Realism, Relativity and Representation
Realism, Relativity and Representation

Summary/Abstract: The paper argues that Einstein’s distinction between ‘constructive and principle theories’ involves representational claims about physical reality and therefore has implications for the question of realism. Einstein was mostly interested in the latter kind of theory because it imposes fundamental constraints on both the phenomena and their scientific representation. The Special Theory of Relativity (STR) represents physical reality in such a way that only the invariant is to be regarded as physically real. This invariance view arises from the imposition of constraints on the reference frames in the STR. A consideration of constraints shows that structures are of central concern in the relativity theory. The concern for structure puts Einstein’s views in the vicinity of structural realism.

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