Einstein's Obsession: Coordinates

Einstein has become the icon of modern physics, with ever new confirmations that "Einstein was right". 

Einstein's main idea was to replace ontology of "what is" by epistemology of "how to record/what to say" with focus on the role of coordinate system or standards of measuring space and time for the description of physical reality. Einstein elevated this idea to Principle of Relativity stating that physical laws must take the same form (be invariant) under all admissible coordinate transformations, as a dictate.  

This was very different from the classical idea that physical laws (in general) take different forms in different coordinate systems, while expressing the same physical reality of "what is". The dictate appeared to give Einstein the capability to discover laws of physics by analysing standards of measuring space and time, which resulted in his Special Theory of Relativity SR in 1905 and General Theory of Relativity GR in 1915. 

In SR the according to Einstein admissible coordinate transformation boils down to the Lorentz transformation which disqualifies Newton's 2nd Law, and in GR Newton's Law of Gravitation is replaced by a geometric property of coordinates of "curved space-time".

Einstein thus challenged Newton on formalistic grounds, which was not welcomed by physicists used to prefer ontology/physics before epistemology/meta-physics. After Einstein passed away in 1955, the opinion gradually shifted to the god-like stature today under the banner "Einstein was right, Newton was wrong". 

But the skepticism during Einstein's lifetime was well founded and comes to expression in the "crisis of  modern physics" witnessed by so many today. A return to "Newton was right" with physics focussed on "what is" may open to recovery and new discovery. Many-Minds Relativity follows this line of thought. Try it!

Nature/physics does not care about coordinate systems.The World has to go around even if physicists are not measuring the progress, at least this is what you as a physicist focussed on ”what is” would say, unless you would rather prefer to think like Einstein…and not be too self-critical…