Space, Time, and Spacetime : Physical and Philosophical Implications of Minkowski's Unification of Space and Time

Dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime, this volume contains papers, most presented at the Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, that address some of the deepest questions in physics.

I.Minkowski''s Representation of Special Relativity -- Examples of Its Impact on the Twentieth Century Physics.- The Minkowskian Background of Whitehead''s Theory of Gravitation.- The Experimental Verdict on Spacetime from Gravity Probe B.- Rigidity and the Ruler Hypothesis.-Minkowski Space and Quantum Mechanics.- Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.- Ether, the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics.- II: Implications of Minkowski''s Ideas for the Philosophy of Space and Time.- Minkowski''s Proper Time and the Status of the Clock Hypothesis.-Why Spacetime is not a Hidden Cause: A Realist Story.- Structural Explanations in Minkowski Spacetime: Which Account of Models?.-Relativity of Simultaneity and Eternalism: In Defense of the Block Universe.- Minkowski Spacetime and Thermodynamics.-No Presentism in Quantum Gravity.-III. The Impact of Minkowski''s Ideas Beyond the Philosophy of Space and Time.- Spacetime, Phenomenology, and the Picture Theory of Language.- The Fate of Mathematical Place: Objectivity and the Theory of Lived-Space from Husserl to Casey.