Einstein’s Theory of Relativity- Paradigms in Science and Paradigm shift

 Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

Smith, Peter Godfrey. Theory and Reality: an Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Ralte, Rodinmawia. The Interface of Science and Religion: An Introductory Study. New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2017.

Hawking, Stephen. A Brief History of Time. New York: Bantam Books, 1992.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

shook the foundations of physics with the introduction of his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, and his General Theory of Relativity in 1915 was the recognition that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant and an absolute the physical boundary for motion. The theory of relativity states that objects will move slower and shorten in length from the point of view of an observer on Earth. Einstein also derived the famous equation, E = mc2, which reveals the equivalence of mass and energy.

Theory of Relativity – The Basics

Physicists usually, dichotomize the Theory of Relativity into two parts. 

The first is the Special Theory of Relativity, which essentially deals with the question of whether rest and motion are relative or absolute, and with the consequences of Einstein’s conjecture that they are relative. 

The second is the General Theory of Relativity, which primarily applies to particles as they accelerate, particularly due to gravitation, and acts as a radical revision of Newton’s theory, predicting important new results for fast-moving and/or very massive bodies. The General Theory of Relativity correctly reproduces all validated predictions of Newton’s theory, but expands on our understanding of some of the key principles. Newtonian physics had previously hypothesized that gravity-operated through empty space, but the theory lacked explanatory power as far as how the distance and mass of a given object could be transmitted through space. 

Theory of Relativity is full of mathematical calculations, very difficult to explain to the common people. For instance, in the theory of relativity one finds the phrases like ‘curved space’, ‘four dimensions’ and ‘finite universe’. The terms are to some extent familiar, but the exact meaning is difficult to make out. When Einstein was asked to explain his theory of relativity, he answered amusingly; “Put your hand over a hot stove for a minute that seems like an hour, sit beside a beautiful woman for an hour that would seem like a minute. That is Relativity.”

In 1915 to produce his general theory of relativity, Einstein showed that space and matter act on one another so as to deform space itself: space tells matter how to move, and matter tells space how to curve. In Einstein’s non-Euclidian world of diverging and intersecting parallel lines, the shortest path from one point to another in the presence of a gravitational field can become a curved line. Thus gravity is said to “bend light”. 

Theory of relativity denies that there is such thing as a unique right frame of space because all frames of space are relative. They can only be defined relative to one specific observer. Likewise, magnetic fields are also relative, time can dilate, it is not absolute. Mass is energy and energy has mass- the property which gives matter its characteristic solidity, that is, its mass is simply energy. Thus energy becomes the ultimate material of the universe. General Theory of Relativity shows us that space is not three-dimensional and time is not a separate entity either. Time and Space are connected to form fourth dimensional: space-time. With the theory of relativity, absolute space and time, unchanging and infinite universe lost their meaning and they are replaced by dynamic space and time, and finite universe. Even Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose concluded that Einstein’s general theory of relativity implied that the universe must have a beginning and possibly an end. 

Theory of Relativity and Faith

Hugh Ross a pastor/astronomer with the faith-and-science group says, "It's that Theory of General Relativity that predicts there's a beginning to the universe. Until Albert Einstein's theory came along, astronomers and physicists thought the universe was infinitely old," "The Theory of General Relativity now said, 'No, it's finite in time. It has a beginning,' which implies there must be a Beginner who was responsible for bringing the universe into existence." 

With the theory of relativity absolute space and time, the unchanging and infinite universe lost their meaning and they are replaced by dynamics space and time, and finite universe. Thus, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose concluded that Einstein’s general theory of relativity implied that the universe must have a beginning and possibly an end. This implies that the biblical eschatological dimension which is the major focus of the New Testament teaching for the Christian hope that the world will end and Jesus will come back to rule the world and every knees will bow down and take back all those who believe in him to be with him forever. 

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The Interface of Science and Religion   

An introduction to the interface of science and religion. It includes a wide range of subjects related to science and religion, such as, scientific explanations of the universe, scientific discoveries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; theories on the origin of the universe; philosophy and sociology of science with the highlights on the contributions of some of the philosophers and sociologists of science. At the end, it presents the whole crux of the topic with a discussion on the theological responses to science and religion dialogue.

A Brief History of TIme

Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is about the theoretical physics. The book provide a wide scope of a complex concepts comprehensible to people who had not studied physics in a very simple terms and understandable. It is an introduction to cosmology aimed at the layman and addresses fundamental questions such as “How did the world come to be?” and “Will it come to an end?”. The book uses minimal technical jargon and mathematical knowledge to explain how the notions of gravity, relativity, black holes have developed over the twentieth century. The book was addictive despite being a slightly difficult read as, once you understand an idea, you want to understand how it relates to other topics of the book.

Theory and Reality: an Introduction to the Philosophy of Science.

In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of more than a hundred years of debate about science. The result is a completely accessible introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science. Examples and asides engage the beginning student, a glossary of terms explains key concepts, and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter. 

Like no other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow. The second edition is thoroughly updated and expanded by the author with a new chapter on truth, simplicity, and models in science.