Chukchi Myths perspective on Special Relativity

Abstract

The teaching of special relativity still follows Einstein's original two-postulate approach and thus recreates the relativistic revolution in the minds of students again and again, with all its attendant shocking and mysterious aspects. As Hermann Bondi long ago noted, such an approach, which emphasizes the revolutionary aspects of a theory rather than its continuity with earlier thought, "is hardly conducive to easy teaching and good understanding". But what could be a better alternative? In 1923, the distinguished Russian ethnographer, linguist, and anthropologist Tan-Bogoraz described the striking similarities between the special theory of relativity and the mythology of Chukchi shamans. Inspired by this surprising observation, I assume that the basic concepts of relativity are not at all alien to our innate perception of time and space, and I propose an approach to the foundations of relativity that emphasizes absolute concepts such as proper time and causal cones rather than relative ones.