Farr, Matt (2011) On A- and B-Theoretic Elements of Branching Spacetimes. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This paper assesses branching spacetime theories in light of metaphysical considerations concerning time. I present the A, B, and C series in terms of the temporal structure they impose on sets of events, and raise problems for two elements of extant branching spacetime theories—McCall’s ‘branch attrition’, and the ‘no backward branching’ feature of Belnap’s ‘branching space-time’—in terms of their respective A- and B-theoretic nature. I argue that McCall’s presentation of branch attrition can only be coherently formulated on a model with at least two temporal dimensions, and that this results in severing the link between branch attrition and the flow of time. I argue that ‘no backward branching’ prohibits Belnap’s theory from capturing the modal content of indeterministic physical theories, and results in it ascribing to the world a time-asymmetric modal structure that lacks physical justification.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Branching time, A series, B series, C series, Branch attrition, Supertime, BST, Indeterminism, Direction of time, Open future | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Determinism/Indeterminism General Issues > Laws of Nature Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Depositing User: | Dr Matt Farr | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 06 Apr 2012 11:55 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 06 Apr 2012 11:55 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 9081 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Determinism/Indeterminism General Issues > Laws of Nature Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Date: | 14 November 2011 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9081 |
Available Versions of this Item
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On A- and B-Theoretic Elements of Branching Spacetimes. (deposited 15 Nov 2011 01:44)
- On A- and B-Theoretic Elements of Branching Spacetimes. (deposited 06 Apr 2012 11:55) [Currently Displayed]
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