This paper is the first of a two-part series which re-interprets relativistic length contraction and time dilation in terms of concepts argued to be more fundamental, broadly construed to mean: concepts which point to the next paradigm. In this paper, Lorentz contraction is re-interpreted in terms of the concept of dimensional abatement, and four overarching arguments are given that the latter is more fundamental: Dimensional abatement (1) focuses attention on two fundamental principles overlooked under the current paradigm, (2) permits a more fundamental understanding of speed of light invariance in terms of dimensionally reduced frames, (3) facilitates the identification of magnetic fields as line integrals of dimensionally reduced versions of electric fields, and (4) leads to the identification of a mathematical reason for the observed absence of magnetic charges.
Armin Nikkhah Shirazi