Lorentzian Theories vs. Einsteinian Special Relativity — A Logico-empiricist Reconstruction

Abstract

1. It is widely believed that the principal difference between Einstein’s special relativity and its contemporary rival Lorentz-type theories was that while the Lorentz-type theories were also capable of “explaining away” the null result of the Michelson—Morley experiment and other experimental findings by means of the distortions of moving measuring-rods and moving clocks, special relativity revealed more fundamental new facts about the geometry of space-time behind these phenomena. For the sake of brevity, I shall use the term “Lorentz theory” as classification to refer to the similar approaches of Lorentz, FitzGerald, and Poincaré, that save the classical Galilei covariant conceptions of space and time by explaining the experimental findings through the physical distortions of moving objects — of moving measuring equipments included — no matter whether these physical distortions are simply hypothesized in the theory, or prescribed by some “principle” like Lorentz’s principle, or they are constructively derived from the behavior of the molecular forces. From the point of view of my recent concerns what is important is the logical possibility of such an alternative theory. Although, Lorentz’s 1904 paper or Chapter V. of his The theory of electrons (1909) are good historic examples.