Can we "effectivize'' spacetime?
Abstract
According to \textit{effective realism}, scientific theories give us knowledge about the unobservable world, but not at the fundamental level. This view is justified by the well-received \textit{effective-field-theory} (EFT) approach to physics, according to which our best physical theories are only applicable up to a certain energy scale and expected to break down beyond that. In this paper, I explain the motivations for the EFT approach and effective realism and their benefits. I also raise new challenges for this approach. Applying effective realism to \textit{effective quantum gravity} (EQG) reveals its shortcomings: EQG does not give us a realistic theory of spacetime even within its scope of validity. It also exposes a general interpretative dilemma faced by all EFTs concerning their indispensable references to classical spacetime beyond their scope of validity.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2309.04054,
title = {Can we "effectivize'' spacetime?},
author = {Lu Chen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2309.04054},
year = {2023}
}