| Relativity
and Religion
Ashley Prevost
When most people think of space, they
think of three dimensions: up and down, left and right,
forward and backward. When most people think of time,
they think of hours in a day, maybe taking a glance
at their watches or clocks, and they regard time as
a way to mark various events as “earlier”
or “later.” Most people probably do not
make a connection between the two, though space and
time are actually much more intertwined than we realize.
Neither space nor time can exist without the other.
As Einstein says in The Meaning of Relativity, “[i]t
is neither the point in space, nor the instant in time,
at which something happens that has physical reality,
but only the event itself” (30). An “event,”
in the Einstein view, is simply a convergence of space
and time. Rather than viewing the two separately, people
should view space and time as a four-dimensional continuum.
Therefore, each event has four co-ordinates: three of
space, and one of time, x1, x2, x3, t in physics formulae.
These co-ordinates do not imply, however, that the space
and time co-ordinates are equivalent. The time co-ordinate,
though not separate, is “defined physically wholly
differently from the space co-ordinates” (Einstein,
Relativity 31). This difference in the time co-ordinate
is generally not noticed in our everyday lives, mainly
because we do not experience the way it can be changed.
Most humans regard space and time as absolutes because
they want a definite, concrete view of their existence,
rather than the almost mystical vision presented by
the physics of relativity.
The common misconception of absolute space and time
comes from pre-relativity physics, which relies on Euclidean
geometry and Newtonian mechanics. At the very start
of his scientific work, Albert Einstein saw many problems
with this “old physics.” Einstein credits
his interest in physics and mathematics to his “disposition
for abstract and mathematical thought” and his
“lack of imagination and practical ability”
(qtd. in O’Connor and Robertson par. 4). His sister
recognized his thoughtfulness when he was only a small
child as he would often pause to think for awhile before
he actually said anything (Bellis par. 2). Because of
his great passion for science, Einstein sought out to
revise the ideas of Euclid and Newton in his theory
of special relativity.
Euclidean geometry stems from the theory that there
are three dimensions of space, completely separate from
time, though as was already stated, the theory of relativity
explains that this is not the case. Under Newtonian
mechanics, which draws upon Euclidean geometry, certain
physical laws and equations can be applied to any person
in any frame of reference. Different frames of reference
can also be compared, usually by simple addition or
subtraction. For instance, one can think of a person
walking up an escalator. His/her speed is actually the
sum of her movement relative to the escalator plus the
movement of the escalator relative to the ground. When
dealing with visible light and all other forms of electromagnetism,
however, these simple mechanical laws no longer apply.
No matter the speed at which a person travels, the speed
of light, c, is always equal to approximately three
hundred thousand meters per second relative to that
person. A person standing still observes the same speed
for light as someone else going 50% the speed of light
relative to the first person. It is a constant for any
reference frame, so no addition or subtraction of speeds
can be or need be done. Einstein upset the simple vision
of the universe.
Because of Einstein’s proposed theories of science,
one might find his view of the world surprising. It
may be hard to believe that a man so involved in scientific
research could have such a profound, humanistic view
of existence. Nevertheless, Einstein firmly believed
that every man should recognize his own significance
and that “the man who regards his own life and
that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely
unfortunate but almost disqualified for life”
(Einstein, World 1). Upholding such a high opinion of
the human race, he often asserted that we all exist
for each other, and he actively tried to remind himself
of this everyday, often more than once.
Born into a liberal Jewish family in which there was
little to no discussion of religious matters, Albert
Einstein never truly confronted his beliefs until age
eleven. He went through a phase in which he strictly
observed all Jewish principles. Later he wrote, “It
is clear to me that this lost religious paradise of
youth was a first attempt to liberate myself from the
‘only personal’” (qtd. in Van den
Beukel 90). Einstein’s God was not personal at
all, in fact, he was fiercely opposed to a personal
God. Van den Beukel even says that we could just as
well as substitute “nature” for “God”
in quotes such as “God does not play dice with
the cosmos” (90). His God, intangible and impersonal,
stands for an “orderly system obeying rules which
could be discovered by those who had the courage, the
imagination, and the persistence to go on searching
for them” (Clark 19). However, he still held the
belief that he was a religious person because to him,
a religious person is a person liberated from selfish
desires and who is “preoccupied with thoughts,
feelings, and aspirations to which he clings because
of their super-personal value” (qtd. in Van den
Beukel 91). He believes that with this “cosmic
religion,” any conflict between science and religion
is impossible. In fact, a famous quote of his says,
“[s]cience without religion is lame, religion
without science is blind” (qtd. in Van den Beukel
90). He believes that science can only come from those
who want to find “truth and understanding”
to provide a sense of meaning, and these feelings come
directly from religion.
Einstein found meaning in his life through the companionship
of other men and scientific research. It was not exactly
the scientific research, though, that gave him a sense
of meaningfulness. Rather it was what lay behind it:
his urge to understand. Indeed, in his writing Einstein
mostly attributes the purpose of his significance to
his trying to uncover a universal mystery, which he
describes as “the fundamental emotion which stands
at the cradle of true art and true science” (Einstein,
World 5). Mystery is so important to him that he says,
“[h]e who knows it not and can no longer wonder,
no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out
candle” (Einstein, World 5). With his theory of
relativity, Einstein uncovered various mysteries, which
he and three centuries of physicists have endeavored
to solve.
