Space Time and Electromagnetism: An Essay on the Philosophy of the Special Theory of Relativity - Tapa dura

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.