Just as Einstein's resolution of three key paradoxes led to relativity, we argue that the consistent resolution of these eight Gedankenexperiments provides compelling support for Presentist Fragmentalism as a unified framework for understanding quantum and relativistic phenomena.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | 9 pages | |||||||||
| Keywords: | Gedankenexperiment, Presentist Fragmentalism, Einstein’s Train, Schrodinger’s Cat | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > History of Philosophy General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Depositing User: | Paul Merriam | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 06 Feb 2025 14:37 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 06 Feb 2025 14:37 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 24688 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > History of Philosophy General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Date: | 5 February 2025 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24688 |
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