1978/11/01 by Paul Horwich · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Mathematics · #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #History and Theory of Mathematics
paper · doi:10.2307/2214497
In the context of contemporary physics an analogous issue has arisen concerning the existence of space-time. These problems have troubled philosophers for at least 2000 years-but they are far from merely philosophers' puzzles. The leading scientists of their day-Aristotle, Newton and Einstein, to name the most illustrious-have taken them very seriously and have supposed them to bear substantially upon physical theory. One of my purposes here is to evaluate this presumed relevance to physics of the dispute between Absolutism and Relativism. To begin, let me mention some of the considerations which are important in this controversy, and which will be discussed in the following sections. Many of these were first developed in the famous 17th century correspondence between Leibniz and Clarke (who was writing on behalf of Newton, and in consultation with him). And no study of space and