- #246
bobob
Gold Member
- 184
- 106
No, what might be "harful" is not really understanding what you are objecting to. If you assume some ether theory, you have implicitly chosen a spacetime geometry that gives you Newtonian physics, i.e., a central extention to the Galilean group, which actually is more complex than choosing the Poincare group for the spacetime of special relativity. So, not only did you choose a spacetime geometry without realizing it, you are trying to introduce a fictional ether that makes it even more complicated as well as makes unphysical predictions to turn it into the spacetime you did not choose for some weird reason known only to ether advocates. As for unphysical predictions, if there is an ether, there should be pressure waves associated with it, yet none have been observed. Choose the right spacetime from the beginning and avoid all of the problems associated with choosing the wrong one and trying to compensate for choosing incorrectly.AnssiH said:It's well known that Lorentz ether theory is only philosophically different from Special Relativity - Special Relativity did not push any specific interpretation forward strongly. But Minkowski did, and it is harmful that there are so many people professionals alike, who are not clear on the difference between Minkowski and Special Relativity.