Time, space and Einstein

Our investigations up to this point have not been in vain – they have certainly led us to a deeper understanding of the complexities of the issues we are concerned with – but they have also been inconclusive. Very different accounts of the large-scale structure of time seem both metaphysically viable and compatible with the character of our everyday experience. Space has proved an equally stubborn topic. Substantivalism may be ahead on points in certain respects, but there have been few clear-cut victories. But for those looking for definite answers all is not yet lost. We have yet to consider the impact of more recent scientific developments, and some believe that answers to the questions we have been considering can be found here. Of course, these answers will only concern the space and time of our world, rather than space and time in general, but being so restricted would scarcely reduce their interest.

However, although contemporary science has a great deal to teach us, anyone looking for definitive answers to our questions will be disappointed. Our current best theory of the very small – quantum theory – and our current best theory of the very large – Einstein's general theory of relativity (gtr) – have yet to be reconciled, and there is no consensus among the physicists working in these areas as to what the overall character of theory that synthesizes the two, “quantum gravity”, will be.