Book Details

Are space and time fundamental features of our world or might they emerge from something else? The Foundation of Reality brings together metaphysicians and philosophers of physics working on space, time, and fundamentality to address this timely question. Recent developments in the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the understanding of certain approaches to quantum gravity have led philosophers of physics to propose that space and time might be emergent rather than fundamental. But such discussions are often conducted without engagement with those working on fundamentality and related issues in contemporary metaphysics. This book aims to correct this oversight. The diverse contributions to this volume address topics including the nature of fundamentality, the relation of space and time to quantum entanglement, and space and time in theories of quantum gravity. Only through consideration of a range of different approaches to the topic can we hope to get clear on the status of space and time in our contemporary understanding of physical reality.

Introduction, David Glick
The Metaphysics of the Fundamental
1: Fundamentality and Non-Symmetric Relations, Ralf M. Bader
2: Classifying Dependencies, Alastair Wilson
3: Ontic Structuralism and Fundamentality, Matteo Morganti
4: Fundamental and Derived Quantities, J. E. Wolff
5: Privileged-Perspective Realism in the Quantum Multiverse, Nora Berenstain
Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality
6: Super-Humeanism: The Canberra Plan for Physics, Michael Esfeld
7: Space-Time and Quantum Mechanics: A Discussion of Bohm's Fishtank, Jenann Ismael
8: Wave Function Realism in a Relativistic Setting, Alyssa Ney
9: In Defense of the Metaphysics of Entanglement, David Glick & George Darby
Spacetime Theories and Fundamentality
10: On the Independent Emergence of Space-Time, Richard Healey
11: Dualities, Emergence and Fundamentality, Elena Castellani & Sebastian de Haro
12: Space-Time Substantivalism for a Structural Essentialist, Tomasz Bigaj
13: When the Actual World is Not Even Possible, Christian Wüthrich
Bibliography

David Glick is an Honorary Associate in Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He has previously been a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, and a Lecturer at Ithaca College. His research concerns issues at the intersection of the philosophy of science, the philosophy of physics, and metaphysics. His two main areas of interest are: scientific realism and structural realism; and the interpretation and metaphysics of quantum theory. His recent publications include "Against Quantum Indeterminacy" (Thought), "Generalism and the Metaphysics of Ontic Structural Realism" (British Journal for the Philosophy of Science), and "Timelike Entanglement for Delayed-Choice Entanglement Swapping" (Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics).

George Darby is a Teaching Fellow in Philosophy at Oxford Brookes University. He has previously been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, a Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Kent. His research concerns issues at the intersection of logic, the philosophy of physics, and metaphysics. His publications include "Quantum Mechanics and Metaphysical Indeterminacy" (Australasian Journal of Philosophy) and "Relational Holism and Humean Supervenience" (British Journal for the Philosophy of Science).

Anna Marmodoro holds the Chair of Metaphysics at the University of Durham. She is concomitantly a Research Fellow and an Associate Faculty Member of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Her research interests span metaphysics, ancient philosophy, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion. She has published books, edited volume and journal articles in all these areas. Professor Marmodoro has directed a number of collaborative research projects including several early-career as well as senior collaborators, with funding from the European Research Council, the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the Levehurlme Trust, and other national and international funding bodies.

Contributors:

Ralf M. Bader, University of Oxford
Nora Berenstain, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Tomasz Bigaj, University of Warsaw
Elena Castellani, University of Florence
George Darby, Oxford Brookes University
Michael Esfeld, University of Lausanne
David Glick, University of Sydney
Sebastian de Haro, University of Amsterdam
Jennan Ismael, Columbia University
Richard Healey, University of Arizona
Anna Marmodoro, University of Durham/University of Oxford
Matteo Morganti, Roma Tre University
Alyssa Ney, University of California, Davis
Alastair Wilson, University of Birmingham
J. E. Wolff, University of Edinburgh
Christian Wüthrich, University of Geneva