Does general relativity highlight necessary connections in nature
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10812545 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Antonio Vassallo (0000-0002-1846-5362, Warsaw University of Technology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 199 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 4929-4951 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Synthese (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0039-7857 • E-ISSN: 1573-0964 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11229-020-03009-z |
| OpenAlex | W3119500747 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 45 |
The dynamics of general relativity is encoded in a set of ten differential equations, the so-called Einstein field equations . It is usually believed that Einstein’s equations represent a physical law describing the coupling of spacetime with material fields. However, just six of these equations actually describe the coupling mechanism: the remaining four represent a set of differential relations known as Bianchi identities . The paper discusses the physical role that the Bianchi identities play in general relativity, and investigates whether these identities— qua part of a physical law—highlight some kind of a posteriori necessity in a Kripkean sense. The inquiry shows that general relativistic physics has an interesting bearing on the debate about the metaphysics of the laws of nature
Classical mechanics · Einstein · Epistemology · Four-force · General relativity · Metaphysics · Philosophy of science · Physical law · Physics · Principle of relativity · Quantum mechanics · Spacetime · Theoretical physics · Theory of relativity · Cosmology and Gravitation Theories · Philosophy · Quantum Mechanics and Applications · Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Laws in Nature
Laws and Symmetry
General Relativity
What is a Law of Nature?
A better best system account of lawhood
Naming and Necessity
Causality and Properties
The nature of natural laws
Causal and Metaphysical Necessity
Looking for laws
On geometric objects, the non-existence of a gravitational stress-energy tensor, and the uniqueness of the Einstein field equation
Leibnizian relationalism for general relativistic physics
Energy Conservation in GTR
Laws and Lawlessness
Causation and Universals
Contact with the Nomic
Mass–Energy–Momentum
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |