Space, Time, and Spacetime Physical and Philosophical Implications of Minkowski's Unification of Space and Time

This volume is dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime. It contains selected papers by physicists and philosophers on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime. The first six papers, comprising Part I of the book, provide examples of the impact of Minkowski's spacetime representation of special relativity on the twentieth century physics. Part II also contains six papers which deal with implications of Minkowski's ideas for the philosophy of space and time. The last part is represented by two papers which explore the influence of Minkowski's ideas beyond the philosophy of space and time.

Minkowski’s Representation of Special Relativity – Examples of Its Impact on the Twentieth Century Physics.- The Minkowskian Background of Whitehead’s Theory of Gravitation.- The Experimental Verdict on Spacetime from Gravity Probe B.- Rigidity and the Ruler Hypothesis.- Minkowski Space and Quantum Mechanics.- Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.- Ether, the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics.- Implications of Minkowski’s Ideas for the Philosophy of Space and Time.- Minkowski’s Proper Time and the Status of the Clock Hypothesis.- Why Spacetime Is Not a Hidden Cause: A Realist Story.- Structural Explanations in Minkowski Spacetime: Which Account of Models?.- Relativity of Simultaneity and Eternalism: In Defense of the Block Universe.- Minkowski Space-Time and Thermodynamics.- No Presentism in Quantum Gravity.- The Impact of Minkowski’s Ideas Beyond the Philosophy of Space and Time.- Space-Time, Phenomenology, and the Picture Theory of Language.- The Fate of Mathematical Place: Objectivity and the Theory of Lived-Space from Husserl to Casey.

Vesselin Petkov received a graduate degree in physics from Sofia University, a doctorate in philosophy from the Institute for Philosophical Research of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and a doctorate in physics from Concordia University. He taught at Sofia University and is currently teaching at Concordia University. He wrote the book "Relativity and the Nature of Spacetime" (Springer 2005) and edited the books "Relativity and the Dimensionality of the World" (Springer 2007), and "Minkowski Spacetime: A Hundred Years Later" (Springer, forthcoming). He is a member of the Governing Board of the International Society for the Advanced Study of Spacetime