Many simpler and more logical explanations exist, based on Newtonian and Keplerian maths to explain how planets interact. Relativity provides an endless sequence of absurd confusions.
This all calls to mind an apologetic I once read about the Catholic Church’s treatment of Galileo. The historical fact is that Galileo was not convicted of heresy by the Church for teaching heliocentrism. He was punished for 1) Claiming scientific proof of heliocentrism where there was none, and 2) including a cartoon in his textbook portraying the pope as a clown. The same cast of characters who suppressed reasonable rebuttals of STR and GTR also used the Church’s alleged persecution of Galileo to hammer their detractors.
For brilliantly crafted words of wisdom deployed on the front lines of Substack, lock and load with the intellectual ammo Dr. FS3 so generously supplies from his armory.
There are no brainless frontal assaults here—only precision strikes and masterfully devised battle plans that hit the enemy where it hurts, earning his troops some well-deserved R&R in the officers’ mess.
Thanks. Interesting and informative. I ordered the 1931 book you mention. A hundred or more years ago the emergent high church of positive science needed an obscure language to mystify and awe the faithful, just as Latin had done for the catholic church since the decline and fall of Rome. Einsteinian goobledegookism was the very thing. Nobody could understand a word of it. Nobody could prove it was false. It could mean almost anything you wanted it to mean any time you liked. Legions of students could waste their time trying to understand it and so not learn anything actually useful. It was the perfect replacement for the "mystery of the eucharist". I am surprised there are not temples to Saint Einstein with relics, incantations, candle burnings, and so on. Perhaps Einstein has risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of relativity, something or other, somewhere, at some speed or other, for no reason anybody can - or ever will - understand, or not. Relativity needs to be binned and physics needs to get back to where it was before he ruined it. We philosophers used to think the scientist a bunch of nitwits at university. Here I am 40 years later thinking the very same thing. Please get on to genetics. I am certain that is all bunkum. An then please turn your intelligent attention to the periodic table. I have thought for some considerable time that that looks far too good to be true also. The other day I asked Grok to tell me the top five scientific truths. Here is what Grok had to say:
1. Evolution by Natural Selection: Species evolve over time through natural selection, where traits that improve survival and reproduction become more common. Supported by fossil records, genetic evidence, and observations like Darwin’s finches, this is a cornerstone of biology.
2. The Law of Universal Gravitation: Every mass attracts every other mass with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Newton’s law, refined by Einstein’s general relativity, explains planetary orbits, tides, and more, with precise predictions confirmed by experiments like GPS accuracy.
3. The Second Law of Thermodynamics: In a closed system, entropy (disorder) increases over time. This explains why heat flows from hot to cold objects and why perpetual motion machines are impossible. It’s backed by countless experiments in physics and chemistry.
4. The Theory of Relativity: Einstein’s special and general relativity describe how time, space, and gravity interact. Special relativity shows time dilation at high speeds (verified by atomic clocks on fast-moving planes), while general relativity predicts phenomena like black holes and gravitational lensing, confirmed by observations like the 1919 solar eclipse.
5. The Quantum Nature of Matter and Energy: At subatomic scales, particles like electrons exhibit both wave and particle properties, governed by probabilities (quantum mechanics). This is confirmed by experiments like the double-slit experiment and underpins technologies like transistors and lasers.
This all calls to mind an apologetic I once read about the Catholic Church’s treatment of Galileo. The historical fact is that Galileo was not convicted of heresy by the Church for teaching heliocentrism. He was punished for 1) Claiming scientific proof of heliocentrism where there was none, and 2) including a cartoon in his textbook portraying the pope as a clown. The same cast of characters who suppressed reasonable rebuttals of STR and GTR also used the Church’s alleged persecution of Galileo to hammer their detractors.
Indeed. The Galileo myth. He also never performed many of the experiments attributed to him and he never referenced the information or experiments from others. He was an early self-promoter, which is what 'science' has become. His proofs for heliocentricity were not proofs of anything. Post on the same -> https://unstabbinated.substack.com/p/scientism-and-the-galileo-myth-another?utm_source=publication-search
For brilliantly crafted words of wisdom deployed on the front lines of Substack, lock and load with the intellectual ammo Dr. FS3 so generously supplies from his armory.
There are no brainless frontal assaults here—only precision strikes and masterfully devised battle plans that hit the enemy where it hurts, earning his troops some well-deserved R&R in the officers’ mess.
Thanks. Interesting and informative. I ordered the 1931 book you mention. A hundred or more years ago the emergent high church of positive science needed an obscure language to mystify and awe the faithful, just as Latin had done for the catholic church since the decline and fall of Rome. Einsteinian goobledegookism was the very thing. Nobody could understand a word of it. Nobody could prove it was false. It could mean almost anything you wanted it to mean any time you liked. Legions of students could waste their time trying to understand it and so not learn anything actually useful. It was the perfect replacement for the "mystery of the eucharist". I am surprised there are not temples to Saint Einstein with relics, incantations, candle burnings, and so on. Perhaps Einstein has risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of relativity, something or other, somewhere, at some speed or other, for no reason anybody can - or ever will - understand, or not. Relativity needs to be binned and physics needs to get back to where it was before he ruined it. We philosophers used to think the scientist a bunch of nitwits at university. Here I am 40 years later thinking the very same thing. Please get on to genetics. I am certain that is all bunkum. An then please turn your intelligent attention to the periodic table. I have thought for some considerable time that that looks far too good to be true also. The other day I asked Grok to tell me the top five scientific truths. Here is what Grok had to say:
1. Evolution by Natural Selection: Species evolve over time through natural selection, where traits that improve survival and reproduction become more common. Supported by fossil records, genetic evidence, and observations like Darwin’s finches, this is a cornerstone of biology.
2. The Law of Universal Gravitation: Every mass attracts every other mass with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Newton’s law, refined by Einstein’s general relativity, explains planetary orbits, tides, and more, with precise predictions confirmed by experiments like GPS accuracy.
3. The Second Law of Thermodynamics: In a closed system, entropy (disorder) increases over time. This explains why heat flows from hot to cold objects and why perpetual motion machines are impossible. It’s backed by countless experiments in physics and chemistry.
4. The Theory of Relativity: Einstein’s special and general relativity describe how time, space, and gravity interact. Special relativity shows time dilation at high speeds (verified by atomic clocks on fast-moving planes), while general relativity predicts phenomena like black holes and gravitational lensing, confirmed by observations like the 1919 solar eclipse.
5. The Quantum Nature of Matter and Energy: At subatomic scales, particles like electrons exhibit both wave and particle properties, governed by probabilities (quantum mechanics). This is confirmed by experiments like the double-slit experiment and underpins technologies like transistors and lasers.