Abstract
The concepts of space and time, both in regards to Newtonian space + time (non-relativistic theory) and Minkowski’s spacetime (relativistic quantum field theory), remained essentially unchanged during the development of quantum theory. There are, however, several aspects indicating their provisional status. I leave aside the attempts to construct a quantum theory of gravity, given their lack of relevance, as far as they stand today, to the problem I intend to discuss here. Some features of the so-called secondary or covariant theories, such as the string theory, certainly give very interesting indications of a direction consistent with my own point of view. On the other hand, the non-perturbative theory still has to be constructed and the perturbative one is a “background” theory. The non-perturbative canonical theory is not yet sufficiently developed and its overall conceptual structure is far from being clear. It seems peculiar that such a long stasis, nearly a century, occurred because, historically, an ontological correlation between the notions of object and process, on the one hand, and those of space and time, on the other, has always been present. Every time there is a change in the conception of “thing”, it has been accompanied, sooner or later, by a corresponding change in the conception of space and time, or vice versa. It suffices to recall the pressure exerted by the formation of the modern concept of space towards the overcoming of the Aristotelian ontology of substance, during the Renaissance. On the other hand, we have before us a modification of the notion of “ object” within the context of quantum theory, which amounts to a substantial decrease in ontological value.
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Pauri, M. (2000). Leibniz, Kant and the Quantum . In: Agazzi, E., Pauri, M. (eds) The Reality of the Unobservable. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 215. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9391-5_20
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