Thinking about Space and Time: 100 Years of Applying and Interpreting General Relativity

Beisbart, Claus; Sauer, Tilman; Wüthrich, Christian (eds.) (2020). Thinking about Space and Time: 100 Years of Applying and Interpreting General Relativity. Einstein Studies: Vol. 15. Cham: Springer 10.1007/978-3-030-47782-0

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This volume offers an integrated understanding of how the theory of general relativity gained momentum after Einstein had formulated it in 1915. Chapters focus on the early reception of the theory in physics and philosophy and on the systematic questions that emerged shortly after Einstein's momentous discovery. They are written by physicists, historians of science, and philosophers, and were originally presented at the conference titled Thinking About Space and Time: 100 Years of Applying and Interpreting General Relativity, held at the University of Bern from September 12-14, 2017. By establishing the historical context first, and then moving into more philosophical chapters, this volume will provide readers with a more complete understanding of early applications of general relativity (e.g., to cosmology) and of related philosophical issues. Because the chapters are often cross-disciplinary, they cover a wide variety of topics related to the general theory of relativity. These include:

Heuristics used in the discovery of general relativity
Mach's Principle
The structure of Einstein's theory
Cosmology and the Einstein world
Stability of cosmological models
The metaphysical nature of spacetime
The relationship between spacetime and dynamics
The Geodesic Principle
Symmetries

Thinking About Space and Time will be a valuable resource for historians of science and philosophers who seek a deeper knowledge of the (early and later) uses of general relativity, as well as for physicists and mathematicians interested in exploring the wider historical and philosophical context of Einstein's theory.

Item Type:	Book (Edited Volume)
Division/Institute:	06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Philosophy 06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Philosophy > Theoretical Philosophy
UniBE Contributor:	Beisbart, Claus
Subjects:	100 Philosophy 100 Philosophy > 110 Metaphysics 100 Philosophy > 120 Epistemology 500 Science > 530 Physics 900 History > 990 History of other areas
ISSN:	2381-5833
ISBN:	978-3-030-47781-3
Series:	Einstein Studies
Publisher:	Springer
Funders:	[42] Schweizerischer Nationalfonds
Language:	English
Submitter:	Claus Beisbart
Date Deposited:	21 May 2021 07:53
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 15:50
Publisher DOI:	10.1007/978-3-030-47782-0
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/155333