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On Relativity Theory and Openness of the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

Howard Stein
Howard Stein*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, The University of Chicago
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Abstract

It has been repeatedly argued, most recently by Nicholas Maxwell, that the special theory of relativity is incompatible with the view that the future is in some degree undetermined; and Maxwell contends that this is a reason to reject that theory. In the present paper, an analysis is offered of the notion of indeterminateness (or “becoming”) that is uniquely appropriate to the special theory of relativity, in the light of a set of natural conditions upon such a notion; and reasons are given for regarding this conception as (not just formally consistent with relativity theory, but also) philosophically reasonable. The bearings upon Maxwell's program for quantum theory are briefly considered.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 58 , Issue 2 , June 1991 , pp. 147 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © 1991 The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DIR–8808575.

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