Dr. Pronab K. Chowdhury justifies his claim that General Relativity was a “useless theory”
for 50 to 60 years after its creation by arguing that it lacked practical application, was ignored
by mainstream scientists, and addressed problems that were marginal to the actual progress of
physics.
His justifications include the following:
● Irrelevance to Essential Physics: The author characterizes General Relativity as a
“Makal fruit” (gvKvj dj)—a metaphor for something that looks attractive but is useless
inside 1-3. He argues that while the scientific community was solving the urgent
mysteries of atomic structure and the nucleus, Einstein was focused on a “pet project”
that held no value for these fundamental breakthroughs 1, 4.
● Marginal Phenomena: Chowdhury asserts that General Relativity only provided
descriptions for two “completely unimportant” cosmic processes: the deflection of light
near the sun and the perihelion shift of Mercury 1. He claims these did nothing to
advance human welfare or the broader field of physics during Einstein’s lifetime 5.
● Scientific Disinterest and Isolation: The author notes that for nearly six decades,
General Relativity was largely ignored by the mainstream scientific community 6. He
highlights that the theory was not even a subject of discussion at the prestigious Solvay
Conferences until 1973, roughly 60 years after its inception 6. Enthusiastic engagement
with the theory only revived significantly after 1974 due to the work of Stephen Hawking
3.
● Minimal Technological Impact: Within his framework, the author posits that if General
Relativity had never been created, the only significant technological loss today would be
GPS 7. He suggests that human civilization would have been technologically backward
by at most one decade without it, while the absence of Quantum Mechanics would
have set civilization back at least 50 years 7, 8.
● A “Solo Exhibition” for Fame: Chowdhury argues that the theory’s primary “use” was
not scientific, but rather as a “solo exhibition” to build Einstein’s personal brand 9, 10.
He claims it was utilized as a tool for a “calculated Zionist media campaign” to establish
Einstein as a global icon of genius, distracting from the fact that he was no longer
producing viable science 9, 11.
In summary, the author justifies his stance by framing General Relativity as a mathematically
complex but practically empty theory that was kept alive by media hype rather than its utility
to the scientific progress of the 20th century 2, 11.
