Is space-time discrete or continuous? ? An empirical question

Forrest, Peter

doi:10.1007/bf01089732

Cited by 46 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…6 The term is David Lewis', see (Lewis, 1992, p. 20). 7 Such a theory of space is developed in (Forrest, 1995). 8 The terminology is due to Josh Parsons, a defender of the possibility of entension, (Parsons, 2000).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Much Ado About Nothing: A Study of Metaphysical Nihilism

Cameron

2006

Erkenntnis

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This paper is an investigation of metaphysical nihilism: the view that there could have been no contingent or concrete objects. I begin by showing the connections of the nihilistic theses to other philosophical doctrines. I then go on to look at the arguments for and against metaphysical nihilism in the literature and find both to be flawed. In doing so I will look at the nature of abstract objects, the nature of spacetime and mereological simples, the existence of the empty set, the dependence of universals on particulars, and other general questions of ontology.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Much Ado About Nothing: A Study of Metaphysical Nihilism

Cameron

2006

Erkenntnis

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“…They also considered the question of handedness in special relativity. Peter Forrest (1995) has pursued at length the issue whether spacetime is discrete or continuous. various Zeno like-paradoxes and problems arise out of discrete or continuous space; they are considered in work by Forrest, Graham oppy (2006b), andGraham priest (1987).…”

Section: Graham Nerlichmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand (Second Edition)

Oppy¹,

Trakakis²

2014

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“…The small-scale shape of space, just as much as its curvature or its large-scale topology, is an empirical matter, to be decided on the basis of experimental results [9]. The possibilities for the microstructure of space are quite diverse: not just R 3 and Z 3 , but various discrete lattices regular and irregular, non-locally-simply-connected spaces that are so to speak foamy all the way down, and homogeneous but imprecise spaces where, below a certain scale, there is no fact of the matter as to where anything is.…”

Section: The Signature Of the Discrete: Simple Integer Ratios In Daltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrete and Continuous: A Fundamental Dichotomy in Mathematics

Franklin¹

2017

jhummath

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SynopsisThe distinction between the discrete and the continuous lies at the heart of mathematics. Discrete mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, combinatorics, graph theory, cryptography, logic) has a set of concepts, techniques, and application areas largely distinct from continuous mathematics (traditional geometry, calculus, most of functional analysis, differential equations, topology). The interaction between the two -for example in computer models of continuous systems such as fluid flow -is a central issue in the applicable mathematics of the last hundred years. This article explains the distinction and why it has proved to be one of the great organizing themes of mathematics.

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Is space-time discrete or continuous? ? An empirical question

Cited by 46 publications

References 2 publications

Much Ado About Nothing: A Study of Metaphysical Nihilism

Much Ado About Nothing: A Study of Metaphysical Nihilism

A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand (Second Edition)

Discrete and Continuous: A Fundamental Dichotomy in Mathematics

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