AdvertisementThe present work, “Euclid or Einstein,” will consist of two volumes. The first gives the history of the parallel theory, together with its proof, the lack of which has been a stumbling block in mathematics for over 2000 years. It further gives a history and exposition of the different non-Euclidean Geometries that arose since the 18th century, as a consequence of the age-old inability of mathematicians to find a proof for the Parallel Postulate. It then refutes these so-called Geometries, showing them to be false and baseless. The last chapter deals with Einstein’s views on geometry, as put forward in his writings on Relativity. The second volume will concern itself exclusively with Einstein’s theory of Relativity, which in its mathematical phase, is an outgrowth of Reimann’s non-Euclidean Geometry. This theory will be exposed from the point of view of physics, mathematics, and metaphysics, and its utter falsehood on all these counts will be pointed out. It has been the aim of the writer throughout to treat these subjects in every-day language. Relativists boast that there are not twelve in the world that can understand their master’s theories. This is scarcely a recommendation. The subjects treated are not those of highly specialized departments of science, that had better be left to the specialist to keep wrapped in the integuments of a highly technical language. They concern the fundamentals of human thought and action, and should therefore be the common property of all thinking humanity. In fact, with the exception of that portion of the chapter on the mathematics of Relativity that deals with the so-called Absolute Differential Calculus, which might require a more advanced knowledge of mathematics, we are convinced that there is nothing in the two volumes on “Euclid or Einstein” that cannot be grasped by the fairly intelligent person with an ordinary education in mathematics and physics. It is this broader public we had in mind in our treatment of this subject, and not merely the technical mathematician or physicist. We are rather inclined to believe that truth belongs to the larger number as well as to the specialist, particularly in those things that are as fundamental in science and in life as are the topics here treated. The volume on Relativity will follow shortly on the publication of this first volume. J.J.C. Duquesne University, |