The Clock Paradox in Chukchi Myth and the Teaching of Special Relativity

TL;DR

The paper targets persistent confusion in teaching special relativity by arguing against the traditional two-postulate formulation and instead proposes a four-dimensional, causality-centered framework grounded in proper time. By leveraging the Chukchi myth as a conceptual bridge, it develops a radar/Robb-Geroch approach to interval, simultaneity, and Lorentz boosts that emphasizes invariant causal structure rather than Newtonian intuition. Key contributions include a coordinate-friendly exposition where the twin paradox is understood as a coordinate artifact, a formalization of interval via the Robb-Geroch construction, and a pedagogical pathway that links relativistic concepts to foundational spacetime geometry. The work aims to enhance clarity and teaching efficacy for SR, with implications for education, philosophy of physics, and foundational discussions about spacetime.

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.

Figures (12)

• Figure 1: Absolute notions of "Before", "After" and "Neutral".
• Figure 2: A timelike world line at any event on it lies inside the light cone of that event.
• Figure 3: If ideal clocks separate at event $B$, follow different timelike worldlines $BMC$ and $BNC$, and reunite at event $C$, they will typically exhibit different elapsed proper times (the first clock effect). However, their tick rates will remain the same after reunion (absence of the second clock effect).
• Figure 4: Illustration of the Poincaré-Einstein's definition of simultaneity.
• Figure 5: Radar time coordinates are defined with respect to the worldline $\gamma$.