Laws of Nature

Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation by Albert Einstein, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. Laws of Nature

Laws of Nature

The observations which we have been discussing, [27]and which we have been trying to endow with characteristics of “reality” which they are frequently not realized to possess, are the raw material of physical science. The finished product is the result of bringing together a large number of these observations.]* [The whole underlying thought behind the making of observations, in fact, is to correlate as many as possible of them, to obtain some generalization, and finally to express this in some simple mathematical form. This formulation is then called a “law of nature.”]35

[Much confusion exists because of a misunderstanding in the lay mind of what is meant by a “law of nature.” It is perhaps not a well chosen term. One is accustomed to associate the word law with the idea of necessity or compulsion. In the realm of nature the term carries no such meaning. The laws of nature are man’s imperfect attempts to explain natural phenomena; they are not inherent in matter and the universe, not an iron bar of necessity running through worlds, systems and suns. Laws of nature are little more than working hypotheses, subject to change or alteration or enlargement or even abandonment, as man’s vision widens and deepens. No sanctity attaches to them, and if any one, or all, of them fail to account for any part, or all, of the phenomena of the universe, then it or they must be supplemented or abandoned.]102

[The test of one of these laws is that it can be shown to include all the related phenomena hitherto known and that it enables us to predict new phenomena which can then be verified. If new facts are discovered that are not in agreement with one of [28]these generalized statements, the assumptions on which the latter is based are examined, those which are not in accordance with the new facts are given up, and the statement is modified so as to include the new facts.]10 [And if one remembers that the laws of physics were formerly based on a range of observations much narrower than at present available, it seems natural that in the light of this widening knowledge one law or another may be seen to be narrow and insufficient. New theories and laws do not necessarily disprove old ones, but explain certain discrepancies in them and penetrate more deeply into their underlying principles, thereby broadening our ideas of the universe. To follow the new reasoning we must rid ourselves of the prejudice behind the old, not because it is wrong but because it is insufficient. The universe will not be distorted to fit our rules, but will teach us the rules of existence.]125

[Always, however, we must guard against the too easy error of attributing to these rules anything like absolute truth.]* [The modern scientist has attained a very business-like point of view toward his “laws of nature.” To him a law is fundamentally nothing but a short-hand way of expressing the results of a large number of experiments in a single statement. And it is important to remember that this mere shortening of the description of a lot of diverse occurrences is by no means any real explanation of how and why they happened. In other words, the aim of science is not ultimately to explain but only to discover the relations that hold good among physical quantities and to embody all these relations in as few and as simple physical laws as possible.]221 [This is [29]inherently the method of relativism.]* [Under it a set of phenomena is observed. There are two or many observers, and they write down their several findings. These are reviewed by a final observer or judge, who strains out the bias due to the different viewpoints of the original observers. He then writes down, not any absolute law of nature governing the observed phenomena, but a law as general as possible expressing their interrelations.]121 [And through this procedure modern science and philosophy reveal with increasing emphasis that we superimpose our human qualities on external nature to such an extent that]106 [we have at once the strongest practical justification, in addition to the arguments of reason, for our insistence that the contact between objective and subjective represented by the observation is the only thing which we shall ever be able to recognize as real. We may indulge in abstract metaphysical speculation to our heart’s content, if we be metaphysically inclined; we may not attempt to impose the dicta of metaphysics upon the physical scientist.]*

About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books.

This book is part of the public domain. Albert Einstein (2020). Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022.

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org, located at https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/63372/pg63372-images.html