One of Einstein’s great mysteries, The Twin Paradox,
superficially explains how light can travel different
distances in the same amount of time. In this illustration
of relativity, there are two twins. One twin remains
on Earth while the other goes on a high-speed journey
through space, a speed relatively close to the speed
of light. Most people would expect for the traveling
twin to return exactly the same as his brother, having
experienced the exact same change in time, just in a
different place. However, according to Einstein the
twin who takes the trip through space returns younger
than his twin brother. The time that they each experience
is different, and what each twin observes is that the
other’s clock was running slowly. Both clocks
are, in fact, nonetheless correct, because no absolute
frame of reference exists, and each twin therefore correctly
experiences his own clock running at its normal speed.
This parable demonstrates the truth that time is not
absolute. Time, instead, can be warped, but the effect
of this dilation is only observable when traveling at
speeds near the speed of light, which is why the twins
do not notice it. As the twin paradox demonstrates,
speeds that we can reach on Earth are so low compared
to the speed of light that the effect of the time dilation
is negligible (Kaplan).
The spatial equivalent to time dilation is length contraction,
where a moving object appears to shrink in the direction
of motion as its velocity increases. Physicist James
Terrell says that this length contraction is mathematically
more like an optical illusion (qtd. in Zukav 164). Beyond
sheer mathematics, black holes are great wonders of
the universe that combine the two marvels of time dilation
and length contraction. As physicist Freudenrich says,
“[a] black hole is what remains when a massive
star dies” (2). The star’s intense gravitational
pull compresses its own core so much that it heats up,
creating a supernova explosion. In order for something
to escape this gravitational pull, it must have a certain
minimum, or escape velocity, which depends on the radius
and mass of the body of the star. Rockets leave the
Earth’s surface because they are able to exceed
the escape velocity of Earth. The escape velocity of
black holes, however, is greater than the speed of light,
so light cannot pass through them. Without light, they
cannot be seen. We can only account for them because
matter surrounding them is disturbed by their gravitational
field (Davies 108-109). Surrounding matter, namely stars,
will rotate around the black hole as if it were just
another star, and the actual mass of the black hole
can be detected using Kepler’s Third Law of Planetary
Motion, the law of periods (Freudenrich 3). Like most
phenomena associated with special relativity, black
holes are not easily understood because they cannot
be tangibly observed, yet they capture our imaginations
because of qualities we easily project on them, to make
them meaningful to us.
Perhaps it is the warping of reality associated with
black holes that appeals to us. The core of a black
hole is said to actually sink through the fabric of
space-time (Freudenrich). Referring back to Einstein’s
Twin Paradox, if twin A traveled to the center of a
black hole, then twin B would observe twin A traveling
to infinity, never getting to the black hole. The motion
of twin A would become so slow that there would seem
to be no motion at all: time would be halted in the
eyes of twin B. In the eyes of the twin A, theoretically,
all of eternity would pass before he/she reached the
center of the black hole. He would be journeying to
the end of time (Davies 116-125). This theory, too,
goes against all human logic.
For time seems infinite to us, and it very well could
be, but the existence of these black holes exposes us
to the idea that there is an end of time. Theoretically,
once twin A reaches the center of the black hole, he/she
would not be able to continue in spacetime, so he/she
would cease to exist as a physical entity (Davies 121).
In a sense, then, black holes are contradictions of
the entire universe because whatever the universe is,
in terms of time and space, they are not. If the universe
represents matter, black holes represent the destruction
of all matter. If the universe represents existence,
black holes represent non-existence. Their very name
alludes to this: they are black because not even light
can escape from them, and they are holes because nothing
that can exist in the universe can exist in them. Once
something goes into a black hole, it can never come
out, as far as our current knowledge of them goes.
Gravity, oddly enough, is the invisible force behind
these black hole phenomena. We experience gravity every
day by the mere fact that we are grounded to this planet
Earth. We also know that all objects fall at the same
rate of towards the Earth, regardless of their mass.
How, one must ask, can this tangible, though invisible,
force of gravity play a part of everything in the universe
as well as black holes, everything that the universe
is not? Gravity, like Einstein’s twins, is another
paradox. Though we view gravity as a force that holds
everything together, it is also the force that may put
an end to everything through black holes.
Besides hints at the paradoxical nature of gravity,
another theory concerning black holes is that they lead
to entirely different universes. If it were possible
to “go through” a black hole, all of eternity
would have already passed, theoretically, so on the
other side of the black hole would be a new universe,
completely separate from the one we live in today, a
universe beyond the end of time. Unfortunately, there
is no real reason to believe that such a universe even
exists, and going “through” a black hole
is one idea that does not seem to have much promise
(Davies 121). Black holes, in this respect, are black
holes in science, where physicists project hypotheses,
creating a realm beyond science, an alternative to the
scientific universe.
