O eclipse de 1919 em Sobral e o primeiro teste empírico da teoria da relatividade geral de Einstein: reflexões epistemológicas

Abstract

The present work consists of a philosophical analysis of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, in light of concepts present in the epistemology of science. The analysis has an analytical methodology, is qualitative in nature and exploratory in type. It focuses on how the theory was conceptually elaborated and its first successful empirical test, undertaken in 1919 in the city of Sobral, Brazil. The objective is to discuss different epistemological perspectives in the case of the theory of relativity, especially in relation to the belief in the veracity of the entities and relationships postulated by the theory. Firstly, the Special and General Theory of Relativity is presented in a conceptual and simplified way. Next, the story of the elaboration of the theory and the 1919 test in Sobral is reported. Then some of the main epistemological problems of science are explained. They are: confirmation, explanation, acceptance and progress. The main epistemological ideas come from authors such as Rudolf Carnap, Karl Popper, Bas van Fraassen and Richard Boyd. Finally, Einstein's theory and its empirical test are analyzed according to epistemological concepts within the scope of the problems addressed. It was possible to conclude from the analysis that: the hypothetical-deductive method is more suitable for understanding the theory than the inductive method; the theory presents a high degree of confirmation, corroboration and empirical adequacy; the theory corresponds to scientific progress, but not cumulative, as it abandons some previous bases; acceptance of the theory does not imply the belief that the entities or relationships postulated by it are real or reliable, but only that they are good instruments of description and prediction, this is because the assumption of truth necessarily involves the assumption of metaphysical principles, which cannot be tested empirically.