0 Se p 20 04 GEOMETRODYNAMICS : SPACETIME OR SPACE ?

The work in this thesis concerns the split of Einstein field equations (EFE’s) with respect to nowhere-null hypersurfaces, the GR Cauchy and Initial Value problems (CP and IVP), the Canonical formulation of GR and its interpretation, and the Foundations of Relativity. I address Wheeler’s question about the why of the form of the GR Hamiltonian constraint “from plausible first principles”. I consider Hojman–Kuchar–Teitelboim’s spacetime-based first principles, and especially the new 3-space approach (TSA) first principles studied by Barbour, Foster, Ó Murchadha and myself. The latter are relational, and assume less structure, but from these Dirac’s procedure picks out GR as one of a few consistent possibilities. The alternative possibilities are Strong gravity theories and some new Conformal theories. The latter have privileged slicings similar to the maximal and constant mean curvature slicings of the Conformal IVP method. The plausibility of the TSA first principles are tested by coupling to fundamental matter. Yang–Mills theory works. I criticize the original form of the TSA since I find that tacit assumptions remain and Dirac fields are not permitted. However, comparison with Kuchař’s hypersurface formalism allows me to argue that all the known fundamental matter fields can be incorporated into the TSA. The spacetime picture appears to possess more kinematics than strictly necessary for building Lagrangians for physically-realized fundamental matter fields. I debate whether space may be regarded as primary rather than spacetime. The emergence (or not) of the Special Relativity Principles and 4-d General Covariance in the various TSA alternatives is investigated, as is the Equivalence Principle, and the Problem of Time in Quantum Gravity. Further results concern Elimination versus Conformal IVP methods, the badness of the timelike split of the EFE’s, and reinterpreting Embeddings and Braneworlds guided by CP and IVP knowledge.