Incubating a future metaphysics: quantum gravity

This Year's Nobel Prize (2022) in Physics for Entanglement and Quantum Information: the New Revolution in Quantum Mechanics and Science

“…Furthermore, the pathway to quantum gravity by the mediation of information or quantum information is often traced (as in the present paper) by more or less philosophical considerations or arguments (e.g. Norton 2020;Marletto, Vedral 2017;Torromé, Letizia, Liberati 2015;Vassallo, Esfeld 2014;Amelino-Camelia 2013;Slowik 2013;Liberati, Maccione 2011;Smolin 2011;Major 2010;Rosen 2008;Sudarsky 2007;Weinfurtner, Liberati, Visser 2006;O'Hara 2005;Srikanth 2001;Prugovečki 1996;De Sabbata, Sivaram, Borzeszkowski, Treder 1991;Sibelius 1989;Rayski 1982;Rosen 1982;Neumann 1978;Boulware, Deser 1975;Reuse 1974).…”

An apology for conflicts between metaphysics and science in naturalized metaphysics

“…In this sense, the present proposal could be regarded as adding another function of a priori metaphysics to French and McKenzie's (2012) toolbox-approach to metaphysics, where the methods and frameworks developed within traditional a priori metaphysics are appreciated for their usefulness as tools that the naturalized metaphysicians can employ for various purposes in their scientifically informed and constrained metaphysics (for further discussion, see French & McKenzie (2016), Ross (2016), Le Barton (2018), andFrench (2018)). 24 Though presenting it somewhat differently, Norton (2020Norton ( , 1966 offers four historical examples where science came into conflict with firmly held metaphysical beliefs and how these conflicts lead to what he describes as "conceptual revolutions". In our terms, these conflicts, as documented by Norton, were used as heuristics for the development of new naturalized metaphysics.…”

“…In our terms, these conflicts, as documented by Norton, were used as heuristics for the development of new naturalized metaphysics. Norton (2020Norton ( , 1971 also accounts how non-spatial theories of quantum gravity suggest a reconfiguration of the distinction between concrete and abstract objects which might be seen as yet another example where a conflict between metaphysics and quantum gravity drives important developments in metaphysics.…”

“…When asking this question with respects to quantum gravity, we might be seen as followingNorton's (2020) suggestion that "metaphysicians ought to utilize quantum theories of gravity[…] as incubators for a future metaphysics" (p. 1).…”

Is the abstract vs concrete distinction exhaustive & exclusive? Four reasons to be suspicious

“…It is popular enough thatJuvshik (2020, p. 271) goes so far as to say that it is 'by far the standard view' of the abstract vs concrete distinction.6 This second option is liable to be unfamiliar to some readers; for recent entry points into the idea and its philosophical implications, see Baron (2021),Norton (2020) andOriti (2021).…”