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READING SEMINAR IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPACETIME

held together with László E. Szabó (course)



Purpose of the course: The aim of the course is to make the students familiar with the philosophical foundations of spacetime theories, such as the principle of relativity, general covariance, absolute vs. relative spacetime structures, spacetime vs. matter, spacetime and causality.

Prerequisites for the course: The course assumes some basic knowledge of differential geometry and the theory of general relativity.

Course schedule:

  1. Michael Friedman: Foundations of Space-Time Theories (PrincetonUniversity Press, 1983), Introduction, Chapter II/1, 2, 3.
  2. Moritz Schlick: Space and Time in Contemporary Physics (Dover Publications, 1920).
  3. John Stachel: "Einstein's search for general covariance, 1912-1915" in: D. Howard and J. Stachel (eds.): Einstein and the History of General Relativity (Birkhauser, Boston, 1980), 63-100.
  4. John D. Norton: "What was Einstein's principle of equivalence", Stud. Hist. Philos. Sci., 16, 203-246 (1980).
  5. John D. Norton: "General covariance and the foundations of general relativity: eight decades of dispute", Rep. Prog. Phys., 56, 791-858 (1993).
  6. R. K. Sachs and H. Wu: General Relativity for Mathematicians (Springer Verlag, 1983), VIII/4, 5.
  7. John Earman and John Norton: "What price space-time substantivalism? The hole story" Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 38, 515-525 (1987).

Further readings:

  1. Tian Yu Cao: Conceptual Developments of 20th Century Field Theories (Cambridge University Press, 1997), Chapter 3, 4, 5.
  2. John Stachel: "Einstein and the rigidly rotating disk" in: A. Held (ed.): General Relativity and Gravitation One Hundred Years after the Birth of Albert Einstein (Plenum, New York, 1980), Vol. 1, 1-15.
  3. John D. Norton: "How Einstein found his field equations, 1912-1915", Hist. Stud. Phys. Sci., 14, 253-316 (1980).
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