General relativity
This Natural Philosophy wiki page disputes content found on Wikipedia page wikipedia:General relativity
| Scientific Theory | |
|---|---|
| Name | General relativity |
| Type | Theory of gravitation |
| Author(s) | Albert Einstein |
| Keywords | Relativity, general relativity, Gravity, spacetime curvature, equivalence principle, field equations |
| Year | 1915 |
General relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915. It generalizes special relativity and Newton's law of universal gravitation, describing gravity not as a force but as a consequence of the curvature of spacetime produced by mass and energy. In mainstream physics it is regarded as well confirmed by observation; this wiki documents a body of work that disputes it, collected in the criticisms section below.
Central ideas
- Curved spacetime — mass and energy curve the geometry of spacetime, and freely falling bodies follow the straightest available paths (geodesics) through that geometry.
- Equivalence principle — locally, the effects of gravitation are indistinguishable from those of acceleration.
- Einstein field equations — a set of equations relating the curvature of spacetime to the distribution of mass and energy.
Principal predictions
In its conventional form the theory is credited with predicting:
- the precession of the perihelion of Mercury;
- the bending of starlight passing near the Sun (reported as confirmed during the 1919 solar eclipse);
- gravitational redshift of light;
- gravitational waves; and
- black holes and an expanding universe.
Criticisms of general relativity on this wiki
The community of the John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society, which maintains this wiki, has published a range of work challenging general relativity. The arguments summarized below are drawn from works catalogued here and are attributed to their authors; they run contrary to the mainstream scientific consensus. Many more are indexed under Category:Relativity.
Theoretical and mathematical inconsistencies
Papers such as Some Rectifiable Inconsistencies and Related Problems in Einstein's General Relativity and The Need for a Critical Reappraisal of Einstein's General Relativity argue that the theory contains internal inconsistencies. In The Correct Derivation of Kepler's Third Law for Circular Orbits Reveals a Fatal Flaw in General Relativity Theory, the author contends that a corrected orbital derivation exposes a fundamental error in the theory.
Observational and astronomical failures
Several works claim that the theory fails against astronomical data, particularly for binary-star systems — for example 1997 General Relativity Failures: The Case of SW Canis Majoris Binary Stars Systems and 2008 General Relativity Failures: The Case of V731 Cep Binary Stars Motion Puzzle Solution Without Rigging. The status of the equivalence principle, on which the theory rests, is questioned in Eotvos' Experiment, General Relativity and the Problem of Incommensurability.
Incompatibility with quantum mechanics
The long-standing failure to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics is treated by some authors as evidence of a defect in the theory itself, as in Introducing Integral Geometry: Are Notational Flaws Responsible For the Inability to Combine General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics?.
Proposed alternatives
Rather than only criticizing, some authors propose replacement theories of gravitation, such as A New Theory of Gravity: Overcoming Problems with General Relativity. A broader survey of open issues appears in Unsolved Problems in Special and General Relativity.
Systematic catalogues
The scale of the dissenting literature covering both of Einstein's theories is documented in Chapter 2 - Catalogue of Errors for Both Theories of Relativity (2012), translated from the documentation of G O Mueller, which surveys decades of criticism and identifies thousands of critical works.