On Dingle's rebuttal of the special theory of relativity

TL;DR

This paper reviews Helbert Dingle's 1972 critique of special relativity, analyzing its historical context and the fallacious nature of his arguments.

Contribution

It provides a historical and didactic analysis of Dingle's flawed critique of special relativity, clarifying misconceptions.

Findings

Dingle's critique is based on fallacious reasoning.

The paper clarifies the historical context of Dingle's arguments.

It demonstrates the importance of logical consistency in scientific theories.

Abstract

In his 1972 book Science At the Crossroads, Helbert Dingle attacked the consistency of special relativity through a fallacious argument championed by the crank community even to this day. Dingle's affair is a curious chapter in the history of physics and, more generally, science. We briefly review Dingle's case from a historical and didactic perspective.