Geometry, pregeometry and beyond

Simple item page
dc.creatorMeschini, Diego
dc.creatorLehto, Markku
dc.creatorPiilonen, Johanna
dc.date2004-11-10
dc.date2006-08-10
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T06:38:10Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T06:38:10Z
dc.descriptionThis article explores the overall geometric manner in which human beings make sense of the world around them by means of their physical theories; in particular, in what are nowadays called pregeometric pictures of Nature. In these, the pseudo-Riemannian manifold of general relativity is considered a flawed description of spacetime and it is attempted to replace it by theoretical constructs of a different character, ontologically prior to it. However, despite its claims to the contrary, pregeometry is found to surreptitiously and unavoidably fall prey to the very mode of description it endeavours to evade, as evidenced in its all-pervading geometric understanding of the world. The question remains as to the deeper reasons for this human, geometric predilection--present, as a matter of fact, in all of physics--and as to whether it might need to be superseded in order to achieve the goals that frontier theoretical physics sets itself at the dawn of a new century: a sounder comprehension of the physical meaning of empty spacetime.
dc.description41 pages, Latex. v2: Date added. v3: Main arguments refined, secondary discussions abridged; expands on the published version
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0411053
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0411053
dc.identifierStud.Hist.Philos.Mod.Phys. 36 (2005) 435-464
dc.identifierdoi:10.1016/j.shpsb.2005.01.002
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/100646
dc.subjectGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
dc.titleGeometry, pregeometry and beyond
dc.typetext

Files

Collections

arXiv