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While the relation between visualization and scientific understanding hasbeen a topic of long-standing discussion, recent developments in physics havepushed the boundaries of this debate to new and still unexplored realms. For itis claimed that, in certain theories of quantum gravity, spacetime'disappears': and this suggests that one may have sensible physical theories inwhich spacetime is completely absent. This makes the philosophical questionwhether such theories are intelligible, even more pressing. And if suchtheories are intelligible, the question then is how they manage to do so. Inthis paper, we adapt the contextual theory of scientific understanding,developed by one of us, to fit the novel challenges posed by physical theorieswithout spacetime. We construe understanding as a matter of skill rather thanjust knowledge. The appeal is thus to understanding, rather than explanation,because we will be concerned with the tools that scientists have at theirdisposal for understanding these theories. Our central thesis is that suchphysical theories can provide scientific understanding, and that suchunderstanding does not require spacetimes of any sort. Our argument consists offour consecutive steps: (a) We argue, from the general theory of scientificunderstanding, that although visualization is an oft-used tool forunderstanding, it is not a necessary condition for it; (b) we criticise certainmetaphysical preconceptions which can stand in the way of recognising howintelligibility without spacetime can be had; (c) we catalogue tools forrendering theories without a spacetime intelligible; and (d) we give examplesof cases in which understanding is attained without a spacetime, and explainwhat kind of understanding these examples provide.

A Precipice Below Which Lies Absurdity? Theories without a Spacetime and Scientific Understanding