Is the speed of light an arbitrary or logical universal constant? Let me explain what I mean by arbitrary and logical.
Consider temperature. Why is -273.15 the lowest temperature that can occur? Is it some arbitrary constant? No, a temperature lower than absolute zero makes no sense because temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of matter, you cannot have less than zero kinetic energy and -273.15 C is the temperature where this is occurs. So I would say that this limit is a logical limit.
I know nothing can travel faster or, in the case of matter, at the speed of light because of conversion of energy to mass. I'm not looking for an explanation of why faster than light travel is impossible. I'm asking whether the speed of light could have been something else. And yes I know the numerical value of the speed of light would be different if we used different measuring sticks of space and time.
Consider temperature. Why is -273.15 the lowest temperature that can occur? Is it some arbitrary constant? No, a temperature lower than absolute zero makes no sense because temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of matter, you cannot have less than zero kinetic energy and -273.15 C is the temperature where this is occurs. So I would say that this limit is a logical limit.
I know nothing can travel faster or, in the case of matter, at the speed of light because of conversion of energy to mass. I'm not looking for an explanation of why faster than light travel is impossible. I'm asking whether the speed of light could have been something else. And yes I know the numerical value of the speed of light would be different if we used different measuring sticks of space and time.
