Knox, Eleanor (2024) Philosophy of Spacetime Physics. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The study of space and time is a natural meeting point for philosophy and physics. Although one could start the story earlier (space, time and motion were a major consideration in, for example, Aristotelian physics), this article starts with Newton and the birth of modern physics, and works its way through to the nature of space and time in our hitherto unestablished theory of quantum gravity. Although the theories themselves differ considerably, the considerations on which our understanding of spacetime is based will remain
remarkably connected. Unifying themes emerge: the symmetry group of the dynamics is crucial to our understanding of spacetime structure (although understanding that symmetry group is not always straightforward). Understanding this requires thought about the role of reference frames and coordinate systems. Perhaps more surprisingly, understanding inter-theoretic relations is also crucial to understanding spacetime structure.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Knox, Eleanor eleanor.knox@kcl.ac.uk
Keywords:	spacetime
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Depositing User:	Dr Eleanor Knox
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2024 15:33
Last Modified:	03 Aug 2024 15:33
Item ID:	23759
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Date:	2 August 2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23759

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