Binkoski, James (2019) Geometry, Fields, and Spacetime. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 70 (4). pp. 1097-1117. ISSN 1464-3537
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Abstract
I present an argument against a relational theory of spacetime that regards spacetime as a 'structural quality of the field'. The argument takes the form of a trilemma. To make the argument, I focus on relativistic worlds in which there exist just two fields, an electromagnetic field and a gravitational field. Then there are three options: either spacetime is a structural quality of each field separately, both fields together, or one field but not the other. I argue that the first option founders on a problem of geometric coordination and that the second and third options collapse into substantivalism. In particular, on the third option it becomes clear that the relationalist's path to Leibniz equivalence is no simpler or more straightforward than the substantivalist's.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Spacetime, Relationalism, Fields, Relativity | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Depositing User: | James Binkoski | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 13 Dec 2024 15:28 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 13 Dec 2024 15:28 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 24387 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | British Journal for the Philosophy of Science | ||||||
| Publisher: | University of Chicago | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1093/bjps... | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axy002 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Date: | December 2019 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 1097-1117 | ||||||
| Volume: | 70 | ||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 1464-3537 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24387 |
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