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237 - Tim Maudlin: A Masterclass on Special Relativity

237 - Tim Maudlin: A Masterclass on Special Relativity

Robinson's Podcast vor 1 Jahr

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2:03:40

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and
Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of
Physics. This is Tim’s seventh appearance on the show. He last
appeared on episode 210 with David Albert for a discussion of the
measurement problem in quantum mechanics. In this episode, Tim
and Robinson talk about Albert Einstein’s theory of special
relativity, explaining it from the ground up and elucidating some
common misconceptions. More particularly, they get into
Einstein’s magnificent mind, how special relativity displaced the
theory of the ether, absolute and relative space, the speed and
nature of light, the possibility of time travel, relativistic
quantum mechanics, and more. If you’re interested in the
foundations of physics, then please check out the JBI, which is
devoted to providing a home for research and education in this
important area. Any donations are immensely helpful at this early
stage in the institute’s life.

Tim’s Website: www.tim-maudlin.site

The John Bell Institute: https://www.johnbellinstitute.org

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:59 The Amazing Fertility of Einstein's Mind

08:50 The Mysterious Ether and Why It Isn't All Around Us

25:01 Einstein Versus Relative and Absolute Space

29:58 The Single Most Important Experiment in Physics

45:23 Special Relativity and Absolute Space

53:56 The Conceptual Clarity of Genius Physicists

1:01:05 A Thought Experiment to Explain Einstein's Theory of
Special Relativity

1:13:48 Is the Speed of Light an Illusion?

1:23:33 Richard Feynman's Big Mistake About Einstein

1:34:23 On Einstein and the Possibility of Time Travel

1:42:53 Is Special Relativity Compatible with Quantum Mechanics?

1:49:55 Relativistic Bohmian Mechanics

1:57:00 Does Anything Move Faster than Light?

1:59:03 The John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of
mathematics at Stanford University.