Experience and Special Relativity
Section Sixteen
This section addresses the problem of the empirical basis of the special theory of relativity. However, the real issue, for the philosopher of science, seems to be the comparative evaluation of two sets of theories, (1) Lorentzian theory of electromagnetism + Classical mechanics + Auxiliary hypotheses, and (2) Special Theory of Relativity. This evaluation is based on empirical facts, but also on methodological considerations as well.
The empirical phenomena Einstein specifically refers to are (a) high velocity particles in electro-magnetic fields, and (b) Michelson-Morley experiments for detecting the earth's motion relative to aether.
In a nutshell, Einstein seems to be saying this: Both sets can explain all known empirical facts, but (1) contains extra assumptions which do not follow from electromagnetism, nor from classical mechanics, and hence seem ad hoc; whereas (2) can explain these facts equally well but more directly, with no extra assumptions, and moreover, it has a clear physical meaning.
Last modified, May 7, 2002. (c) Soshichi Uchii
suchii@bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp