It turns out Einstein didn't claim to remove the ether. It is a popular science / scientists interpretation of his work. Einstein explicitly cleared the air saying his theory had an "ether".
" To deny the ether is ultimately to assume that empty space has no physical qualities whatever. The fundamental facts of mechanics do not harmonize with this view. "
"Mach's idea finds its full development in the ether of the general theory of relativity. "
That being said, I don't accept Minkowski space-time either.
It turns out Einstein didn't claim to remove the ether. It is a popular science / scientists interpreting of his work. Einstein explicitly cleared the air saying his theory had an "ether".
" To deny the ether is ultimately to assume that empty space has no physical qualities whatever. The fundamental facts of mechanics do not harmonize with this view. "
"Mach's idea finds its full development in the ether of the general theory of relativity. "
That being said, I don't accept Minkowski space-time either.