The Philosophy behind Quantum Gravity
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemAutor
Zinkernagel, HenrikEditorial
Universidad del País Vasco
Materia
Reductionism Quantum gravity Quantum mechanics Unity of physics
Fecha
2006Referencia bibliográfica
Zinkernagel, H. The Philosophy behind Quantum Gravity. Theoria, 21(3): 295-312 (2006). [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/29897]
Patrocinador
Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (project HUM2005-07187-C03-03).Resumen
This paper investigates some of the philosophical and conceptual issues raised by the search for a quantum theory of gravity. It is critically discussed whether such a theory is necessary in the first place, and how much would be accomplished if it is eventually constructed. I argue that the motivations behind, and expectations to, a theory of quantum gravity are entangled with central themes in the philosophy of science, in particular unification, reductionism, and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. I further argue that there are —contrary to claims made on behalf of string theory— no good reasons to think that a quantum theory of gravity, if constructed, will provide a theory of everything, that is, a fundamental theory from which all physics in principle can be derived.