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OUTLINE
TERMINOLOGY
Upper case "SPACE" denotes the mathematical construct in
order to distinguish it from the "space" of perception.
The gallicism "Referential" denotes a "physical body"
associated with an observer. It is indispensable for
imaginary creativity and understanding. Let's mention
the role of spinning disk or free falling box in
derivation of General Relativity. By "Reference System"
we understand any coordinates system associated with a
referential. We don't use the term "reference frame",
misleading in its suggestion of some "container" of
different nature than its contents.
DOGMATISM AND RATIONALITY
"Concepts and Conceptual Systems get justified exclusively
by their capacity to coordinate events. They cannot be
justified in any other way. Therefore, it is, in my opinion,
one of the most pernicious acts of Philosophers to have
transferred some conceptual bases of Natural Science from
the controllable domain of empiric adequacy into the
inaccessible heights of the Necessary Apriori.
This applies particularly to our concepts of time and space,
which the Physicists - forced by the facts - had to descend
from the Olympus of Apriori in order to repair them and
make them usable."
This Einstein's assertion presents concisely two opposed
worldviews and attitudes: Dogmatism and Rationality.
Dogmatism, founded on whimsical speculations a priori aspiring
to absolute truth, snubs high-handedly science, know-how and,
above all, facts. "If the facts disagree with me then so much
worse for the facts." - this Hegel's declaration may serve as
motto of dogmatism.
Rationality rests modestly upon contemporary scientific and
practical know-how and endeavors to generalize it into a critical
synthesis of contemporary knowledge.
Kant compared human history to an incessant conflict of obscure
ocean with emerging from it at times enlightened isles of
rationality, rare and far between. The astounding self-generating
and sticking power of dogma stems according to Kant from laziness
and cowardice. Laziness to think, rather than to enjoy snug
platitudes of naive view (aka naive realism). Cowardice to stray
off beaten tracks and to follow Horace's "Sapere Aude"
(Dare to Reason).
These "enlightened rationality isles" are usually set off by some
scientific breakthrough, by science finding new ways of descending
piled up dogmatic ideas "from the Olympus of Apriori" and "making
them usable".
Modern times start with the First Scientific Revolution of Galileo,
Descartes and Newton which has triggered the First Enlightenment
and has refuted a lot of dogmatic prejudices. Galileo rendered
science relativistic, axiomatic and empirically verifiable.
Descartes posited it as subjective and uncertain and armed Galilean
inertial referentials with algebraized coordinate systems opening
the way to calculus. Newton, armed with Cartesian mathematics created
the genial instance of Galilean relativity, to wit the Gravity model.
However, emerging rationality did not eradicate the dogmatism and
First Enlightenment was marked by perverted coexistence of rational
reason with most absurd dogmatism. Mechanistic dogma of absolute
SPACE and of "reality" having the fabric of "billiard balls"
engendered Newton's paradoxes:
1.Gravity acts at large distances which contradicts the dogma of
"billiard balls".
2.SPACE (distance) determines the gravity force, which does not act
in any way on SPACE, thus contradicting the action/reaction
principle.
Both paradoxes represent facts contradicting dogma of absolute and
mechanistic SPACE. Questioned about it Newton answered with the
famous "hypotheses non fingo" implying that science does not deal
with transcendencies. In this way he dodged out the dogma, rather
than dropping it.
Kant's ontology of the First Enlightenment rationalized philosophy
by banning Noumena (Dinge an Sich) from cognition and by being
accordingly derived from the cutting edge of his contemporary science,
i.e. from Newton's Model. However, this science was afflicted by
several dogmas: mechanistic fabric of "Reality", absolute time/space
and absolute certitude of cognition contradicting Cartesian uncertainty.
Newton dodged their refutal with his "hypotheses non fingo", but Kant
could not follow him there, as his job consisted precisely in making
hypotheses and sincerity of his ontology could be bought only at the
cost of truly reflecting its roots: from paradoxical science Kant
rigorously derived a paradoxical ontology. In spite of having banned
Noumena from cognition, he founded his Ontology in absolute time/space,
and other Noumena or "absolute categories of Pure Reason".
His irrational synthetic propositions a priori reposed in those
noumena in order to satisfy the dogma of certain, absolute science.
One had to wait for the Second Enlightenment to descend time, space
and other noumena from the Olympus of Apriori and to unravel Newton's
paradoxes. (Details in Tome 2)
Ideology is the best known domain of the First Enlightenment, due to
its impact on subsequent revolutionary events and changes of social
and political structures. However, chronology did not respect the
foundations order: Kant came too late for Voltaire, Diderot, Montesqieu
and Rousseau. Lacking consistent foundations, the disparate ideology
reflects uncritically current controversies. Its apparently rational
form and declarations conceal noumenal utopianism. It was an easy prey
for such capos like Marat or Robespierre who kidnapped and subjugated
it in order to grab absolute, tyrannical power
Failing to eradicate dogmatism, first enlightenment collapsed under
its reactionary assaults which went on uninterrupted till our own days
dominated by dogmatic obscurantism.
