Moderate Ontic Structural Realism about the Nature of Spacetime: Monistic and Dualistic Approaches

Roczniki Filozoficzne 74 (2):151-183 (2026)
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Abstract

The position of moderate ontic structural realism, presenting a version of spacetime structuralism, runs into several problems. One of them is how to discern spacetime points. This was demonstrated in an argument presented by Christian Wüthrich. In defending their position, proponents of moderate ontic structural realism utilize a sort of monistic interpretation of their structuralism. I argue that this interpretation generates further complications. I make a case for a dualistic version of moderate ontic structural realism with respect to the nature of spacetime. I show how this version is less problematic than the other forms of the position discussed.

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References found in this work

Every thing must go: metaphysics naturalized.James Ladyman & Don Ross - 2007 - New York: Oxford University Press. Edited by Don Ross, David Spurrett & John G. Collier.
Every Thing Must Go: Metaphysics Naturalized.James Ladyman & Don Ross - 2007 - In James Ladyman & Don Ross, Every thing must go: metaphysics naturalized. New York: Oxford University Press.
What is structural realism?James Ladyman - 1998 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 29 (3):409–424.
Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time.Tim Maudlin - 2012 - Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Symmetric Dependence.Elizabeth Barnes - 2018 - In Ricki Bliss & Graham Priest, Reality and its Structure: Essays in Fundamentality. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 50-69.

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