THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPTS OF SPACE AND TIME
Michael Bradie and Comer Duncan
(Scanned) Third Preliminary Version: not for citation
Copyright 1982, 1995, 1997 Michael Bradie and Comer Duncan
Note that only those sections with links below are currently available. As the term
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 2: Birth of Rational Cosmology
I. Introduction
II. Basic Themes of the Greek Cosmologists
III. The Greek Cosmologists
IV. The Legacy of the Pre-Socratics
I. Introduction
II. The Paradoxes of Motion
III. Zeno's Paradox of Plurality
IV. The Significance of Zeno
I. Plato: Life and Times
II. Being and Becoming: Permanence and Change
III. Plato's Solution to the Problem of Permanence and Change
IV. Plato's Cosmology
V. The Nurse of Becoming
VI. The Moving Likeness of Eternity
VII. Conclusion: Plato's Significance
I. Aristotle: Life and Times
II. Aristotle's Scientific Philosophy
III. Aristotle on Place and Void IV. Aristotle on Time
V. Conclusion: Aristotle's Significance
I. Introduction
II. The Decline of Greek Science
III. The Renaissance in the West
IV. The Development of the Concept of Space From Aristotle to Newton
V. The Development of the Concept of Time From Aristotle to Newton
I. Newton: His Life and Times
II. The Newtonian System
III. Newtonian Space and Time
IV. Newton's Arguments for the Existence of Absolute Space and Absolute Time
I. Introduction
II. Leibniz
A. Life and Times
B. Leibniz's Metaphysical System
C. Leibniz's Relational Theory of Space and Time
D.The Causal Theory of Time
E. Clarke's Criticisms of Leibniz's View
F. The Characterization of Space and Time According to Leibniz
III. Berkeley
A.Life and Times
B. Berkeley's Critique of the Newtonian View of Space andTime
IV. Ernst Mach
A. Life and Times
B. Mach's Critique of Newton
I. Introduction
II. Aristotle Revisited
III. Newtonian Space-Time
A. Galilean Space-Time
B. Adding Absolute Space
I. Introduction
II. The Finite Speed of Light
III. Wave or Particle
IV. Electromagnetism and the Concept of a Field
V.The Michelson-Morley Experiment
I. The Postulates
II. Evidence for the Postulates
III. Conclusion
I. Introduction
II. Galilean Simultaneity
III. Time and Distance Measurements Using Light Clocks and Signals
IV. Definition of Relativistic Simultaneity V. The Relativity of Simultaneity
VI. Time Dilation and Length Contraction
I. Introduction
II. Incompatibility of the Postulates of Special Relativity and Galilean Space Time
IV. The Lightcone Structure
V. Implications of the Lightcone Structure
I. The Principle of Equivalence
II. The Move to the General Theory
III. Summary
I. Introduction
II. Two Roads to the General Theory
III.Geometrical Digression
IV. Cartan's Road
V. The Road from Minkowski Spacetime to the General Theory
VI. Einstein's Geometric Theory of Gravity
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