Abstract
I discuss the recent claims made by Mario Bunge on the philosophical implications of the discovery of gravitational waves. I think that Bunge is right when he points out that the detection implies the materiality of spacetime, but I reject his identification of spacetime with the gravitational field. I show that Bunge’s analysis of the spacetime inside a hollow sphere is defective, but this in no way affects his main claim.
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Notes
For Bunge, an entity is material if it can change. Material objects, contrary to mere concepts, are changeable and can trigger changes in other objects.
Spacetime is a 4-dimensional entity. This means that in 4-dimensions spacetime does not change. What we call changes are asymmetries in 3D slices of a 4 dimensional object (see Romero 2013). In order to achieve full consistency, Bunge should abandon the last residuum of relationism in his ontology and seriously consider whether ontological realism about spacetime is compatible with another cherished metaphysical doctrine: presentism. I have argued extensively against presentism elsewhere (Romero 2015, 2017).
References
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Acknowledgements
I thank Mario Bunge for stimulating discussions. My research on gravitation is supported by Grant PIP 0338 (CONICET) and Grant AYA2016-76012-C3-1-P (Ministro de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, España).
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Romero, G.E. Mario Bunge on Gravitational Waves and the Reality of Spacetime. Found Sci 23, 405–409 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-017-9529-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-017-9529-8