Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity01:17

Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity

3.0K
In 1905, Albert Einstein published his special theory of relativity. According to this theory, no matter in the universe can attain a speed greater than the speed of light in a vacuum, which thus serves as the speed limit of the universe.
This has been verified in many experiments. However, space and time are no longer absolute. Two observers moving relative to one another do not agree on the length of objects or the passage of time. The mechanics of objects based on Newton's laws of...
3.0K
Conservation of Energy: Application01:12

Conservation of Energy: Application

7.1K
When solving problems using the energy conservation law, the object (system) to be studied should first be identified. Often, in applications of energy conservation, we study more than one body at the same time. Second, identify all forces acting on the object and determine whether each force doing work is conservative. If a non-conservative force (e.g., friction) is doing work, then mechanical energy is not conserved. The system must then be analyzed with non-conservative work. Third, for...
7.1K
Principle of Equivalence01:18

Principle of Equivalence

2.3K
According to Albert Einstein (1897-1955), free-falling and feeling weightless are intrinsically linked. If a person were in free-fall under gravity, for example, diving towards the Earth from an airplane, they would feel completely weightless. Similarly, a person descending in a lift may feel partially weightless. Broadly speaking, it is assumed that an object in a uniform gravitational field and an object undergoing constant acceleration in the absence of gravity are under the same...
2.3K
Conservation of Energy00:54

Conservation of Energy

9.5K
The terms 'conserved quantity' and 'conservation law' have specific scientific meanings in physics, which differ from the meanings associated with their everyday use. For example, in everyday usage, water could be conserved by not using it, by using less of it, or by re-using it. However, in scientific terms, a conserved quantity of a system stays constant, changes by a definite amount that is transferred to other systems, and is converted into other forms of that...
9.5K
Conservation of Mechanical Energy01:05

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

16.7K
The mechanical energy E of a system is the sum of its potential energy U and the kinetic energy K of the objects within it. What happens to this mechanical energy when only conservative forces cause energy transfers within the system—that is, when frictional and drag forces do not act on the objects in the system? Also assume that the system is isolated from its environment; in other words no external force from an object outside the system causes energy changes inside the system.
When a...
16.7K
Conservative Forces01:14

Conservative Forces

12.4K
According to the law of conservation of energy, any transition between kinetic and potential energy conserves the total energy of the system. Hence, the work done by a conservative force is completely reversible. It is path independent, which means that we can start and stop at any two points in the transition, and the total energy of the system (kinetic plus potential energy at these points) will remain conserved. This is characteristic of a conservative force. Some important examples of...
12.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Does Meta-induction Justify Induction: Or Maybe Something Else?

Journal for general philosophy of science = Zeitschrift fur allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie·2023
Same author

Conservation Laws and the Philosophy of Mind: Opening the Black Box, Finding a Mirror.

Philosophia (Ramat-Gan, Israel)·2022
Same author

Conservation of Energy: Missing Features in Its Nature and Justification and Why They Matter.

Foundations of science·2021
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks
06:57

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Published on: August 9, 2016

11.5K

General Relativity, Mental Causation, and Energy Conservation.

J Brian Pitts1,2

  • 1Faculty of Philosophy and Trinity College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Erkenntnis
|July 25, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

General Relativity physics challenges Cartesian mental causation. The study shows that mental causation is incompatible with General Relativity, suggesting it must be constant and thus zero.

More Related Videos

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions
09:46

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions

Published on: May 10, 2012

12.7K
Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
07:20

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

13.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks
06:57

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Published on: August 9, 2016

11.5K
MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions
09:46

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions

Published on: May 10, 2012

12.7K
Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
07:20

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

13.7K

Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Metaphysics

Background:

  • The conservation of energy and momentum has historically challenged Cartesian mental causation.
  • Modern discussions often overlook General Relativity (GR), locality, and Noether's theorem.
  • Some propose GR's non-localizable energy supports mental causation by showing conservation fails.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the implications of General Relativity (GR) for Cartesian mental causation.
  • To address the conservation objection to mental causation using modern physics.
  • To explore the compatibility of mental causation with GR's symmetries and conservation laws.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of GR's formal symmetries and Noether's first theorem.
  • Application of generalized Bianchi identities within GR.
  • Examination of the implications for spatio-temporal constancy of mental influence.

Main Results:

  • GR formally possesses infinite conserved energies-momenta due to its symmetries.
  • GR tends to exclude, rather than facilitate, Cartesian mental causation.
  • In simplest cases, Cartesian mental influence must be spatio-temporally constant, effectively zero.

Conclusions:

  • The new general relativistic objection challenges Cartesian mental causation.
  • This work supports realism about gravitational energy-momentum in GR.
  • Conserved quantities may still be viable in theories of causation, even within GR.