Space from Zeno to Einstein: Classic Readings with a Contemporary Commentary

Learning through original texts can be a powerful heuristic tool. Thisbook collects a dozen classic readings that are generally accepted as the mostsignificant contributions to the philosophy of space. The readings have beenselected both on the basis of their relevance to recent debates on the nature ofspace and on the extent to which they carry premonitions of contemporary physics. Inhis detailed commentaries, Nick Huggett weaves together the readings and links themto our modern understanding of the subject. Together the readings indicate thegeneral historical development of the concept of space, and in his commentariesHuggett explains their logical relations. He also uses our contemporaryunderstanding of space to help clarify the key ideas of the texts. One goal is toprepare the reader (both scientist and nonscientist) to learn and understandrelativity theory, the basis of our current understanding of space. The readings areby Zeno, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, Clarke, Berkeley, Kant, Mach, Poincar?, and Einstein.