Vinaire's Blog

Reference: Essays on Substance

Space Contraction

Einstein’s theory postulates that the speed of light is constant for all observers, regardless of their relative motion. To reconcile this with classical physics, Einstein proposed that space and time are not fixed but relative, leading to effects such as length contraction and time dilation.

I was really surprised at the following Q and A with AI:

QUESTION: Did Einstein believe in the contraction of space with increase in speed?

ANSWER: Yes, Einstein believed in the contraction of space with an increase in speed. This phenomenon, known as length contraction or Lorentz contraction, is a fundamental aspect of Einstein’s theory of special relativity. According to this theory, as objects approach the speed of light, they appear to shorten in the direction of motion from the perspective of a stationary observer.

The penny suddenly dropped for me. Up until now I was thinking that others were misinterpreting Einstein. But this is different. This shows that Einstein must have made some basic error. No wonder he could not win the debate against Bohr on quantum mechanics.

Here we have a very similar situation as it was with the idea of “relativistic mass”.

According to the theory of Substance:

The contraction will occur only when the body is accelerated by an external force. When the external force is removed, the body will decelerate back due to inertia, until both motion and inertia are in balance. The length will be restored.

In an isolated system, motion will increase only when there is reduction of inertia. There is reduction of inertia only when the consistency (RIM) of the substance decreases. The decrease in consistency accompanies a decrease in frequency. The accompanying increase in wavelength then appears as space expansion. Please see the table.

Instead of contracting the space actually expands when motion increases in an isolated system.

The error of Einstein was not considering an isolated system. Furthermore, he failed to fully account for the external influence. But this does not reduce the brilliance of Einstein at all. Without his accomplishments the Theory of Substance would not have been possible.

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Reference: Essays on Substance

Relativistic Mass

Many people believe, “As the speed of matter approaches the speed of light its mass increases to infinity, and therefore it is impossible to make matter travel faster than light.” Such people misinterpret Einstein’s theory of Relativity. This belief erroneously considers the external force required to increase the velocity of a particle as its “additional mass.”

In fact, a matter particle, as an isolated system, will decrease in its mass and inertia to increase in velocity. If external force is involved, then more force will be required to push a particle that offers less inertia. For example, a photon has no mass or inertia; therefore, it becomes impossible to accelerate it even with an infinite amount of push.

Einstein never derived the expression for relativistic mass himself and privately disapproved of it. By 1948, he had come to denounce the use of relativistic mass as it was being applied in special relativity.

The fact is that matter is very limited in its velocity before it looses its identity as matter and converts into a quanta of energy to have greater speed.

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Reference: Essays on Substance

The Basis of Scientific Method

The Scientific Method was described earlier at

The Scientific Method

The following 12 aspects of mindfulness form the basis of the Scientific Method. Mindfulness provides the discipline for looking and contemplation.

1. Observe without getting influenced by your expectations and desires.

Desires make one want certain outcomes. This leads to speculations that have no basis other than one’s expectations. But it is only when you know what is there can you predict future in a reasonable and consistent manner.

2. Observe things as they are, without assuming anything.

Familiarity makes one assume certain things to be there. Such assumptions can take the form of beliefs, convictions, biases, fixed ideas, etc. The visualization is already there in the mind, and it gets superimposed over what is actually there. However familiar something may be, it is never permanent, and it may not actually be there.

3. If something is missing do not imagine something else in its place.

If something is missing, then recognize that it is missing. Do not imagine something in its place. If someone asks you a question and no answer come up in your mind, then do not feel obliged to make up an answer. Accept that you do not have an answer.

4. If something does not make sense, then do not explain it away.

If something does not make sense, then recognize that it does not make sense. Do not try to justify it. Justification simply puts the blame somewhere without resolving the inconsistency. When you are faced with an inconsistency, and you feel an impulse to explain it away, then be alert to what you might be taking for granted. At times it may take some out-of-the-box thinking to realize what is going on.

5. Use physical senses as well as the mental sense to observe.

We associate the idea of sense organs with eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. We use them to observe physical objects, such as, chair, car, house, etc. However, the mind is also a sense organ, which senses ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. These are mental objects. When being mindful, recognize both physical and mental objects for what they are.

6. Let the mind un-stack itself.

Let the mind un-stack itself naturally through patient contemplation on whatever comes up. Observe the issue uppermost in the mind, and then the next, and the next. Let the mind deal with issues in the order it wants to. There should be no effort to recall, to dig for answers, or to interfere with the mind in any way. Simply look at what is right there in front of the mind’s eye at any moment. The mind will never present anything overwhelming when allowed to un-stack itself.

7. Experience fully what is there.

Experiencing is the deepest form of mindfulness. A person is deeply mindful of his feelings, emotions and impulses when he is experiencing them. So, dive into the very heart of whatever arises in the mind without resisting. If the mind is racing, then experience it racing without contributing to it.

8. Do not suppress anything from yourself.

Not suppressing anything from yourself is being totally honest with yourself. Follow your attention wherever it goes and do not suppress. Do not avoid something just because it seems shameful or painful. It is the suppression of perceptions, memories, knowledge, visualizations, thinking, etc., that causes all difficulties in life. By not suppressing you establish complete integrity of your perceptions.

9. Associate data freely.

In order to practice mindfulness, you will have to let your mind associate data freely. Mindfulness is being comfortable with the very activity of thinking itself. So, let the mind associate data freely on its own.

10. Do not get hung up on name and form.

Name acts as a broad reference point to something. Form is one of the many ways that a thing may be represented. The perception of a thing goes beyond its name and form. Fixation on name and form may act as built-in judgment of what is there. To know something, one must go beyond name and form and look at it more closely including all its associations.

11. Contemplate thoughtfully.

When mindfulness is practiced, thinking becomes contemplation. Problems are solved by looking at them non-judgmentally and recognizing the relationships. One looks around to get the missing information instead of trying to “figure it out”.

12. Let it all be effortless.

When you let it be, it becomes effortless. Effort comes into play only when there is resistance to letting it be. It is completely safe when you let the body and mind unwind gradually on their own. Trouble occurs only when you become anxious and start to dig for answers.

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