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arXiv · 2509.26450

Diffeomorphism Invariance and Background Independence

Kurniawan Tjandra·Kuldip Singh
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Abstract

This paper answers examines the relationship between Diffeomorphism Invariance and Background Independence. First, a review of the relationship between Background Independence, General Relativity (GR) and pre-GR theories are given. Then, a wide range of other conceptions of background independence is discussed. It is shown that the definition of Background Independence is fluid and can mean different things to different philosophers and/or physicists. Most pertinently, the paper addresses the question of what kind of background independence is implied by a mathematical criterion of diffeomorphism invariance or in what sense is diffeomorphism invariance background independence. Lastly, the concept of haecceity in relation to diffeomorphism invariance is discussed.

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Kurniawan Tjandra, Kuldip Singh. 2025-09-30. Diffeomorphism Invariance and Background Independence. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.26450

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