The Theory of Relativity and its Influence on Scientific Thought: Selected Works on the Implications of Relativity

Not only was Arthur S. Eddington a world-renowned experts on Einstein’s theory of relativity but he had the rare talent to convey the most profound ideas of modern physics to a wider audience. This volume reprints a collection of some of his best works mostly on the implications of relativity for our understanding of the world. Included in the volume are six works by Eddington and a Symposium on the philosophical aspects of the theory of relativity with the participation of two physicists (A. S. Eddington and F. A. Lindemann) and two philosophers (C. D. Broad and W. D. Ross): (1) The Theory of Relativity and its Influence on Scientific Thought (Oxford University Press, Oxford 1922); (2) The Relativity of Time, Nature 106 802-804 (17 February 1921); (3) The Meaning of Matter and the Laws of Nature according to the Theory of Relativity, Mind 29 (114) 145-158 (1920); (4) The End of the World: from the Standpoint of Mathematical Physics, Nature 127 447-453 (21 March 1931); (5) The Expanding Universe, Nature 129 421-423 (19 March 1932); (6) The Decline of Determinism, Nature 129 233-240 (13 February 1932); (7) The Philosophical Aspect of the Theory of Relativity: A Symposium, Mind 29 (116) 415-445 (1920)NOTE: This book is not a re-publication of the scanned pages of the original publication of Eddington’s works; the text has been typeset in LaTeX.