Out of Nowhere: The emergence of spacetime from causal sets

TL;DR

This chapter explores how spacetime can emerge from causal set theory, highlighting its philosophical implications and providing a conceptual framework within quantum gravity research.

Contribution

It offers a detailed analysis of spacetime emergence in causal set theory, connecting physical models with philosophical considerations.

Findings

Spacetime emergence is deeply intertwined with philosophical issues.

Causal set theory provides a framework for understanding spacetime origins.

The chapter discusses conceptual challenges in quantum gravity.

Abstract

This is a chapter of the planned monograph "Out of Nowhere: The Emergence of Spacetime in Quantum Theories of Gravity", co-authored by Nick Huggett and Christian W\"uthrich and under contract with Oxford University Press. (More information at www.beyondspacetime.net.) This chapter sketches how spacetime emerges in causal set theory and demonstrates how this question is deeply entangled with genuinely philosophical concerns.