Albert von Brunn: Review of ‘100 Authors against Einstein’ [March 13, 1931]

Abstract

In principle it is not astonishing that many have formed an unfavorable prejudice against the theory of relativity after having witnessed the development of only its most outward manifestations. This is the work of over-zealous but less well-informed enthusiasts of this theory, who have made serious tactical errors and gross blunders without its author himself being in any way to blame. [³] Thank goodness knowledgeable supporters of the new concept have stifled in time attempts to let the vox populi decide on the theories. Even individual fanatic scientific advocates of the Einsteinian theory seem to have finally abandoned their tactic of cutting off any discussion about it with the threat that every criticism, even the most moderate and scrupulous ones, must be discredited as an obvious effluence of stupidity and malice. But even if these monstrous products of the ‘(Einstein frenzy’ [Einstein-Taumel] now belong to history and are thus eliminated from consideration, thoroughly respectable reasons for a certain discomfort with relativity theory still do remain: The special theory of relativity already demands certain sacrifccia intellectus: Primarily, ††† renunciating the strict determinability of simultaneity—note, by no means the concept of simultaneity itself![⁴] Nat-urally, for some philosophers, this is equivalent to an unexpiable crime against Kant’s eternal infallibility, because they just do not understand the inevitability of Einstein’s objectives. [⁵] Scientists will not find this matter so tragic, simply because they know that both relativity theories obviously leave completely untouched ’1st order effects’, like general, planetary and secular aberration, Doppler effect, and the Olaf Romer effect. [⁶]