We have been taught that empty space is empty. Not quite nothing, perhaps. But certainly no substance. No medium. No hidden structure.
The old concept of the Aether—once regarded as essential to understanding light, electricity and magnetism—was swept aside by the Michelson-Morley experiment and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The verdict is settled. Case closed. Or is it?
One of Einstein’s critics was physicist Herbert Dingle, who saw physics becoming increasingly reliant on mathematical description while moving away from physical explanation.
For example, epicycles used to explain planetary motion, and predicted the movements of the planets with remarkable accuracy—yet epicycles eventually became a symbol of a mistaken picture of the cosmos. The mathematics worked. The underlying model did not.
Author and independent researcher David Drew demonstrates how grand ideas—such as the Aether—can return with increasing resurgence of interest.
