söndag 16 februari 2014

Einstein's Relativity Theory as Formalistic Absolutism without Relativity

Einstein in the middle forcing all physicists at the Solvay conference 1927 to agree on a common universal standard of using the Lorentz transformation of special relativity. Everybody but Schrödinger above Einstein and Lorentz to the left agreed. Today you have to follow the Lorentz transformation standard if you aspire to get an academic job as physicist.

There are two main approaches to both philosophy, mathematics and physics (and other areas):

Constructivism - intuitionism - realism:
  • existence of real world independent of human hand and mind (stars, dinosaurs)
  • existence of real world constructed by human hand and mind (cars, computers)
  • existence of image of real world created by human hand and mind (math models, computer programs).

Formalism: idealism: 
  • existence of sign - image created by human hand and mind (math models) 
  • relation between sign - image and (real) world magical.  
Einstein was an extreme formalist with an obsession for coordinate systems as formal systems for keeping track of points in space and time used by humans. There are many possible coordinate systems, which are all relative to each other and thus creates a mess of different views like the mess created by different religions or different political opinions.

Being an extreme formalist, Einstein developed both the special and general theory of relativity in a mission to bring order into the mess of relative coordinate systems by forming a universal standard forcing all observers using different coordinate systems to agree. The Lorentz transformation as foundation of the special theory, is thus a dictate to be followed when making observations using different inertial coordinate systems. Many Worlds - One Observer.

Einstein's principle of relativity is an ultimate expression of formalism:
Newton's equations take the same form in all inertial systems connected by Galilean coordinate transformations. Maxwell's equations take the same form in all inertial coordinate systems connected by Lorentz transformations, but not by Galilean transformations. Einstein dictated that Maxwell's equations under Lorentz transformations should be the universal norm, and thereby declared Newton's laws as being outside the law of physics, while begging: Newton, forgive me!

Einstein's relativity theory dictates a universal standard of form, like forming a universal religion forcing everybody to formally confess to the same god, or all people in Europe to formally support the idea of the European Union (to pay tax), or use a gold standard for money,  and thus paradoxically contradicts relativity.

For a constructivist, Einstein's dictated unification program would serve no purpose. Different people would be allowed to construct different images and have different gods and only a minimal coordination based on practical needs, would be called for, like a system of different floating currencies. The real World would be One, but there would be many different views depending on observer position. One World - Many Observers.

In this sense a constructivist is a true relativist, or democrat, while Einstein's relativity theory would rather reflect the opposite of absolutism (Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer).  This aspect is developed in more detail in Many-Minds Relativity.

For a constructivist, the choice of coordinate system is a matter of convenience and does not hide any secrets of physics. For a formalist like Einstein, coordination of observations in different coordinate systems is of paramount importance with the goal of defining a universal standard, and the physisc is secondary if not nil.

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