Rethinking Relativity: A Relational Model of Space, Time, and Energy

Rethinking Relativity: A Relational Model of Space, Time, and Energy

Einstein’s theories of relativity revolutionised physics by showing that space and time are not absolute but dynamic and intertwined. However, they are still often treated as a fabric—something that can stretch, contract, and warp. But what if we abandon the idea of space and time as a background structure entirely and instead see them as relations between instances? This shift in perspective has profound implications for how we understand fundamental relativistic phenomena.

1. Space and Time as Relations, Not a Fabric

Conventionally, space-time is depicted as a pre-existing entity that can be curved by mass. This suggests that space-time has an independent existence, even without objects or observers. But if space and time are merely relations between instances, then they do not exist independently of the processes they describe.

In this view, space and time are the ways in which instances of reality relate to each other. When we observe motion or measure distances, what we are really observing are the relations between instances of potential that have been actualised through observation.

2. Gravity as a Relational Phenomenon

In general relativity, gravity is usually described as the curvature of space-time caused by mass. However, if space and time are relational rather than fundamental, then what we call “curvature” is simply a shift in the relations between instances. A massive body alters the relational structure of potential instances, influencing how other instances unfold relative to it.

Rather than space-time bending as an independent entity, what changes is the way processes instantiate over time. The geodesic that objects follow is not curved within a background fabric; rather, the very conditions that define motion are altered in relation to the presence of mass.

3. Time Dilation and Length Contraction: Changing Relations, Not Stretching Metrics

Time dilation and length contraction are usually framed as distortions of a space-time metric. However, if time and space are just relations between instances, then what is actually happening?

Rather than a pre-existing metric “stretching” or “shrinking,” the process itself unfolds differently. Time dilation isn’t about time being warped—it’s about the rate at which a process unfolds relative to different observers. The same applies to length contraction: what contracts is not space as a thing-in-itself but the spatial relations that determine distances between instances.

Dilation and contraction, then, are not effects on an underlying space-time fabric but are simply reconfigurations of the way relational instances instantiate based on motion and gravity.

4. Mass-Energy as Relational, Not Absolute

In relativity, mass and energy are often treated as interconvertible substances. But if mass is a relational property rather than a thing-in-itself, does this also apply to energy?

Energy, in this framework, is best understood as the potential of a process to unfold. It is not a substance that moves from one place to another but a structuring of possible interactions. When a process occurs, it instantiates energy potential into a specific relational instance—meaning energy is not used up but actualised in context.

This perspective clarifies why energy is always relative to a system’s conditions. Energy does not exist independently; it only becomes meaningful when instantiated through interactions.

Conclusion: A Fully Relational View of Relativity

This reformulation of relativity removes the problematic notion of a pre-existing space-time fabric and replaces it with a fully relational model. In this view:

• Space and time are not things but ways in which instances relate to each other.

• Gravity is not curvature of space-time but a restructuring of relational instances.

• Time dilation and length contraction are not distortions but shifts in the way processes unfold.

• Energy is not an absolute quantity but the structured potential for processes to instantiate.

By adopting this framework, we resolve many ontological confusions surrounding relativity and open the door for a deeper understanding of how meaning, observation, and reality interconnect. This approach not only aligns with modern physics but also offers a more coherent foundation for thinking about the fundamental nature of existence itself.