ABSTRACT
In his Theory of Relativity (1905), Albert Einstein proved that
widely held concepts about time were not always true. For instance,
Sir Isaac Newton’s theory that time moves at a constant rate was
proved erroneous after it could be demonstrated that time elapses at
a slower rate for rapidly moving objects than it does for slowly moving
ones. An example of this phenomenon would be an astronaut who
goes on an extended space voyage. The returning astronaut would
have aged only a few years while his earthbound counterparts would
have gotten dramatically older. The belief that two events separated
in space could happen at precisely the same time — simultane-
ity — has also been demonstrated to be incorrect. Whether two
events appear to happen at the same time is contingent on the vantage
point of the viewer, and no single observer has the inherent privilege
to be such an authority. For Einstein, the concept of space as some-
thing that exists objectively and independent of things, including
time, is a remnant of ancient, pre-scientifi c thinking.
