Wuthrich, Christian (2018) The emergence of space and time. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Research in quantum gravity strongly suggests that our world in not fundamentally spatiotemporal, but that spacetime may only emerge in some sense from a non-spatiotemporal structure, as this paper illustrates in the case of causal set theory and loop quantum gravity. This would raise philosophical concerns regarding the empirical coherence and general adequacy of theories in quantum gravity. If it can be established, however, that spacetime emerges in the appropriate circumstances and how all its relevant aspects are explained in fundamental non-spatiotemporal terms, then the challenge is fully met. It is argued that a form of spacetime functionalism offers the most promising template for this project.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Wuthrich, Christian christian.wuthrich@unige.ch 0000-0001-8774-6160
Additional Information:	13 pages, 2 figures; written for Sophie Gibb, Robin Finlay Hendry and Tom Lancaster (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Emergence
Keywords:	Spacetime Emergence; Quantum Gravity; Spacetime Functionalism; Causal Set Theory; Loop Quantum Gravity
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Depositing User:	Christian Wuthrich
Date Deposited:	06 Apr 2018 15:30
Last Modified:	06 Apr 2018 15:30
Item ID:	14535
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Date:	2018
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14535

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