The Singular Case of Spacetime Singularities in Quantum Gravity.

Spacetime singularities are expected to disappear in quantum gravity. Singularity resolution prima facie supports the view that spacetime singularities are mathematical pathologies of general relativity. However, this conclusion might be premature. Spacetime singularities are more accurately underst...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of Science Vol. 92; no. 5; pp. 1302 - 1314
Main Author: Pedroni, Marta
Format: Article
Published: Cambridge University Press Dec2025
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Spacetime singularities are expected to disappear in quantum gravity. Singularity resolution prima facie supports the view that spacetime singularities are mathematical pathologies of general relativity. However, this conclusion might be premature. Spacetime singularities are more accurately understood as global properties of spacetime rather than things. Therefore, if spacetime emerges in quantum gravity—as it is often claimed—then so may its singular structure. Although this proposal is intriguing, the attempt to uphold that spacetime singularities may be emergent fails. I provide three arguments in support of this claim, drawing on different views of spacetime emergence.