  It is known that Einstein's conceptual base for his theory of relativity was
the philosophy formulated by Immanuel Kant. Things appear differently to
observers in different frames. However, Kant's Ding-an-Sich leads to the
existence of the absolute reference frame which is not acceptable in Einstein's
theory. It is possible to avoid this conflict using the ancient Chinese
philosophy of Taoism where two different views can co-exist in harmony. This is
not enough to explain Einstein's discovery of the mass-energy relation. The
energy-momentum relations for slow and ultra-fast particles take different
forms. Einstein was able to synthesize these two formulas to create his
energy-mass relation. Indeed, this is what Hegelianism is about in physics.
Isaac Newton synthesized open orbits for comets and closed orbits for planets
to create his second law of motion. Maxwell combined electricity and magnetism
to create his four equations to the present-day wireless world. In order to
synthesize wave and particle views of matter, Heisenberg formulated his
uncertainty principle. Relativity and quantum mechanics are the two greatest
theories formulated in the 20th Century. Efforts to synthesize these two
theories are discussed in detail.
