Measurement practices, conventionalism and geometry
Abstract
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Henri Poincaré claimed that the application of non-Euclidean geometries to physics was possible, but that it would never be adequate. However, Albert Einstein applied non-Euclidean geometries in a way that seems to contradict Poincaré. With a brief reconstruction of Poincaré’s arguments and considering the history of Einstein’s inquiry about relativity, I show that the use of non-Euclidean geometries is motivated by considerations about measurement that are not considered by Poincaré’s conventionalism. I make use of the recent literature in philosophy of science about measurement practices to reevaluate this case. The study allows conclusions to be drawn about the need to adequately identify the decision mechanisms that operate in scientific practice.Downloads
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