Philosophy Beyond Spacetime
Unknown authors
Abstract
The present volume collects essays on the philosophical foundations of quantum theories of gravity, such as loop quantum gravity and string theory. Central for philosophical concerns is quantum gravity's suggestion that space and time, or spacetime, may not exist fundamentally, but instead be a derivative entity emerging from non-spatiotemporal degrees of freedom. In the spirit of naturalized metaphysics, contributions to this volume consider the philosophical implications of this suggestion. In turn, philosophical methods and insights are brought to bear on the foundations of quantum gravity itself. For instance, the idea of functionalism, borrowed from the philosophy of mind and discussed by several chapters, exemplifies this mutual interaction the collection seeks to foster. The chapters of this collection cover three main subjects: first, the potential emergence of spacetime in various approaches to quantum gravity; second, metaphysical and epistemological considerations concerning the nature of this relation of emergence; and third, broader methodological aspects of the philosophy of quantum gravity.