Post 4

In dealing with reference frames, and claiming that no reference frame is preferred over any other, that is, that all reference frames are relative and there is no absolute reference frame: if we, say, choose a rocket in uniform motion as a reference frame, there is obviously space external to the rocket, so how can we not say that the rocket’s reference frame is inferior to that external space? The rocket is demonstrably, entirely contained by that external space, so the reference frame attached to that external space must necessarily be superior to that of the rocket. By this reasoning, since any possible reference frame we might choose is contained within the universe, then all reference frames must be inferior to the universe as a whole. Therefore, there is an absolute frame of reference that comprises the universe as a whole, and any measurements made relative to an inferior reference frame are correct in thought only, and we will be making an error if we attribute any real, physical significance to such measurements. It doesn’t matter that we cannot pinpoint the universal reference frame. This inability to pinpoint it does not mean we may ignore its existence in physical theory.