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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 5: Rods, Clocks, Space and Energy in General Relativity

AGPhil 5.5: Hauptvortrag

Mittwoch, 18. März 2015, 17:30–18:15, A 060

The Hole Argument and the Problem of Time — •Karim Thebault — Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, LMU Munich

The canonical formalism of general relativity affords a particularly interesting characterisation of the infamous hole argument. It also provides a natural formalism in which to relate the hole argument to the problem of time in classical and quantum gravity. In this talk I will examine the connection between these two key problems in the foundations of spacetime theory along a number of interrelated lines. First, from a formal perspective, I will consider the extent to which the two problems can and cannot be precisely and distinctly characterised in classical and quantum canonical gravity. Second, from a philosophical perspective, I will consider the ontological implications of various responses to the problems, with a particular focus upon the relationalist/substantivalist debate. Third, from a methodological perspective, I will consider why the respective importance of the problems is differently evaluated by physicists and philosophers. My conclusions shall constitute a call to arms: important issues remain regarding the hole argument and the problem of time; these issues relate to conceptual and formal inadequacies within the representative language of canonical gravity; collaborative work to resolve these inadequacies will be of mutual benefit to both physicists and philosophers.