---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Relativity theory forced the abandonment…"
description: "\"Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of absolute space and absolute time.\" — Marshall McLuhan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png"
---

#  Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of…

![“Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of absolute space and absolute time.” quote by Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png)

> “Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of absolute space and absolute time.”

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Relativity reshaped the idea of fixed space and time.

**In simple terms:** Relativity changed absolute space/time.

Key Takeaway

Embrace fluid concepts.

Themes

physics relativity philosophy of science

Mood

intellectual curious

Type

academic philosophical

When to use this quote

- education
- scientific research
- technology development

Key Concepts

theoretical physics philosophical inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does relativity affect daily life?
- What implications does it have for technology?

A Different Perspective

Complex concepts can be misunderstood.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abandonment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/) [Absolute Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-space-1144158/) [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Principle Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-absolute-1190796/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Relativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativity/) [Relativity Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativity-theory-672593/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-absolute-3517176/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Time is not possible without space. Everything beyond the “physical” world is either endless or eternal. Absolute void is endless and, therefore, nonexistent. Absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/time-is-not-possible-without-space-everything-beyond-the-physical/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [I heard that in relativity theory, space and time are the same thing. Einstein discovered this when he kept showing up three miles late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-heard-that-in-relativity-theory-space-and-time-are-the-same-thing/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [The Relativity theory, the copernican upheaval, or any great scientific convulsion, leaves a new landscape. There is a period of stunned dreariness; then people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/the-relativity-theory-the-copernican-upheaval-or-any-great-scientific/)

[Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/)

> [It is probably safe to say that all the changes of factual knowledge which have led to the relativity theory, resulting in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talcott-parsons/it-is-probably-safe-to-say-that-all-the-changes-of-factual-knowledge/)

[Talcott Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talcott-parsons/)

> [I believe that I have really found the relationship between gravitation and electricity, assuming that the Miller experiments are based on a fundamental error.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-believe-that-i-have-really-found-the-relationship-between/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“If Relativity Theory kills our deepest convictions, why not start by finding out why we believed in them for millennia?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/if-relativity-theory-kills-our-deepest-convictions-why-not-start-by/)

[Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/)

> [“As we already pointed out, 'special' means 'restricted to Inertial Frames of Reference', i.e. this theory cannot describe the Universe from an arbitrary reference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/as-we-already-pointed-out-special-means-restricted-to-inertial-frames/)

[Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/)

> [Now to the term 'relativity theory.' I admit that it is unfortunate, and has given occasion to philosophical misunderstandings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/now-to-the-term-relativity-theory-i-admit-that-it-is-unfortunate-and/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [In my relativity theory I set up a clock at every point in space, but in reality I find it difficult to provide even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/in-my-relativity-theory-i-set-up-a-clock-at-every-point-in-space-but/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“Relatives come to your house and make fun of you. Then you go as a relative to their house and make fun of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitya-prakash/relatives-come-to-your-house-and-make-fun-of-you-then-you-go-as-a/)

[Nitya Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitya-prakash/)

> [ No one must think that Newton’s great creation can be overthrown in any real sense by this \[Theory of Relativity\] or by any other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/no-one-must-think-that-newton-s-great-creation-can-be-overthrown-in/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [At present every coachman and every waiter argues about whether or not the relativity theory is correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/at-present-every-coachman-and-every-waiter-argues-about-whether-or/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [The treatment of the indeterminacy principle as absolute and final can then be criticized as constituting an arbitrary restriction on scientific theories, since it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/the-treatment-of-the-indeterminacy-principle-as-absolute-and-final/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [The knowledge that mankind needs is not the way or principle which has an absolute existence, but the particular truths for here and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/the-knowledge-that-mankind-needs-is-not-the-way-or-principle-which/)

[Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/)

> [Bistromathics itself is simply a revolutionary new way of understanding the behavior of numbers. Just as Einstein observed that space was not an absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/bistromathics-itself-is-simply-a-revolutionary-new-way-of/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

## More by Marshall McLuhan

> [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Language always preserves a play or figure/ground relation between experience, and perception and its replay in expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-always-preserves-a-play-or-figure-ground-relation-between/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“The constant broadcast and reception of ghostly images via radio and television, according to this notion, had weakened the sense, particularly among youth, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-constant-broadcast-and-reception-of-ghostly-images-via-radio-and/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [New media may at first appear as mere codes of transmission for older achievement and established patterns of thought. But nobody could make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/new-media-may-at-first-appear-as-mere-codes-of-transmission-for-older/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Youth instinctively understand the present environment - the electric drama. It lives mythically and in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/youth-instinctively-understand-the-present-environment-the-electric/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Our motor car is our supreme form of privacy when we are away from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/our-motor-car-is-our-supreme-form-of-privacy-when-we-are-away-from/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

[Explore all 433 Marshall McLuhan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

## More Abandonment quotes

> [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/)

[Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/)

> [“Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them. Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-brown/sometimes-people-walk-away-from-love-because-it-is-so-beautiful-that/)

[Jeff Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-brown/)

> [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. But they have not accepted - they have scarcely even heard -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/modern-societies-accepted-the-treasures-and-the-power-offered-them-by/)

[Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/)

> [Judaism is absolutely incompatible with the abandonment of the Torah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/judaism-is-absolutely-incompatible-with-the-abandonment-of-the-torah/)

[Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/)

> [“Abandonment is ugly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-moore/abandonment-is-ugly/)

[Michelle Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-moore/)

> [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/)

[Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/)

> [“When you give everything, you have nothing to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/when-you-give-everything-you-have-nothing-to-lose/)

[Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/)

> [The only thing worse than being abandoned, is not being worthy of an explanation. It hurts to let go... but the feeling you're falling..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joryneville/the-only-thing-worse-than-being-abandoned-is-not-being-worthy-of-an/)

[JoryNeville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joryneville/)

> [“I am not so different in my history of abandonment from anyone else after all. We have all been split away from each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/i-am-not-so-different-in-my-history-of-abandonment-from-anyone-else/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [“The introduction to horrors so young impressed on me just how helpless and vulnerable I was. Parents are supposed to empower their children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-enevoldsen/the-introduction-to-horrors-so-young-impressed-on-me-just-how/)

[Christina Enevoldsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-enevoldsen/)

> [Heartbreak has an archetypal core, all heartbroken individuals suffer from the same kind of torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginette-paris/heartbreak-has-an-archetypal-core-all-heartbroken-individuals-suffer/)

[Ginette Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginette-paris/)

> [“Lonely Balcony The deterioration brought by weariness was visible. Its burden of abandonment can be perceived at a glance. The balcony ache with longings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iqra-iqbal/lonely-balcony-the-deterioration-brought-by-weariness-was-visible-its/)

[iqra iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iqra-iqbal/)

> [God causes us to promise in time of peace what He exacts from us in time of war; He enables us to make our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/god-causes-us-to-promise-in-time-of-peace-what-he-exacts-from-us-in/)

[Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/)

[Browse all 348 Abandonment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of absolute space and absolute time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marshall McLuhan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment-in-principle-of-absolute/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abandonment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment-in-principle-of-absolute/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/marshall-mcluhan-641_abandonment_relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment_2810644.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in principle, of absolute space and absolute time.” — Marshall McLuhan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Marshall McLuhan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Relativity theory forced the abandonment, in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment-in-principle-of-absolute/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/relativity-theory-forced-the-abandonment-in-principle-of-absolute/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
