The Special Theory of Relativity

"The theory of relativity is not merely a scientific development of great importance in its own right. It is even more significant as the first stage of a radical change in our basic concepts, which began in physics, and which is spreading into other fields of science, and indeed, even into a great deal of thinking outside of science." The opening lines ofThe Special Theory of Relativityshow us David Bohm's unique ability to bridge the worlds of theoretical physics and the conceptual issues that underly science that gives his writing meaning far beyond the scientific community. Based on his famous final year undergraduate lectures on theoretical physics at Birkbeck College, Bohm presents the theory of relativity as a unified whole, making clear the reasons which led to its adoption, and explaining its basic meaning. With clarity and grace, he also reveals the limited truth of some of the "common sense" assumptions which make it difficult for us to appreciate its fullimplications.