• DOI:10.1093/bjps/axv040
• Corpus ID: 17354616

What Becomes of a Causal Set?

@article{Wthrich2015WhatBO,
  title={What Becomes of a Causal Set?},
  author={Christian W{\"u}thrich and Craig Callender},
  journal={The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science},
  year={2015},
  volume={68},
  pages={907 - 925}
}

• C. Wüthrich, C. Callender
• Published 30 January 2015
• Philosophy
• The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

Unlike the relativity theory it seeks to replace, causal set theory (CST) has been interpreted to leave space for a substantive, though perhaps ‘localized’, form of ‘becoming’. The possibility of fundamental becoming is nourished by the fact that the analogue of Stein’s theorem from special relativity does not hold in CST. Despite this, we find that in many ways, the debate concerning becoming parallels the well-rehearsed lines it follows in the domain of relativity. We present, however, some new twists and challenges. In particular, we show that a novel and exotic notion of becoming is compatible with causal sets. In contrast to the localized becoming considered compatible with the dynamics of CST by its advocates, our novel kind of becoming, while not answering to the typical A-theoretic demands, is global and objective. 1 Introduction 2 The Basics of Causal Set Theory 3 Facing the Same Dilemma? 4 Taking Growth Seriously 5 Conclusion 1 Introduction 2 The Basics of Causal Set Theory 3 Facing the Same Dilemma? 4 Taking Growth Seriously 5 Conclusion