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Vectors on Curved Space

Peter Forrest

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this paper I provide an ontology for the co-variant vectors, contra-variant vectors and tensors that are familiar from General Relativity. This ontology is developed in response to a problem that Timothy Maudlin uses to argue against universals in the interpretation of physics. The problem is that if vector quantities are universals then there should be a way of identifying the same vector quantity at two different places, but there is no absolute identification of vector quantities, merely a path-relative one. My solution to the problem is to use the mathematical characterization of vectors as differential operators on scalar fields. On the proposed hypothesis a scalar field is a conjunctive state of affairs, and vector and tensor fields are relations instantiated by scalar fields.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)441-451
JournalDialectica
Volume63
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Keywords

  • Metaphysics

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