Remarks on the Notions of General Covariance and Background Independence
Abstract
In the first part of this paper I review some of the difficulties that seem to obstruct generally valid definitions of "general covariance" and/or "background independence" The second and more historical part deals with a rather strange argument that Einstein put forward in his 1913 "Entwurf paper" with M. Grossmann to discredit scalar theories of gravity in order to promote general covariance.
- Publication:
-
Lecture Notes in Physics, Berlin Springer Verlag
- Pub Date:
- 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1007/978-3-540-71117-9_6
- arXiv:
- arXiv:gr-qc/0603087
- Bibcode:
- 2007LNP...721..105G
- Keywords:
-
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
- E-Print:
- 26 pages, 3 figures. Contribution to ``An assessment of current paradigms in the physics of fundamental interactions'', edited by I.O. Stamatescu (Springer Verlag, to appear)