On Thu, 29 Jul 1999 23:14:36 -0700, Ken wrote:
> We still believe faster than light travel is physically impossible but it
>really has not been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Einstein's theory of
>relativity is only just that a theory. 

The only difference between a theory and a law is the test of time.  It's
a common misconception that theories haven't been proven.  That is wrong.
Unproven statements are conjectures or hypotheses.  The theory of relativity
explains most of what we currently know, and it was able to predict things
we didn't yet know at the time, so it is sound within the constraints of
our current knowledge.  And, just as Newtonian physics didn't go away when
Einsteinian came along, nor will Einsteinian go away when the next big thing
comes along.  The next thing will just be a more general restatement of what
we already know.  We can only hope that somewhere in those new equations is
a loophole that lets us accelerate past lightspeed.  There is no reason to
believe that that will be so.

Post a reply to this message