Leibniz's relational theory of time and relativity

[MichaelGerardBurke]

I don't know whether to post this here or in the philosophy forum, but I'd like to know if a relational theory of time (as held by Leibniz) is at all compatible with Einstein's theory of relativity? Or are they mutually exclusive?

[hyksos]

Welcome to the sciencechatforum.

You will need to get a copy of this article written by Einstein in 1950, as he mentioned Leibniz several times in it.

http://www.relativitybook.com/wiki/On_the_Generalized_Theory_of_Gravitation_(1950)

Unfortunately, this above link does not go directly to the paper. It is very difficult to find a copy of it online nowadays. The website does include a citation that would allow you to get a copy from a library.

scribd has a copy online, but it is behind a soft paywall.

[MichaelGerardBurke]

Thank you.

Can you give me some idea of what Einstein said about Leibniz?

[hyksos]

He wrote something (I am paraphrasing) -- According to the principle of relativity, space divorced from any content has no physical meaning. Then he said something else about the modern mathematical tools did not exist in the 17th century to have 'born out' Leibniz.

I strongly suggest consulting the article itself, as context and subtlety play huge roles in this topic.