Comment by whatshisface
7 years ago
>There is no aether, no absolute space, velocities don't add
There are two categories of things in that list: statements that had implications beyond what they had confirmed (the medium of light, the absoluteness of space) and an approximation (the addition of velocities.) Unsurprisingly the metaphysical interpretation of physics has not stood up to refinements in physics. The physics, however, remains true to within the bounds they knew. Likewise, the interpretation of physics is likely to change quite a bit over the next 1000 years, even 100. That's why you should never put too much stock in pop-sci articles that try to tell you that the universe is made of this-or-that. Fortunately on the philosophical side we now all realize that the interpretations are just humanizations of the knowledge itself, and are not knowledge themselves.