Beyond Spacetime: The Foundations of Quantum Gravity

by Nick Huggett (Editor), Keizo Matsubara (Editor), Christian Wüthrich (Editor)

Overview

One of the greatest challenges in fundamental physics is to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity in a theory of quantum gravity. A successful theory would have profound consequences for our understanding of space, time, and matter. This collection of essays written by eminent physicists and philosophers discusses these consequences and examines the most important conceptual questions among philosophers and physicists in their search for a quantum theory of gravity. Comprising three parts, the book explores the emergence of classical spacetime, the nature of time, and important questions of the interpretation, metaphysics, and epistemology of quantum gravity. These essays will appeal to both physicists and philosophers of science working on problems in foundational physics, specifically that of quantum gravity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108477024
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/14/2020
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 9.96(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Nick Huggett is LAS Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He has worked in the field of the philosophy of quantum gravity for over twenty years. He is co-editor of Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale (Cambridge, 2001) and is Co-Director of the 'Beyond Spacetime' research project, funded by NSF, Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi), John Templeton Foundation, and American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

Keizo Matsubara is an Affiliated Researcher at Uppsala University. His philosophical work primarily addresses string theory. He has held postdoctoral positions at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University, and the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Christian Wüthrich is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Université de Genève. He works in philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, and metaphysics. Starting with his doctoral research, the primary focus of his research has long been the philosophy of quantum gravity. He is Co-Director of the 'Beyond Spacetime' research project, funded by NSF, Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi), John Templeton Foundation, and American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction Nick Huggett, Keizo Matsubara and Christian Wüthrich; Part I. Spacetime Emergence: 2. The Bronstein hypercube of quantum gravity Daniele Oriti; 3. Emergence of time in loop quantum gravity Suddhasattwa Brahma; 4. Beyond standard inflationary cosmology Robert H. Brandenberger; 5. What black holes have taught us about quantum gravity Daniel Harlow; Part II. Time in Quantum Theories of Gravity: 6. Space and time in loop quantum gravity Carlo Rovelli; 7. Being and becoming on the road to quantum gravity, or, the birth of a baby is not a baby Fay Dowker, Allan A. Smith, Ben B. Jones and Carol C. Smith; 8. Temporal relationalism Lee Smolin; 9. Back to parmenides Henrique Gomes; Part III. Issues of Interpretation: 10. Why black hole information loss is paradoxical David Wallace; 11. Chronic incompleteness, final theory claims, and the lack of free parameters in string theory Richard Dawid; 12. Spacetime and physical equivalence Sebastian De Haro; 13. On the empirical consequences of the AdS/CFT duality Radin Dardashti, Richard Dawid, Sean Gryb and Karim Thébault; 14. Extending Lewisian modal metaphysics from a specific quantum gravity perspective Tiziana Vistarini; 15. What can (mathematical) categories tell us about spacetime? Ko Sanders; Index.