An axiomatic foundation of relativistic spacetime.

An ab-initio foundation for relativistic spacetime is given, which is a conservative extension of Zermelo's set theory with urelemente. Primitive entities are worldlines rather than spacetime points. Spacetime points are sets of intersecting worldlines. By the proper axioms, they form a manifold. En...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Synthese Vol. 192; no. 7; pp. 2009 - 2025
Autor principal: Benda, Thomas
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Jul2015
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:An ab-initio foundation for relativistic spacetime is given, which is a conservative extension of Zermelo's set theory with urelemente. Primitive entities are worldlines rather than spacetime points. Spacetime points are sets of intersecting worldlines. By the proper axioms, they form a manifold. Entities known in differential geometry, up to a metric, are defined and have the usual properties. A set-realistic point of view is adopted. The intended ontology is a set-theoretical hierarchy with a broad base of the empty set and urelemente. Sets generated from the empty set are mathematically interpreted, all other sets are physically interpreted.