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The Fiber Bundle at the Gates of Metaphysics. Challenging Tim Maudlin’s Proposal

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EPSA Philosophy of Science: Amsterdam 2009

Part of the book series: The European Philosophy of Science Association Proceedings ((EPSP,volume 1))

Abstract

In this paper I discuss Tim Maudlin’s attempt (The metaphysics within physics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) to reject the theory of universals based on the interpretation of gauge theories in the fiber bundle framework. The project is novel and assuring, but, I argue, it is vulnerable to several objections stemming from both metaphysics and physics. I complement his project by emphasizing two missing elements: first, a commitment to realism; second, the fundamentality or non-fundamentality of gauge theories.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Callender (2011), French (1998), Hawley (2006), Maudlin (2007), Ladyman et al. (2007), Monton (2008).

  2. 2.

    Maddy (2007), Ladyman et al. (2007).

  3. 3.

    This is a central tenet to several Humean and non-Humean doctrines in analytic metaphysics.

  4. 4.

    Parallel transport is closely related to the connection and implicitly to its covariant derivative.

  5. 5.

    Maudlin (2007, 80).

  6. 6.

    I take fiber bundle as a framework used in gauge theories: it is not a theory, a model, or a mathematical formalism. See (Auyang 1995, Baez and Muniain 1994, Fatibene and Francaviglia 2003, Healey 2001, Healey 2007, Penrose 2005).

  7. 7.

    Maudlin (2007, 96).

  8. 8.

    See “metaphysical holism” and “gauge holism” discussed in the recent comprehensive work (Healey 2007).

  9. 9.

    Earman (2002, 202), Martin (2002).

  10. 10.

    Baez and Muniain (1994, 223)

  11. 11.

    Auyang (1995, 130), but for a different position see (Teller 1997).

  12. 12.

    Wu and Yang (1975, 3856).

  13. 13.

    Healey (2007), Fatibene and Francaviglia (2003).

  14. 14.

    Fatibene and Francaviglia (2003, 23–29, 34).

  15. 15.

    Maudlin (2007, 101–3).

  16. 16.

    Healey (2008)

  17. 17.

    In Hawley, these directions are called “scientific metaphysics” and in Monton, “physics-based metaphysics” (Monton 2008, Hawley 2006).

  18. 18.

    Maudlin (2007, 102).

  19. 19.

    Thanks to Craig Callender for clarifying this point.

  20. 20.

    Whether we live in a configuration space if quantum theory is true is altogether a different question. See recent debates on “wavefunction realism” for example.

  21. 21.

    Sider (2001), Monton (2008).

  22. 22.

    Kripke (1976, 416).

  23. 23.

    Cao (1998).

  24. 24.

    (Leeds, 1999) and Healey (2007, 44).

  25. 25.

    Kolář et al. (1993).

  26. 26.

    Weinstein (1999).

  27. 27.

    The results of A. Pais, J. Coleman, A. McGlinn from the 1960s are referenced in (Cao 1998). See also (Maudlin 1996, Healey, 2007, §3.2)

  28. 28.

    This is a difficult question which any project akin to Maudlin’s needs to address. See a discussion in (Catren 2008, Guay 2008).

  29. 29.

    Fatibene and Francaviglia (2003, 213).

  30. 30.

    Healey (2004), Belot et al. (2009).

  31. 31.

    Baez and Huerta (2010). String Theory, Loop Quantum Gravity and Spin Foam Models all adopt this perspective.

  32. 32.

    Butterfield (2006).

  33. 33.

    Cao (1998, 331).

  34. 34.

    Penrose (2005, ch. 15).

  35. 35.

    Muntean (2008).

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Acknowledgments

I want to thank Craig Callender for valuable ideas about a previous version of this chapter. The 37th meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy (Edmonton, Canada, May 2009) and the second meeting of the European Philosophy of Science Association (Amsterdam, October 2009) were two excellent venues for ideas and criticisms. The Southern California Philosophy of Physics Group (2005–2009) and the workshop Philosophy of Gauge Theory (University of Pittsburgh, April 2009) both played a major role in shaping the present chapter.

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  1. Department of Philosophy and HPS, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ioan Muntean

  2. Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA

    Ioan Muntean

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    Henk W. de Regt

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    Stephan Hartmann

  3. Bristol, BS8 1TB, United Kingdom

    Samir Okasha

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Muntean, I. (2012). The Fiber Bundle at the Gates of Metaphysics. Challenging Tim Maudlin’s Proposal. In: de Regt, H., Hartmann, S., Okasha, S. (eds) EPSA Philosophy of Science: Amsterdam 2009. The European Philosophy of Science Association Proceedings, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2404-4_21

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