Article ID: CBB686526622

Counterfactuals in the Initial Value Formulation of General Relativity (2021)

unapi

How precisely to understand and evaluate counterfactuals can be an intricate issue. The aim of this article is to examine a new set of difficulties for evaluating counterfactuals that arise in the context of the dynamical spacetimes described by the theory of general relativity (GR). The initial value formulation provides us with a methodology to pin down the specific combination of features of the theory at the origin of the difficulties, namely, non-linearity and certain non-local aspects (typically captured by ellipticity at the analytical level), in particular when combined with the global and/or quasi-local character of physical quantities in GR. Finally, we connect the philosophical question about counterfactuals with concrete applied physical issues in GR about extracting meaningful predictions by constructing appropriate initial data sets, leading us to question the very suitability of the Cauchy approach to fully account for the explanatory power of the theory.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB686526622/

Similar Citations

Book Govert Schilling; (2017)
Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy (/isis/citation/CBB583090654/)

Article Lam, Vincent; Esfeld, Michael; (2012)
The Structural Metaphysics of Quantum Theory and General Relativity (/isis/citation/CBB001252364/)

Book Tavel, Morton; (2002)
Contemporary Physics and the Limits of Knowledge (/isis/citation/CBB000201565/)

Article Afriat, Alexander; Caccese, Ermenegildo; (2010)
The Relativity of Inertia and Reality of Nothing (/isis/citation/CBB001024197/)

Book Ron Cowen; (2019)
Gravity’s Century: From Einstein’s Eclipse to Images of Black Holes (/isis/citation/CBB699668949/)

Book Dean Rickles; (2020)
Covered with Deep Mist: The Development of Quantum Gravity (/isis/citation/CBB843401824/)

Article Weart, Spencer; (2006)
Trend-spotting: Physics in 1931 and Today (/isis/citation/CBB001221274/)

Chapter Robert DiSalle; (2014)
Poincaré on the Construction of Space-Time (/isis/citation/CBB279934786/)

Chapter Pietro Di Mauro; Angelo Pagano; (2017)
Criticism of the “vectoralists” Burali-Forti and Boggio to General Relativity (/isis/citation/CBB966141907/)

Article Pesic, Peter; (2013)
Helmholtz, Riemann, and the Sirens: Sound, Color, and the “Problem of Space” (/isis/citation/CBB001320409/)

Chapter Mauro Stenico; (2015)
Mundus est fabula: la cosmologia e i grandi interrogativi (/isis/citation/CBB234454455/)

Article French, Steven; (2008)
Genuine Possibilities in the Scientific Past and How to Spot Them (/isis/citation/CBB000850418/)

Book Reichenbach, Hans; Gimbel, Steven; Walz, Anke; (2006)
Defending Einstein: Hans Reichenbach's Writings on Space, Time, and Motion (/isis/citation/CBB000930976/)

Article Diederik Aerts; Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi; Sandro Sozzo; Tomas Veloz; (2020)
On the Conceptuality Interpretation of Quantum and Relativity Theories (/isis/citation/CBB847601811/)

Article Mermin, N. David; (2011)
Understanding Einstein's 1905 Derivation of E=mc2 (/isis/citation/CBB001024236/)

Article Enrico Cinti; Vincenzo Fano; (2021)
Careful with those scissors, Eugene! Against the observational indistinguishability of spacetimes (/isis/citation/CBB952356420/)

Article Mike D. Schneider; (2022)
Betting on Future Physics (/isis/citation/CBB517395815/)

Book Callender, Craig; Huggett, Nick; (2001)
Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale: Contemporary Theories in Quantum Gravity (/isis/citation/CBB000102413/)

Authors & Contributors
Stenico, Mauro
Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi
Polak, Paweł
Enrico Cinti
Veloz, Tomas
Schilling, Govert
Concepts
Physics
Philosophy of science
Relativity, general
Space and time
Quantum mechanics
Explanation; hypotheses; theories
Time Periods
20th century
20th century, early
21st century
19th century
20th century, late
Places
Cracow (Poland)
Ukraine
United States
Poland
Italy
Germany
Institutions
Uniwersytet Lwowski (Lwów, Poland)
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment