2025/12/29 by Drew Slawson · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Quantum Mechanics and Applications
paper · doi:10.5281/zenodo.18082436
openalex publication_date 2025/12/29 · openalex created_date 2025/12/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Modern physics almost universally assumes spacetime as the foundational substrate upon which matter, energy, and causality operate. Despite its central role in general relativity, quantum field theory, and cosmology, this assumption has rarely been examined as a logical necessity rather than a pragmatic convenience. In this paper, we critically analyze the historical origins and conceptual status of spacetime primacy and demonstrate that key physical concepts—causality, order, and stability—do not logically require spacetime as a prerequisite. We argue that spacetime may instead emerge from deeper causal organization, reversing the conventional hierarchy in which geometry precedes dynamics. By reframing spacetime as an emergent structure rather than a primitive input, this work offers a unifying perspective on persistent foundational tensions in quantum gravity, cosmology, and entropy. The paper does not propose a specific alternative theory but establishes a clear conceptual basis for causal-first, pre-geometric frameworks, suggesting that many unresolved problems in theoretical physics arise from an unexamined ordering of assumptions rather than missing dynamics.