Loop quantum ontology: Spacetime and spin-networks.

It is standardly claimed in loop quantum gravity (LQG) that spacetime both disappears, fundamentally, and emerges from spin-networks in the low energy regime. In this paper, I critically explore these claims and develop a variety of substantival and relational interpretations of LQG for which these claims are false. According to most of the interpretations I consider, including the "received interpretation", it is in fact false that spacetime emerges from spin-networks. In the process of supporting these claims, I also explain why spacetime is thought to be missing from the theory's fundamental ontology and demonstrate how this conclusion depends on our interpretation of the theory. In fact, I will argue that for a variety of interpretations spacetime survives quantization just as the electromagnetic field survives quantization. The upshot of the following analysis is a much needed clarification of the ontology of LQG and how it relates, or fails to relate, to the spacetime of general relativity. • Explicate the formal structure of LQG with an eye towards its ontology. • Explain why spacetime is thought to go missing from the theory's fundamental ontology. • Dispel common misconceptions about the status of the manifold in LQG. • Provide a series of novel and ontologically consistent interpretations of LQG. • Spacetime fails to emerge either because spacetime does not disappear or because there are no spin-networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]