Quote:
Originally Posted by MJA  In the 1905 Einstein paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" he wrote: "The introduction of a 'light ether' will prove to be superfluous, inasmuch as the view to be developed here will not require "a space at absolute rest.' "
I don't believe he discarded the ether, only the absolute measure of it.
MJA |
Ether conception has a very long history, since ancient Greeks. Different ether models had been accepted during the progress of natural philosophy and physics. Many old ether models had been overthrown, just like what happened after the dominance of special relativity. However, once a new theory requires a field/continuum, ether-like conception can be updated. That is what happened to Einstein, over 10 years after SR, he accepted ether for GR. Really many theories, like the GR, need a field/continuum and thus ether-like rather than vacuum-like.
Dear MJA, I cannot catchup your implication to mention Einstein had wrote
"The introduction of a 'light ether' will prove to be superfluous, inasmuch as the view to be developed here will not require 'a space at absolute rest.'
Anyhow, same as the common practises of any thinkers, you should know that a human can change his/her viewpoint after re-think. Despite your quote in 1905, Einstein can update his viewpoint to accept ether in 1920. (And I read a 7th preface to a book Relativity wrote by Einstein himself just a few years before his death that seemingly he still concludes entities of matter-energy extended [as ether-like].) So I agree with what MJA wrote "
I don't believe he discarded the ether, only the absolute measure of it."
Best Regards. Bottomlander
ps. most people can improve their theories except those already finalized by oversimplified assertions like "everything equals". It is too hard to modify into "everything equals except .....in some hierarchies, in some conditions, .....".