Is the Geometric Trinity of Gravity a Genuine Case of Underdetermination?

Abstract It is a striking fact that the theories of the so-called geometric trinity of gravity can model the same gravitational effects with such diverse geometric tools as curvature, torsion, and nonmetricity. Building on Wolf et al. (2024), this contribution clarifies and critiques state-ofthe-art responses to this underdetermination: conventionalism, discriminatory approaches such as Ockhamism and (arguably) functionalism, and reinterpretational common core and overarching approaches. Except for Ockhamism, no realist solution has been convincingly articulated. The future of the metric-affine structure that accommodates the geometric trinity seems to lie not in empirically equivalent reformulations but in heuristics of theory building.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophy of Science
Published
2026-06-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.2026.10230
Primary Topic
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Is the Geometric Trinity of Gravity a Genuine Case of Underdetermination?

Ruward A. Mulder
Philosophy of Science
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
article

Is the Geometric Trinity of Gravity a Genuine Case of Underdetermination?

Ruward A. Mulder
article en

Abstract

Abstract It is a striking fact that the theories of the so-called geometric trinity of gravity can model the same gravitational effects with such diverse geometric tools as curvature, torsion, and nonmetricity. Building on Wolf et al. (2024), this contribution clarifies and critiques state-ofthe-art responses to this underdetermination: conventionalism, discriminatory approaches such as Ockhamism and (arguably) functionalism, and reinterpretational common core and overarching approaches. Except for Ockhamism, no realist solution has been convincingly articulated. The future of the metric-affine structure that accommodates the geometric trinity seems to lie not in empirically equivalent reformulations but in heuristics of theory building.

Philosophy of Science
University of Cambridge (GB)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
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