Sciency Words: The Theory of Invariance

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Albert Einstein made many important contributions to science, but one of his most controversial was the theory of relativity.  Not that it was controversial among scientists.  Proof of relativity came fairly rapidly after its initial publication, and experiment after experiment have continued confirming its validity ever since.  No, the controversy was among the general public, some of whom perceived, for some reason, that relativity in physics led to relativity in morality.

This confusion upset Einstein so much that, later in life, he pushed to have his theory renamed “the theory of invariance.”  Where the term relativity applied to the relative frames of reference of different observers, the term invariance refers to the invariant speed of light, which is just as essential to the theory as the relativity part.  It would also reassure people that no, morality is not relative.

However, by that time the name relativity had already been around for several decades.  The names of scientific principles are not easily changed once they’re established, so for better or worse, the theory of relativity is here to stay.

So what do you think?  Do you like relativity, or do you think we should have renamed it invariance as Einstein suggested?

9 thoughts on “Sciency Words: The Theory of Invariance

      1. I take it you are the author or one of the authors of this paper. If so, I’d be willing to do a short interview on my blog. If you’re interested, send me an email at james dot pailly at gmail dot com.


      2. Hi James,
        I am a friend of the author’s. I told him about your web. He said yes with your idea of a short interview. He will contact with you through your gmail soon.



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