Changes

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and others promoted the theory of relativity.  Contrary to public perception, the theory of relativity had nothing to do with the development of the atom bomb or any other technology.  Only one Nobel Prize (in 1993) has ever been given that relates to relativity, and the validity of that particular award is questionable.  Many things predicted by the theory of relativity, such as gravitons, have never been found despite expensive government projects (like “LIGO”<ref>http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/</ref>) that search for them.  Many observed phenomenon attributed to the theory of relativity, such as the bending of light passing near the sun or the advance of the perihelion in the orbit of Mercury, can be also predicted by Newton’s theory.  The theory of relativity conflicts with quantum mechanics, and Einstein himself never accepted quantum mechanics.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and others promoted the theory of relativity.  Contrary to public perception, the theory of relativity had nothing to do with the development of the atom bomb or any other technology.  Only one Nobel Prize (in 1993) has ever been given that relates to relativity, and the validity of that particular award is questionable.  Many things predicted by the theory of relativity, such as gravitons, have never been found despite expensive government projects (like “LIGO”<ref>http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/</ref>) that search for them.  Many observed phenomenon attributed to the theory of relativity, such as the bending of light passing near the sun or the advance of the perihelion in the orbit of Mercury, can be also predicted by Newton’s theory.  The theory of relativity conflicts with quantum mechanics, and Einstein himself never accepted quantum mechanics.

British Historian Paul Johnson declares the turning point in 20th century to have been when fellow Brit Sir Arthur Eddington, the top English astronomer, ventured out on a boat off Africa in 1919 to try to prove the theory of relativity.  The theory of relativity predicts twice the bending of light around massive objects compared to Newton’s theory, and an eclipse is required to darken the sun so that the starlight may be seen in proximity to the sun.  Eddington liked publicity and probably dreamed of winning a Nobel Prize, and upon his return to England declared that his observations proven the theory of relativity by observing the bending of starlight around the sun during a total eclipse.  That was good enough for reporters and historians, but the Nobel committee was not impressed and declined to give him an award.  Recent analysis of Eddington’s work revealed that he was biased in selecting his data, and that overall his data was inconclusive about the theory of relativity.   

British Historian Paul Johnson declares the turning point in 20th century to have been when fellow Brit Sir Arthur Eddington, the top English astronomer, ventured out on a boat off Africa in 1919 to try to prove the theory of relativity.  The theory of relativity predicts twice the bending of light around massive objects compared to Newton’s theory, and an eclipse is required to darken the sun so that the starlight may be seen in proximity to the sun.  Eddington liked publicity and probably dreamed of winning a Nobel Prize, and upon his return to England declared that his observations proved the theory of relativity by observing the bending of starlight around the sun during a total eclipse.  That was good enough for reporters and historians, but the Nobel committee was not impressed and declined to give him an award.  Recent analysis of Eddington’s work revealed that he was biased in selecting his data, and that overall his data was inconclusive about the theory of relativity.   

Eddington then promoted the theory of relativity to the public in his Mathematical Theory of Relativity (1923).  As the title suggests, this theory was more a mathematical vision of how the universe should be, rather than what it actually was.  When a reporter asked Eddington whether only three people even understood the theory, Eddington comically replied, “Who’s the third?”  Later Eddington opposed a theory about massive stars known as white dwarfs put forth by Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, but Eddington was proven wrong and Chandrasekhar later won a Nobel Prize for his work.  Eddington finally lost all credibility when he first insisted that a physical constant (the fine structure constant) measured to be close to 1/136 must precisely equal 1/136 to make the math easier, but when later measurements suggested a value closer to 1/137 Eddington insisted that it must precisely equal to 1/137 instead.  He was wrong both times.  When World War II threatened the future of England, Eddington was a conscious objector and refused to participate.

Eddington then promoted the theory of relativity to the public in his book entitled the ''Mathematical Theory of Relativity'' (1923).  As the title suggests, this theory was more a mathematical vision of how the universe should be, rather than what it actually was.  When a reporter asked Eddington whether only three people even understood the theory, Eddington comically replied, “Who’s the third?”  Later Eddington opposed a theory about massive stars known as white dwarfs put forth by Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, but Eddington was proven wrong and Chandrasekhar won a Nobel Prize for his work.  Eddington finally lost all credibility when he first insisted that a physical constant (the fine structure constant) measured to be close to 1/136 must precisely equal 1/136 to make the math easier, but when later measurements suggested a value closer to 1/137 Eddington insisted that it must precisely equal to 1/137 instead.  He was wrong both times.  When World War II threatened the future of England, Eddington was a conscious objector and refused to participate.

   

   

Just as “social Darwinism” arose from Darwinism, many seized upon the theory of relativity to apply it in a vague way to morality and social issues.  “All things are relative” became popular as atheists and others used relativity to attack Christian values.  As a law student, Barack Obama was given credit by a liberal professor in an article claiming that the theory of relativity could support a right to abortion.  There remains enormous political support for the theory of relativity that has nothing to do with physics, and Congress continues to spend billions of dollars unsuccessfully searching for particles predicted by the theory of relativity.

Just as “social Darwinism” arose from Darwinism, many seized upon the theory of relativity to apply it in a vague way to morality and social issues.  “All things are relative” became popular as atheists and others used relativity to attack Christian values.  As a law student, Barack Obama was given credit by a liberal professor in an article claiming that the theory of relativity could support a right to abortion.  There remains enormous political support for the theory of relativity that has nothing to do with physics, and Congress continues to spend billions of dollars unsuccessfully searching for particles predicted by the theory of relativity.