An astonishing thesis in the philosophy of quantum gravity is that spacetime ”disappears” at the fundamental level of reality, and that the geometrical notions of ”length” and ”duration” are derived from the dynamics of the basic non–geometrical building blocks of the theory. Unveiling here the analysis of the concepts of spacetime, measure, and magnitude, given by the philosopher Nicolai Hartmann, I argue that the ”disappearance” thesis is too strong. The fundamental geometrical notions are, on the contrary, primitive and cannot be derived from the fundamental building blocks; they must be presupposed ab initio not only for epistemological, but also for methodological reasons.
The philosophy of quantum gravity - lessons from Nicolai Hartmann
PINNA, SIMONLUCA
2015-01-01
Abstract
An astonishing thesis in the philosophy of quantum gravity is that spacetime ”disappears” at the fundamental level of reality, and that the geometrical notions of ”length” and ”duration” are derived from the dynamics of the basic non–geometrical building blocks of the theory. Unveiling here the analysis of the concepts of spacetime, measure, and magnitude, given by the philosopher Nicolai Hartmann, I argue that the ”disappearance” thesis is too strong. The fundamental geometrical notions are, on the contrary, primitive and cannot be derived from the fundamental building blocks; they must be presupposed ab initio not only for epistemological, but also for methodological reasons.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.