Gertrud Walton
Gertrud Walton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1930 |
| Residence | Winchester, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Criticism of the special theory of relativity |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, philosophy of physics |
Gertrud Walton is a British independent researcher based in Winchester, United Kingdom, who has written critical analyses of Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity. Her work focuses on the philosophical and logical foundations of the theory, in particular Einstein's treatment of the relativity of simultaneity.
Biography
Walton is based in Winchester, England, where she has worked as an independent scholar examining the conceptual foundations of modern physics. She has published her writings both in academic journals and on her personal website, "sapere aude", a Latin phrase ("dare to know") associated with the Enlightenment and the call to think for oneself.
Work
Walton's criticism of relativity centres on Einstein's exposition of simultaneity. In a discussion article, "Cohen on Einstein on Simultaneity", published in the journal Philosophy in 1995, she responded to Michael Cohen's analysis of Einstein's simultaneity thought experiment and argued that the inconsistencies she identified in Einstein's exposition are "irreconcilable". Her broader writings maintain that the logical structure of the special theory of relativity, as originally presented, is internally inconsistent.
She has continued to develop these arguments in essays circulated through her website and in papers such as "Regarding Special Relativity", which set out her objections to the mathematical and conceptual basis of the theory.
Publications
- Walton, Gertrud. "Cohen on Einstein on Simultaneity." Philosophy, Vol. 70, No. 271 (January 1995), pp. 114-118.
- Walton, Gertrud. "Regarding Special Relativity." General Science Journal.