🚀 go-pugleaf

On Dec 10, 11:23 pm, PD (Paul Draper) wrote:
> On Dec 10, 12:57 am, Pentcho Valev wrote:
>
> > Again: Clever Draper, is the speed of light unaffected/affected by the
> > movements of the observer according to Maxwell's electromagnetic
> > theory?
>
> Unaffected, according to Maxwell's equations, with the extra baggage
> of the ether dropped and the principle of relativity included.

John Norton, an Einsteinian immeasurably cleverer than you, says that,
according to Maxwell's electromagnetic theory, the speed of light is
(1) constant with respect to the ether and (2) unaffected by the speed
of the emitter:

http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00002149/01/Norton.pdf
John Norton: "The difficulty Einstein faced is that Maxwells
electrodynamics cannot be an emission theory. One of the most
important consequences of the theory is that light in a vacuum always
propagates at the same speed, c=186,000 miles per second, WITH RESPECT
TO THE ETHER. Its velocity of propagation is unaffected by the
velocity of the emitter."

If John Norton shared your view that, according to Maxwell's
electromagnetic theory, the speed of light is unaffected by the speed
of the observer as well, he would have written something like this:

"The difficulty Einstein faced is that Maxwells electrodynamics cannot
be an emission theory. One of the most important consequences of the
theory is that light in a vacuum always propagates at the same speed,
c=186,000 miles per second, WITH RESPECT TO BOTH THE ETHER AND THE
OBSERVER. Its velocity of propagation is unaffected by the velocities
of BOTH THE EMITTER AND THE OBSERVER."

In other words, if you are right and Maxwell's electromagnetic theory
says that the speed of light is unaffected by the movements of the
observer, John Norton's original text can be characterized as
suspiciously and unreasonably incomplete.

Pentcho Valev
pvalev@yahoo.com