Does Special Relativity Change Our Perception of Others?

[EclogiteFacies]

I think the crux of my issue is

Does Special relativity mean that my notion of other people is not the same as their notions of themselves?
If so what would this mean to me it's terrifying as if my friends notion of themselves almost doesn't exist for me.

This from what's been said seems to be a misinterpretation. But I want confirmation

 

[vanhees71]

Well, that's true even in the non-relativistic context: How somethink looks depends on the direction I look at it.

 

[EclogiteFacies]

Well, that's true even in the non-relativistic context: How somethink looks depends on the direction I look at it.

But surely it's different... Like if I am moving relative to I literally have a different iteration of you. Sure when we meet up our reference frames agree but until then..

Am I still overcomplicating

 

[vanhees71]

I still don't understand what's disturbing you. Of course, taking into account the finite speed of light, things look different from what we are used to when moving at speeds relative to objects that are close to the speed of light, but that's simply, because usually we don't move with speeds relative to objects on Earth that are close to the speed of light.

 

[EclogiteFacies]

I still don't understand what's disturbing you. Of course, taking into account the finite speed of light, things look different from what we are used to when moving at speeds relative to objects that are close to the speed of light, but that's simply, because usually we don't move with speeds relative to objects on Earth that are close to the speed of light.

Like so my summary in post 25 is just me completely not getting it?

 

[martinbn]

I think the crux of my issue is

Does Special relativity mean that my notion of other people is not the same as their notions of themselves?
If so what would this mean to me it's terrifying as if my friends notion of themselves almost doesn't exist for me.

This from what's been said seems to be a misinterpretation. But I want confirmation

What do you mean by "notion of other people"? Where does special relativity say anything about that?

 

[jbriggs444]

But surely it's different... Like if I am moving relative to I literally have a different iteration of you. Sure when we meet up our reference frames agree but until then..

Am I still overcomplicating

So your mental picture of me is a particular three dimensional slice of my world-tube. Which slice that is changes over time. Similar for my picture of you.

No big deal. Both of our perspectives are incomplete. Neither of us sees the entire world-tube of the other. What we see is always just some aspect of a past cross-section.

Like looking at a rapidly changing series of pictures and audio recording of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Except that we extrapolate forward to an imagined present and each expect that the other is alive in the illusory "now".

 

[EclogiteFacies]

So your mental picture of me is a particular three dimensional slice of my world-tube. Which slice that is changes over time. Similar for my picture of you.

No big deal. Both of our perspectives are incomplete. Neither of us sees the entire world-tube of the other. What we see is always just some aspect of a past cross-section.

Like looking at a rapidly changing series of pictures and audio recording of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Except that we extrapolate forward to an imagined present and each expect that the other is alive in the illusory "now".

So what does this mean for relationships and other people for me

 

[martinbn]

So what does this mean for relationships and other people for me

Are you taking the pi$$!

 

[EclogiteFacies]

Are you taking the pi$$!

Genuinely no. I think that it must mean that your reference frame is incompatible with the iteration of you that exists in my reference frame
This sounds like there are almost multiple versions of you.

Surely this means we can't really ever exist alongside eachother from our own points of view. The universe is chopped up into weird segments that won't gel

 

[russ_watters]

So what does this mean for relationships and other people for me

Nothing. If that is indeed a serious question, then you should discuss it with a psychologist, not a physicist. Physics is not about emption/human relationships. This thread has gone beyond physics, so it is now closed.

 

[jbriggs444]

Genuinely no. I think that it must mean that your reference frame is incompatible with the iteration of you that exists in my reference frame
This sounds like there are almost multiple versions of you.

Surely this means we can't really ever exist alongside eachother from our own points of view. The universe is chopped up into weird segments that won't gel

We get on phone calls and video teleconferences without needing to get panicked over lag.

 

[Dale]

Does Special relativity mean that my notion of other people is not the same as their notions of themselves?

Your notion of other people is definitely not the same as their notion of themselves. This has nothing to do with relativity. You never know what is in the mind of another person, even if you are at rest with respect to them. Relativity has no impact on this. None whatsoever for any human relationship ever in history. It is simply not the source of this issue.

Your physics questions are fine. Please continue posting your physics questions. Please stop posting your angst. Your anxiety is not relevant to the physics. We are not psychiatrists or psychologists so we cannot help your emotional state.