Space Time and Electromagnetism

Certain fundamental concepts are vital to understanding the world around us, such as spacetime, covered by the special theory of relativity, and causality, the effect of random events, promoted by electromagnetism. Discussing these, the authors support a rationalist view of physics.

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That space and time should be integrated into a single entity, spacetime, is the insight of the special theory of relativity, which leads us to regard spacetime as one of the fundamental categories in terms of which we make sense of the world around us. However, it is not the only one - causality is equally important, and at least as the special theory is concerned, not to be subsumed under a fundamentally geometrical form of explanation. The agent of propagation of causal influence is electromagnetic radiation. The light-cone is fundamental to the topology of spacetime. The authors find support for a rationalist approach to physics, rejecting a simple empiricist or positivist view of science.