  What, if anything, can help us explain the dynamical behavior of matter? One
may be tempted here to appeal to the laws of nature, or to the world's
geometric structure, or even to the smooth topological structure of the
spacetime manifold itself. Some think, however, that the metaphysics involved
in such explanatory strategies is excessively spooky. Indeed, some opt to
reverse the arrow of explanation, putting dynamics first. For instance, one can
use Lewis's Best Systems Analysis (BSA) to view the laws of nature as merely
being codifications of certain patterns in the dynamical behavior of matter.
Similarly, one can use Huggett's Regularity Relationism to achieve an analogous
view of the world's geometric structure. At present, however, there is no such
dynamics-first view of the spacetime manifold itself. This dissertation puts
forward such a view: The spacetime manifold is merely a codification of certain
patterns in the dynamical behavior of matter.
  This dissertation develops powerful mathematical tools for investigating and
negotiating between a wide variety of spacetime settings for a wide range of
spacetime theories. From here, a competition between different spacetime
codifications is invoked analogous to the competition between different
law-like codifications in Lewis's BSA. Whereas the BSA judges law-like
codifications based on their balance of simplicity and strength, spacetime
codifications are to be judged by how well they fit the theory's dynamics and
kinematics.
