Status Updates From Foundations of Space-Time T...

Interesting discussion and clarification the past few pages of the various forms of relativity, relational and absolute used, and uses it to clarify precisely the issue at hand with things such as Newtons bucket experiment of absolute rotational motions and the uncompleted Machian attempt to account for them with rest of matter of the universe, in the official general relativity affine connection perspective.

"General relativity, unlike Newtonian physics or special relativity, describes a nonflat space-time in which there are no inertial coordinate systems. This is the only sense in which general relativity is "more covariant" than the other two theories." (pp 61) This entails no "reality" to mass or forces related to mass (i.e gravity) in general relativity, we curve space just enough to make masses/forces "disappear"!

General covariance is satisfied by all space-time theories we consider, it cannot, therefore be used to single out general relativity. This covariance in fact has no physical content whatever: it specifies no particular physical theory, it merely expresses our commitment to a certain style of formulating physical theories. Thus the general principle of relativity must be stating something more or different to this...