Scholars Award: The Structure of Spacetime: A New Approach to the Structure of Space-Time Controversy

研究者将进行哲学分析，以阐明长期存在的、正在进行的关于时空的存在和本质的争论。她将考虑物理学的新结果（如量子引力的不同理论）和形而上学的新见解（例如，与接地的概念有关）。本研究的结果应有助于澄清所涉及的物理理论的本体论承诺，并促进对物理世界基本性质的理解。它将对形而上学（在新的背景下发展接地的概念）、物理哲学（从最近的量子引力工作中得出哲学结论）和科学哲学（通过探索不同科学层次之间的关系）产生深远的影响。它还将引入新的和有用的概念，这些概念将有助于促进物理学家和哲学家之间的互利交流，他们实质上越来越多地参与合作努力。该项目的更广泛意义在于研究者的多学科方法，以及她为解决女性在科学哲学和物理学概念基础领域明显不足的问题所做的努力，这是一个严重的问题。这项研究的结果将在各种多学科期刊和会议上传播，引起哲学家、物理学家和科学史家的注意。所进行的研究将丰富调查员所教授的课程，并加强她对学生，特别是女学生的指导。她将利用自己的影响力来影响她参加的会议的性别平衡，并在她的专业领域培养与年轻女性教师的支持关系。

The investigator will engage in philosophical analysis in order to shed new light on a long-standing, ongoing debate over the existence and the nature of space-time. She will bring into consideration new results from physics (such as different theories of quantum gravity) and new insight from metaphysics (having to do with the notion of grounding, for example). The results of this study should serve to clarify the ontological commitments of the physical theories involved, and to advance understanding of the fundamental nature of the physical world. It will have far-reaching consequences for metaphysics (developing the notion of grounding in new contexts), philosophy of physics (drawing philosophical conclusions from recent work in quantum gravity), and philosophy of science (by exploring the relations between different levels of science). It will also introduce new and useful concepts that will serve to foster mutually beneficial communication between physicists and philosophers, who are substantially and increasingly engaged in collaborative efforts.The broader significance of this project relates to the investigator's multidisciplinary approach and her efforts to address the glaring under-representation of women in the fields of philosophy of science and the conceptual foundations of physics, which is a serious problem. The results of this study will be disseminated in a variety of multidisciplinary journals and conferences that engage the attention of philosophers, physicists, and historians of science. The research undertaken will enrich classes taught by the investigator and enhance her mentoring of students, in particular women students. She will use her influence to affect the gender balance of conferences she attends, and cultivate supportive relationships with junior women faculty in her area of expertise.