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2001: A Relativistic Spacetime Odyssey


524pp    Jan 2003

  • ISBN: 978-981-238-089-0 (hardcover)
  • ISBN: 978-981-4487-98-6 (ebook)
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2001: A Relativistic Spacetime Odyssey

Experiments and Theoretical Viewpoints on General Relativity and Quantum Gravity

Proceedings of the 25th Johns Hopkins Workshop on Current Problems in Particle Theory
Firenze, Italy, 3 – 5 September 2001

Edited by: Ignazio Ciufolini (Universitá di Lecce, Italy), Daniele Dominici (Università di Firenze, Italy), Luca Lusanna (INFN-Firenze, Italy)

JOHN STACHEL (2003) A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPACE-TIME. 2001: A Relativistic Spacetime Odyssey: pp. 15-34.
https://doi.org/10.1142/9789812791368_0002

I. Foundations and classical General Relativity

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPACE-TIME

  • MY TITLE IS GIVEN, OF COURSE, IN HUMOROUS HOMAGE TO STEVEN HAWKING'S BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. THOSE LOOKING FOR AN ACTUAL BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONCEPT ARE REFERRED TO STACHEL 1999B(* * * * *)CITE.
    • JOHN STACHEL
    Department of Physics and Center for Einstein Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA

    A brief survey of the space-time structures used in theoretical physics from Newton to Einstein is followed by a discussion of the ways in which the space-time structure of general relativity differs radically from that of all previous theories by virtue of its dynamization of chrono-geometry and the consequent loss of any possibility of a kinematical coordinatization of the points of space-time. After a discussion of the extent to which these features of general relativity can be generalized and extended to any future fundamental theory, a principle of general permutation invariance is proposed and used to evaluate some current attempts to develop a theory of quantum gravity.