The Structural Foundations of Quantum Gravity
@inproceedings{Rickles2006TheSF, title={The Structural Foundations of Quantum Gravity}, author={Dean Rickles and Steven French and Juha Saatsi}, year={2006} }
1. Quantum Gravity Meets Structuralism: Interweaving Relations in the Foundations of Physics 2. Structural Realism and Quantum Gravity 3. Structure, Individuality, and Quantum Gravity 4. Points, Particles, and Structural Realism 5. Holism and Structuralism in Classical and Quantum GR 6. Time and Structure in Canonical Gravity 7. The Case for Background Independence 8. Quantum Quandaries: A Category-Theoretic Perspective
Figures and Tables from this paper
114 Citations
Quantum pre-geometry models for Quantum Gravity
- Physics
- 2012
In this thesis we review the status of an approach to Quantum Gravity through lattice toy models, Quantum Graphity. In particular, we describe the two toy models introduced in the literature and…
Quantum Gravity: A Dogma of Unification?
- Physics, Philosophy
- 2018
The quest for a theory of quantum gravity is usually understood to be driven by philosophical assumptions external to physics proper. It is suspected that specifically approaches in the context of…
Quantum Structure and Spacetime.
- Philosophy, Physics
- 2016
The aim of this paper is twofold. In the first part, it clarifies the nature of wave function within the framework of the primitive ontology approach to quantum mechanics using the tools of ontic…
Global one-dimensionality conjecture within quantum general relativity
- Physics
- 2010
A simple quantum gravity model, based on a new conjecture within the canonically quantized 3 + 1 general relativity, is presented. The conjecture states that matter fields are functionals of an…
The microscopic dynamics of quantum space as a group field theory
- Physics
- 2011
We provide a rather extended introduction to the group field theory approach to quantum gravity, and the main ideas behind it. We present in some detail the GFT quantization of 3d Riemannian gravity,…
Realism, underdetermination and string theory dualities
- PhilosophySynthese
- 2011
Semantic and epistemic questions relating to the problem of underdetermination of theories by data and the debate on realism concerning scientific theories are discussed.
A perspective on non-commutative quantum gravity
- Mathematics
- 2015
In this paper, we present some of the concepts underlying a program of non-commutative quantum gravity and recall some of the results. This program includes a novel approach to spectral triple…
Quantum Gravity: A Primer for Philosophers
- Physics
- 2008
‘Quantum Gravity’ does not denote any existing theory: the field of quantum gravity is very much a ‘work in progress’. As you will see in this chapter, there are multiple lines of attack each with…
PROGRESS IN QUANTUM FOUNDATIONS
- Physics
- 2012
A review of the current state of affairs in the foundations of quantum meachanics and the attempt to describe quantum mechanics within a larger space of hypothetical theories, with particular emphasis on Categorical Quantum Mechanics.
References
SHOWING 1-10 OF 137 REFERENCES
Loops, knots, gauge theories and quantum gravity
- Physics
- 1996
1. Holonomies and the group of loops 2. Loop coordinates and the extended group of loops 3. The loop representation 4. Maxwell theory 5. Yang-Mills theories 6. Lattice techniques 7. Quantum gravity…
Quantum Mechanics: An Empiricist View
- Philosophy
- 1991
Part 1 Determinism and inderterminism in classical perspective: determinism indeterminism and probability. Part 2 How the phenomena demand quantum theory: the empirical basis of quantum theory new…
New variables for classical and quantum gravity.
- PhysicsPhysical review letters
- 1986
A Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity based on certain spinorial variables is introduced that enables one to imbed the constraint surface in the phase space of Einstein's theory into that of Yang-Mills theory.
What is observable in classical and quantum gravity
- Physics, Philosophy
- 1991
The problem of the identification of the observable quantities in quantum gravity (or in any diffeomorphism invariant quantum theory) is considered. The author recalls Einstein's 'hole argument' on…
Quantum Gravity in 2+1 Dimensions
- Physics
- 1998
1. Why (2+1)-dimensional gravity? 2. Classical general relativity in 2+1 dimensions 3. A field guide to the (2+1)-dimensional spacetimes 4. Geometric structures and Chern-Simons theory 5. Canonical…
TIME AND INTERPRETATIONS OF QUANTUM GRAVITY
- Physics
- 1992
In canonical quantization of gravity, the state functional does not seem to depend on time. This hampers the physical interpretation of quantum gravity. I critically examine ten major attempts to…
Background Independent Quantum Field Theory and the Cosmological Constant Problem
- Physics
- 2004
We introduce the notion of background independent quantum field theory. The distinguishing feature of this theory is that the dynamics can be formulated without recourse to a background metric…
Dimensional Reduction in Quantum Gravity
- Physics
- 1993
The requirement that physical phenomena associated with gravitational collapse should be duly reconciled with the postulates of quantum mechanics implies that at a Planckian scale our world is not…
Emergence of a 4D world from causal quantum gravity.
- PhysicsPhysical review letters
- 2004
Evidence is presented that a macroscopic four-dimensional world emerges from Causal Dynamical Triangulations in four dimensions dynamically, which provides a background-independent definition of the sum over geometries in nonperturbative quantum gravity.
Remodelling Structural Realism: Quantum Physics and the Metaphysics of Structure
- PhilosophySynthese
- 2004
Ladyman's 'metaphysical' or 'ontic' form of structural realism is outlined and it is argued that by reconceptualising objects in structural terms it offers the best hope for the realist in the context of modern physics.