Title
What would Kepler say to Einstein?
Description
Transcript of a lecture given on November 5, 2021 by William Donahue as part of the Dean's Lecture and Concert Series. The Dean's Office provided this description of the event: "Einstein once wrote that there is little value, other than the satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, in studying scientific works of the past. Kepler would not agree, and were he alive today he would criticize Einstein for repeating errors of early science. This lecture
will begin by exploring some of Kepler’s views on past failures, and then will apply Kepler’s criticism to Einstein’s views, especially his rejection of the ether. The inquiry will then consider the alternative account proposed by H. A. Lorentz, showing how the
contraction of bodies at high velocities was deduced from Maxwell’s electrodynamics without abandoning the ether. The lecture then concludes by considering remarks of more recent physicists, most notably John Bell, on the possibility of reviving the ether to solve the local reality problem in quantum physics."
will begin by exploring some of Kepler’s views on past failures, and then will apply Kepler’s criticism to Einstein’s views, especially his rejection of the ether. The inquiry will then consider the alternative account proposed by H. A. Lorentz, showing how the
contraction of bodies at high velocities was deduced from Maxwell’s electrodynamics without abandoning the ether. The lecture then concludes by considering remarks of more recent physicists, most notably John Bell, on the possibility of reviving the ether to solve the local reality problem in quantum physics."
Creator
Publisher
Coverage
Santa Fe, NM
Date
2021-11-05
Rights
Meem Library has been given permission to make this item available online.
Type
text
Format
pdf
Subject
Language
English
Identifier
SF_DonahueW_What_would_Kepler_say_to_Einstein_2021-11-05
Original Format
Word doc
Page numeration
19 pages