PhilSci Archive

Conventionality of Simultaneity and Reality

Petkov, Vesselin (2008) Conventionality of Simultaneity and Reality. [Preprint]

[img]
Preview
 PDF
Download (177Kb) | Preview

    Abstract

    An important epistemological lesson can be learned from the impossibility to determine the one-way velocity of light and the immediate implication that simultaneity is conventional. The vicious circle -- to determine whether two distant events are simultaneous we need to know the one-way velocity of light between them, but to determine the one-way velocity of light we need to know that the two events are simultaneous -- is an indication of the need for a profound change of our view on reality.

    Export/Citation:EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
    Social Networking:
    Share |
    Item Type: Preprint
    Additional Information: To appear in: D. Dieks (ed.), The Ontology of Spacetime II (Elsevier, Amsterdam 2008); "Philosophy and Foundations of Physics" Series, Volume 4, pp. 175-185.
    Keywords: One-way velocity of light, conventionality of simultaneity, spacetime, dimensionality of the world
    Subjects: General Issues > Philosophers of Science
    Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
    Depositing User: Vesselin Petkov
    Date Deposited: 14 Apr 2008
    Last Modified: 07 Oct 2010 11:16
    Item ID: 3986
    URI: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/3986

    Actions (login required)

    		 View Item

    Document Downloads