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In
his original 1905 paper on what we call "The Special Theory of Relativity,"
(SR) Einstein gave as his two postulates: 1) the laws of physics take the same
form in every inertial reference system (the Principle of Relativity); 2) the
speed of light in free space has the same value, c, in all inertial reference
frames (the constancy of light). See A.
Einstein, "Zur Elektrodynamik Bewegter Korper," Annalen der Physic
17 (1905): 891-921..There are actually a variety of ways to obtain these
postulates from other areas in physics, such as Maxwells equations or
electromagnetism; cf. J. R. Lucas and
P. E. Hodgson, Spacetime & Electromagnetism (Oxford: Clarendon
Press, 1990).There is also a vast literature discussing the scientific and
philosophical implications of SR. For a
helpful guide, see Arthur I. Miller, Albert Einstein's Special Theory of
Relativity: Emergence (1905) and Early Interpretation (1905-1911)
(Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1981).
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