• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.144
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• pp.235-256
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• 2017

This essay considers Leibniz-Clark correspondence on the nature of space and hole argument. The ontology of space had been debated under the name of substantivalism-relationism controversy. The debates between the two parties are concerned with the nature of existence of parts of space-time. Substantivalism claims that the point of space-time has existence analogous to that of material substance. Relationism argues that space-time should be understood as the framework of possible spatio-temporal relations between bodies. Although these two approaches attempt to respect theoretical context, it seems that the problems of these two interpretive schemes stems from the lack of understanding of the structure of space-time theories, especially how space-time is connected with the laws of motion. In order to appreciate the substance-relation controversy without deviating from the context of space-time theories, it is necessary then to capture how space-time theories are constituted. This essay offers the clear connection of ontology of space-time with present practices of theoretical physicists.