The Philosophy behind Quantum Gravity Zinkernagel , Henrik Reductionism Quantum gravity Quantum mechanics Unity of physics 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. 2014-01-21T11:41:05Z 2014-01-21T11:41:05Z 2006 journal article Zinkernagel, H. The Philosophy behind Quantum Gravity. Theoria, 21(3): 295-312 (2006). [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/29897] 0495-4548 2171-679X doi: 10.1387/theoria.522 http://hdl.handle.net/10481/29897 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ open access Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License Universidad del País Vasco