{"title":"What’s in a name?","authors":"Beñat Monfort-Urkizu, Jaume Navarro","doi":"10.1140/epjh/s13129-023-00054-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development and evolution of the “Einstein–Æther Theory” (Æ-theory) shows that there is a field in cosmology where the word ether is being used again. It is unclear, however, whether this æther may be regarded <i>in continuation</i> with previous ethers, or it is an altogether <i>new entity</i>. The main goal of this paper is to understand the nature of this new ether in the context of previous instances of this <i>scientific object</i>. In order to do so, we shall first give a brief historical account of the distinct uses the word had assumed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before its demise. Then, we shall describe the major attempts to revive the ether over the last century, focusing on the last endeavor: the Æ-theory. In this article, we do not intend to support or reject this new use of the word, but to stress the complexity of establishing a consistent historical narrative of some scientific objects like the ether.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":791,"journal":{"name":"The European Physical Journal H","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1140/epjh/s13129-023-00054-3.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"The European Physical Journal H","FirstCategoryId":"4","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjh/s13129-023-00054-3","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
The development and evolution of the “Einstein–Æther Theory” (Æ-theory) shows that there is a field in cosmology where the word ether is being used again. It is unclear, however, whether this æther may be regarded in continuation with previous ethers, or it is an altogether new entity. The main goal of this paper is to understand the nature of this new ether in the context of previous instances of this scientific object. In order to do so, we shall first give a brief historical account of the distinct uses the word had assumed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before its demise. Then, we shall describe the major attempts to revive the ether over the last century, focusing on the last endeavor: the Æ-theory. In this article, we do not intend to support or reject this new use of the word, but to stress the complexity of establishing a consistent historical narrative of some scientific objects like the ether.
期刊介绍：
The purpose of this journal is to catalyse, foster, and disseminate an awareness and understanding of the historical development of ideas in contemporary physics, and more generally, ideas about how Nature works.
The scope explicitly includes:
- Contributions addressing the history of physics and of physical ideas and concepts, the interplay of physics and mathematics as well as the natural sciences, and the history and philosophy of sciences, together with discussions of experimental ideas and designs - inasmuch as they clearly relate, and preferably add, to the understanding of modern physics.
- Annotated and/or contextual translations of relevant foreign-language texts.
- Careful characterisations of old and/or abandoned ideas including past mistakes and false leads, thereby helping working physicists to assess how compelling contemporary ideas may turn out to be in future, i.e. with hindsight.
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