Priority monism and the emergence of spacetime

Abstract There has been a recent surge of interest in the idea that spacetime is not fundamental. Much of this interest has focused on the implications for physics. There has been less work investigating the implications of spacetime emergence for existing theories in metaphysics. This paper aims to fill this gap by considering the impact of spacetime emergence on priority monism. We argue that one prominent version of priority monism is incompatible with spacetime emergence. We go on to present a solution to this problem, which involves rethinking the nature of concreteness. This leads to a new version of priority monism that is compatible with emergent spacetime.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Synthese
Published
2025-02-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-024-04859-7
Primary Topic
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Priority monism and the emergence of spacetime

Sam Baron, Jessica Pohlmann
Synthese
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
article

Priority monism and the emergence of spacetime

Sam Baron, Jessica Pohlmann
article en

Abstract

Abstract There has been a recent surge of interest in the idea that spacetime is not fundamental. Much of this interest has focused on the implications for physics. There has been less work investigating the implications of spacetime emergence for existing theories in metaphysics. This paper aims to fill this gap by considering the impact of spacetime emergence on priority monism. We argue that one prominent version of priority monism is incompatible with spacetime emergence. We go on to present a solution to this problem, which involves rethinking the nature of concreteness. This leads to a new version of priority monism that is compatible with emergent spacetime.

SyntheseVol. 205(2)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US), The University of Melbourne (AU)
University of Melbourne
Openalex Percentile: Top 98%
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Priority monism and the emergence of spacetime — Sam Baron, Jessica Pohlmann · Synthese (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS