Talk:Luminiferous aether

The famous Michelson-Morley experiment in 1887 contradicted the aether hypothesis, and was one of the experiments that led to the formulation of the theory of relativity in 1905. However, physicists did not fully abandon aether until the theory of relativity was fully accepted.

... and later,

In fact, the failure of physicists to prove that the aether was real led to Albert Einstein developing his theory of relativity, which is part of the basis of quantum mechanics.

The widely-taught notion that Michelson-Morley or other aether experiments led Einstein to his theory is debunked by Michael Polanyi in Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy, pp. 10-11. On page 10, Polanyi writes, "[The findings of Michelson-Morley] were, on the basis of pure speculation, rationally intuited by Einstein before had ever heard about it. To make sure of this, I addressed an enquiry to the late Professor Einstein, who confirmed the fact that 'the Michelson-Morley experiment had a negligible effect on the discovery of relativity.'" <>< tbc

Fooey. Can anybody help with this?