Anti-relativity

{{denialismSide}}
:''Not to be confused with "anti-relativism," a philosophical position opposed to [[cultural relativism]].''
'''Anti-relativity''' is the [[denialism|denial]] of [[Albert Einstein]]'s [[Theory of Relativity]]. While relativity denial is mostly the province of lone [[crank]]s these days, it was much more widespread in Einstein's day, often being collectively referred to as "the anti-relativity movement."

Most of the "[[pseudoscience|alternative theories]]" put forward by anti-relativists seek to reinstate [[aether]] and [[Isaac Newton]]'s concepts of absolute space and time.

In 1931, the book ''Hundert Autoren Gegen Einstein'' (A Hundred Authors Against Einstein),<ref>''Hundert Autoren Gegen Einstein'', edited by Hans Israel; et al. (1931). R. Voigtänder Verlag.</ref> was published. The book only included one [[physicist]], and can be seen now as "a dying cry from the old guard of science" based primarily on [[philosophical]] objections.<ref>[http://weeklysciencequiz.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-hundred-authors-against-einstein.html Weekly Science Quiz] by Douglas Clark (Monday, January 7, 2013)</ref><ref group=note>Think of it as basically the [[Oregon Petition]] of its day with a dash of [[Wedge Strategy]].</ref>

==Deutsche Physik and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories==
{{main|Deutsche Physik}}
One of Einstein's biggest opponents was the [[German]] [[nationalism|nationalist]] movement Deutsche Physik, which infamously dismissed relativity as "[[Jew]]ish [[physics]]." A line of thought common to Deutsche Physik and other [[anti-Semitism|anti-Semites]] was that [[international Jewish conspiracy|Jews were the gatekeepers of scientific journals]], and so were [[persecution complex|suppressing]] the anti-Semites' [[Hollow Earth|superior ideas]].

In what might be more appropriately called "Einstein denial," some anti-Semites did not claim that Einstein was wrong, but that he had plagiarized or otherwise ripped off earlier ideas from (insert your favored ethnic group here).<ref>[http://bigcthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/08/evolution-hiv-holocaust-and-einstein.html Evolution, HIV, Holocaust and...Einstein Denial], Unsolicited Opinions</ref>

==Objectivism==
{{main|Objectivism}}
Some Objectivists question or deny relativity, as it doesn't fit neatly into [[Ayn Rand]]'s [[metaphysical]] notions about [[causation]] (and is probably corrupted by dirty [[Immanuel Kant|Kantian philosophy]] to boot).<ref>[http://aynrandcontrahumannature.blogspot.com/2007/12/descent-into-pseudoscience-wheres.html The Descent into Pseudoscience: Where's Albert?] Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature</ref> The most notable Objectivist anti-relativist was [[Petr Beckmann]], who attempted to replace it with a 
theory
 conjecture called "Galilean Electrodynamics."

==Maoism==
{{main|Maoism}}
During the Cultural Revolution in China, the theory of relativity was criticized for its principle of the constancy of the speed of light and was labeled as a relativistic viewpoint. It was referred to as "profoundly reflecting the reactionary political viewpoint of the Western bourgeoisie, who believed that capitalist society was the ultimate form of human society, that monopoly capitalist productivity could not be surpassed, and that Western science represented the limit of human knowledge."<ref>http://paper.people.com.cn/rmwz/html/2015-01/01/content_1524120.htm</ref>

==Moral relativism==
{{main|Moral relativism}}
Some laymen mistakenly believe that the Theory of Relativity translates to the world of the humanities and ethical values, rather than being simply a description of the physical world. Much like some people believe that [[Charles Darwin|Darwinian]] [[evolution]] necessarily implies [[Social Darwinism]], [[Heisenberg's uncertainty principle]] implies [[postmodernism]], or [[quantum physics]] implies their favored form of [[quantum woo]], some believe that the Theory of Relativity implies [[moral relativism]]. However, the two have nothing to do with each other.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/74164/ It Didn't Start with Einstein], Slate</ref>

==Creationism==

Some [[Young Earth creationism|Young Earth creationists]] reject relativity. [[Creation Ministries International]] has attempted to discredit relativity using [[pseudoscience]] disguised as scientific study.<ref name=cmi-relativity>[https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j05_1/j05_1_58-69.pdf Einstein’s Contribution to Relativity]. Creation.com.</ref> Creationists often cite the works of Harold Aspden, a [[crank]] who called Einstein's mathematics "science fiction about cosmology — very interesting but hypothetical" and who authored a book called ''Physics Without Einstein.''<ref>Aspen, Harold. (1969). [https://archive.org/details/PhysicsWithoutEinsteinAspdenHarold/Physics%20Without%20Einstein%20-%20Aspden%2C%20Harold  ''Physics Without Einstein'']. Sabberton Publications.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110226121943/http://haroldaspden.com/index.htm The Harold Aspden Collected Papers]. Archived from the original at haroldaspden.com.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Autodynamics]]
*[[Tom Bethell]]
*[[Conservapedia:Conservapedian relativity]]
*[[William Lane Craig]], whose denial of relativity stems from trying to get his [[Argument from first cause#Kalām version|Kalām cosmological argument]] to work. Being a [[Bullshit|"professional]] [[Apologist|philosopher"]], however, Craig likes to claim that he is just offering a [[Deceit|"different interpretation"]].
{{Otherlang
|ru=Отрицание теории относительности}}

==External links==
===Examples===
* [http://alternativephysics.org/ Alternative Physics]
*[http://www.anti-relativity.com/ Anti-Relativity.com]

===Further reading===

*[http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827862.500-einsteins-sceptics-who-were-the-relativity-deniers.html?full=true Einstein's sceptics: Who were the relativity deniers?] ''New Scientist''
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20070204022629/http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/RelWWW/wrong.html  Some Scientifically Inaccurate Claims Concerning Cosmology and Relativity], Chris Hillman
*[http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1162 Was Einstein a Fake?] Cosmos
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150414155206/http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2006/07/29/mocking-a-silly-antirelativity/ Mocking a Silly Anti-Relativity Rant], Good Math, Bad Math
*[http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2000/07/06/einstein/print.html Did Einstein Cheat?], Salon
*[http://watchingthedeniers.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/the-socialist-haunted-world-relativity-fluoridation-and-climagte-changeas-socialist-plot/ The socialist haunted world: Relativity, fluoridation, and climate change as socialist plot], Watching the Deniers
*[http://www.desmogblog.com/climate-denial-activists%E2%80%99-parallel-anti-relativity-movement-1920s Climate denial activists' parallel to the anti-relativity movement of the 1920s], DeSmog Blog

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
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[[Category:Pseudophysics]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Time]]

Categories: Pseudophysics, Pseudoscience, Time