This brings scientists to a place where they can go
no further. These are observations that cannot be tested
because gravity on Earth cannot be controlled, and it
is theoretically impossible to travel to the center
of a black hole and back, if we could even get that
far out into space. Black holes are proven to exist
because we can observe their gravitational pull on objects
that surround them. Because their actual effects cannot
be
observed, whether black holes are really “holes”
in the space-time continuum is a matter of faith alone.
It is at this point that science becomes analogous to
religion, which also relies almost completely on blind
faith. Indeed, the faith that many scientists put into
their theories almost parallels the faith that many
people place in their religions. After all, religion,
like science, attempts to explain our existence. Einstein
even described himself as a deeply religious man, attributing
his religious attitude to the “knowledge of the
existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations
of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty,
which are only accessible to our reason in their most
elementary forms” (Einstein, World 5). Arguably,
Einstein creates in his theory of special relativity
what amounts to a religion of science.
At least as Einstein writes, the science of relativity
and religion share the parable as a mode of expression.
The New Testament in the Bible contains countless parables,
such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:
30-37). In every parable, a story is told using theoretical
characters to demonstrate a particular spiritual concept.
Usually, something happens that one would not normally
expect to happen. The Twin Paradox can be, in this sense,
considered a parable of relativity. Theoretical twins
A and B are used to demonstrate the constancy of the
speed of light, and it is unexpected that one twin returns
younger than his supposed identical brother.
More significantly like religion, Einstein’s theory
attempts, in part, to explain our human origins, something
that interests all humans to some extent, because if
we have an origin, it means we exist. But, according
to relativity physics and religion alike, our origin
is another paradox. Every explanation of our creation
stems from the fact that before our universe there was
nothing. How could everything come from nothing? The
Big Bang Theory suggests that 15 million years ago,
all matter and energy were contained in a single point,
and that the universe exploded within itself. The Old
Testament creation story explains that God created the
Earth and all its creatures in only seven days, but
in the very beginning it was chaos (Genesis 1.1-2.22).
In both cases, order somehow came about from the complete
disorder of non-existence.
There are countless explanations for the creation of
our universe, and, in all likelihood, none will ever
be proven no matter how widely accepted a given theory
becomes. Nevertheless, humans will continue to attempt
to explain their existence scientifically, religiously
for as long as they do exist. Their desire to understand
will keep their minds working. Maybe, though, there
comes a point where humans are tired of understanding
everything, and phenomena that cannot be explained create
a certain wonder and awe that humans long for. Perhaps
the human understanding of every single worldly concept
is just like traveling inside a black hole. It is like
the end of existence, and is yet another paradox. If
we understood everything, there would be no reason to
think. Rather, we would simply apply proven knowledge
that we were given. We would not appreciate our ability
to create and imagine, the very thing that distinguishes
us from other intelligent species. As Einstein understood,
we need the mystery.
Basically, as the science that develops out of Einstein
relativity suggests, our indefinite concepts of space
and time are representative of our human qualities.
The truth of ideas that cannot be tested lies in the
viewpoint of each person. As Clark says, “In ordinary
life, as well as in the splendid mysteries of physics,
absolutes were to be distrusted; events were often relative
to circumstance” (Clark 4). Even the concept of
God is relative depending on how a person is raised
and the experiences that person has. What Einstein meant
by “God” is different from what many other
people mean. Steven Weinberg, among others, is even
bothered by Einstein’s “misuse” of
the word “God.” However, one can argue that
this is not a fair assumption because the meaning of
“God” varies for every person, no matter
how small the difference. Relativity can be applied
to virtually anything. Einstein even says, “Put
your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems
like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and
it seems like a minute. THAT’S relativity”(qtd.
in Some-Guy.com).
Works
Cited
“Albert Einstein.”
Some-Guy.com. Retrieved 1 March 2004 from http://www.someguy.com/quotes/einstein.html.>
Bellis, Mary. “Albert Einstein – Biography.”
About, Inc. 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2004 from <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bleinstein.htm>
Clark, Ronald William. Einstein: The Life and Times.
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1965.
Davies, Paul. About Time. New York: Simon and Schuster,
1995.
Einstein, Albert. The Meaning of Relativity. Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1974.
Einstein, Albert. The World As I See It. New York: Philosophical
Library, Inc., 1949.
Freudenrich, Craig C. “How Black Holes Work.”
How Stuff Works, Inc. 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2004
from <http://science.howstuffworks.com/black-hole1.htm>
Kaplan, Lev. Personal interview. 8 March 2004.
O’Connor, J.J. and E.F. Robertson. “Albert
Einstein”. University of St. Andrews, 1997. Retrieved
10 March
2004 from <http://www.groups.dcs.stand.ac.uk/~history/
Mathematicians/Einstein.html>
Van den Beukel, Anthony. The Physicists and God. North
Andover: Genesis Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.
Zukav, Gary. The Dancing Wu Li Masters. New York: William
Morrow and Company, Inc.
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