The socio-political was dominated by Fichte's nationalistic romanticism
which became the cornerstone of Nazism and by Hegel's dialectic which,
with a bit of Engels' assistance, founded the Soviet Gulag empire.
THE SECOND SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
The Paradise
19th Century Physics and Logic were dominated by reaction of dogmatism
against rationality of the First Enlightenment. Physics was founded
in the dogmatic delusion of Aether. Logical systems culminated in
Predicate Logic (PL). This noumenal, naive pseudo-Logic was assumed
to be the universal, absolute foundation of transcendental "Reality"
and of human knowledge thereof. All areas of science were assumed to
be recursively founded in PL, although Mathematics stayed for some
time unfounded. Finally, in 1873 Cantor conceived the Set Theory which
supplied the missing link and completed the hierarchy of "Cantorian
Paradise":
1.PL Logic, the universal, absolute, Olympian foundation,
2.Set Theory, founded in Logic,
3. Mathematics, founded in Set Theory,
4. Physics, founded in Mathematics and in the mechanistic dogma,
itself founded in Logic.
5. Other "hard" sciences, founded in Physics,
6."Soft" sciences, founded in "hard" sciences.
This "Paradise" represented the edifice of science solid and stable
as Cheops pyramid, bestowing upon scientists the gratifying conviction
that Logic, THEIR Logic, explains and determines the "Real Universe".
Lost Paradise
At the end of the 19th century two breaches appeared in the pyramid
setting off the Fin-de-Siecle Crisis of Thought which triggered the
Second Scientific Revolution:
1. In Physics the Michelson-Morley experiment showing that the speed
of light is invariant with respect to the inertial referentials
and thus falsifying the mechanistic dogma.
2. Russell's Paradox calling in question the foundations and sense
of Predicate Logic and founded in it Set Theory.
Question arose, if apparently local breaches in otherwise solid pyramid
may be patched locally, or should lead to global reconsideration of the
whole structure.
In Physics Einstein has chosen the global approach and revised entire
Physics. This Second Scientific Revolution laid the cornerstone of
the Second Enlightenment with its new rationality.
Logicians did not notice that Russell's Paradox did not wreck Logic
in general, but only the naive PL and try in vain, till our days,
to patch it rather than to scrap the wreck and to construct in its
place new rational Logic.
East of Eden
Expelled from Paradise, deprived of reassuring certainties of the
divine, Olympian "Reality" of naive view, science was compelled to
count on itself and to engage entirely in the way of "Sapere Aude".
As first step it divorced with naive view's "common sense" and its
absolute, noumenal time and space. Indeed, invariant C of Electro-
Magnetic Field and its implications were totally at odds with the
common sense:
-C became invarianf: light passing an observer at C whether he moves
at 0.99 C in its direction or against it.
-SPACE ceased to be a "container" of phenomena, but became itself a
phenomenon, not only directly supporting field and its propagation,
but P(henomenally)-Equivalent with field, both inseparable polar
aspects of Cosmos.
-Time and space components of SPACE ceased to be absolute and invariable,
but respectively dilate and contract in a relatively moving referential
in function of its speed.
-Non-Euclidean metric of SPACE whose local curvature is associated with
field density, neither as cause, nor as effect, but as P-Equivalence.
ONTOLOGY
In Kant's wake, the ontology of the Second Enlightenment intends to be
axiomatic and derived from the second scientific revolution, to wit from
the Extended Relativity.
Derivation of ontology from physics consists in identifying underlying
it ontological principles of the "physical reality". Axiomatic ontology,
like any axiomatic model, has to guarantee the falsifiability of its
axioms. This request is automatically satisfied for axioms underlying
the Extended Relativity by the falsifiability of the latter. However,
ontology is more general than foundation of physics and has to found
additionally rational, axiomatic logic, esthetics and ethics.
The present essay addresses the ontological foundations of these four
domains, Tome 1 dealing with physics and logic.
POSTSCRIPT
Current disasters in domains such as globalization, ecology, jungle
economy and politics as well as genocidal religious or national
fanaticism stem from the overwhelmingly dominating dogmatism. Even
if the dogmatic establishment turned by miracle against problems
which it deliberately creates, its established naive reason would
be incapable to formulate, let alone to solve them.
The new reasoning underlying Einstein's Second Scientific Revolution
determines a new ontology and reason, which determines "The Second
Enlightenment" by analogy with the first. It emerges from predominate
dogmatism as the unique possible support of rational dealing with
mankind's critical problems. Since it is as yet restricted to Physics,
its extension over all domains of reflection and praxis seems to take
on vital importance.
The present essay endeavors to make a step in this direction, deriving
from the Second Scientific Revolution an ontology, which lays the
foundation of the "Relativistic Dialectic", representing the new reason
of the Second Enlightenment which Einstein requested saying:
"A new manner of thinking is essential if humankind is to survive".
