Maresca, Enrico (2025) Fundamentality and Disappearance of Spacetime: The Case of Quantum Gravity. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Numerous theories of quantum gravity (QG) postulate non-spatiotemporal structures to describe physics at or beyond the Planck energy scale. This stands in stark contrast to the spatiotemporal framework provided by general relativity, which remains remarkably successful in low-energy regimes. The resulting tension gives rise to the so-called disappearance of spacetime (DST): the removal of spatiotemporal structures from the fundamental ontology of a theory and the corresponding challenge of reconciling this with the general relativistic picture. In this paper, I classify different instances of DST and highlight the necessary trade-off between theory-specific features and general patterns across QG approaches. I argue that a precise formulation of the DST requires prior clarification of the relevant conception of fundamentality. In particular, I distinguish two forms of disappearance, corresponding to intra-theoretic and inter-theoretic fundamentality relations. I argue that intra-theoretic analyses can yield meaningful results into the DST in QG only when supported by further justificatory arguments. To substantiate my claim, I examine the relationship between string theory, noncommutative geometry, and special relativity.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Maresca, Enrico enrico.maresca@phd.unipi.it 0009-0006-5138-2530
Keywords:	Quantum gravity, Spacetime, Fundamentality, Disappearance of spacetime
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory General Issues > Structure of Theories
Depositing User:	Mr Enrico Maresca
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2025 14:07
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2025 14:07
Item ID:	25959
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory General Issues > Structure of Theories
Date:	2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25959

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