Philosophy in science – a case study of the reception of the Special and the General Theory of Relativity in Kraków and Lwów before 1925

Abstract

A centenary of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity brings forward some questions with regard to the impact of Einstein’s theory on philosophy. This theory, and the chronologically earlier Special Theory of Relativity, have had many important philosophical implications. In Poland they provoked interesting philosophical discussions before WWII. The history of those discussions reveals numerous noteworthy facts concerning the relationships between mathematics, physics and philosophy. A case study of the reception of the Special and General Theory of Relativity in Kraków and Lwów before 1925 focuses on the peculiar specificity of exact sciences and philosophy in Polish Galicia. The concept of “philosophy in science” coined by Michael Heller is particularly suitable for describing this specificity. The article begins with a short overview of the early reception of the Special Theory of Relativity in Kraków. Next, it shows how the discussions during the 10th and 11th Congresses of Polish Physicians and Natural Scientists (Lwów 1907, Kraków 1911) influenced the reception of the STR. What is also discussed are the roots of the specificity of the reception in Lwów, i.e. the influence of the considerations about the foundations of mechanics and a public philosophical debate around Einstein’s theories. In order to demonstrate how different the reception of these theories was in Kraków, a description is provided of a methodological debate between S. Zaremba and T. Banachiewicz. Some notes are also added about the concurrent styles of philosophy of science (philosophy of nature). The article ends with conclusions about the specificity of Kraków’s and Lwów’s styles of philosophy in science. This study reveals that in this period Einstein’s theories significantly stimulated philosophical considerations in Poland. These considerations have become an important supplement to the scientific activity in Kraków and Lwów.