Space and Time Ontology: New Models for New Physics

Abstract

Nickel proposes a model for movement – and in general, for change – in which each instant in time (characterized as the set of real numbers) is assigned to one point in a configuration space. As much as this model seems to intuitively fit to our experience, it implies a number of assumptions about the nature of space and time that are interesting to explore. Different perspectives have been developed across History, and it could well be that the next scientific revolution is set in motion by an innovative conception of space and time. One of this alternative perspectives was proposed by Julian Barbour, who has developed a new model of Physics where time does not exist [Barbour, 1999]. This paper reviews not only this concept but also other similarly provocative ideas that might prove useful for improving our understanding of the universe. Prior to this, the relevance of the philosophy of space and time will be briefly outlined and its history reviewed to provide some background for the discussed models. Finally, an approach where space and time are only defined by convention will be considered.