Re: New version of a relativity FAQ


"Daryl McCullough" <stevendaryl3016@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g3tdh70176h@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pmb says...

Tom Roberts wrote on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:18:52 +0200:

Because that theory is, in essence,
geometrical, regardless of whether or not there are other
interpretations of it.

Nope. Even Einstein himself disagreed with that kind of thinking!

What Tom said is correct. General Relativity can be interpreted as
a geometrical theory of gravity. He didn't say that that was the
*only* interpretation, or that it was Einstein's interpretation.

That is not what Tom said. He said *is* in essence geometrical. His later
assertion "regardless of whether or not there are other interpretations of
it." implies that he is saying that there can be no other interpretations.
He is of course wrong. There are more than one interpretations. I believe
that what Einstein said is correct.

Anyway, I wish people would stop invoking Einstein, or Feynman,
or Newton or Maxwell as support for whatever it is that they
are claiming. If Einstein made a good argument in favor of
some claim, then you can quote the argument. But claiming
that Einstein was on your side is dirty pool, in my opinion.
He's not around to confirm that he agrees with you.

You're mistaking fact from view. Theories are constructions of the human
mind and are therefore subject to opinion. When Einstein's theories are
being discussed it is of great importance what a genius like Einstein said.
At least to me. If you don't like quotes then simply don't read them. People
here love to quote Tom and I love to quote Einstein. Big whoop!

But Einstein *did* put it into writing in a letter to Max Abraham. Would you
like me to quote him in that letter? I'll post that later today if so.

Pete


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New version of a relativity FAQ
    ... interpretations of it. ... Even Einstein himself disagreed with that kind of thinking! ... People here love to quote Tom and I love to quote Einstein. ... I do not agree with the idea that general theory relativity is geometerizing ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: New version of a relativity FAQ
    ... Even Einstein himself disagreed with that kind of thinking! ... That is not what Tom said. ... interpretations of it." ... then you can quote the argument. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: New version of a relativity FAQ
    ... Even Einstein himself disagreed with that kind of thinking! ... That is not what Tom said. ... interpretations of it." ... You don't say "regardless of whether or not X" ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: New version of a relativity FAQ
    ... interpretations of it. ... that what Einstein said is correct. ... relativistic mass, the "m" in your equations is rest mass. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Will I go to Hell for this?
    ... This quote was a direct reference to how Einstein felt about how ... It's obvious from this quote how the word "religion" was ... While we're on the subject about misinformation and distortion: ...
    (rec.music.classical.guitar)