Noether's Theorems and Energy in General Relativity

Understand

This paper has three main aims: first, to give a pedagogical introduction to Noether's two theorems and their implications for energy conservation in general relativity, which was a central point of discussion between Hilbert, Klein, Noether and Einstein.

• Second, it introduces and compares two proposals for gravitational energy and momentum, one of which is very influential in physics: and, so far as I know, neither of the two has been discussed in the philosophical literature.
• Third, it assesses these proposals in connection with recent philosophical discussions of energy and momentum in general relativity.
• After briefly reviewing the debates about energy conservation between Hilbert, Klein, Noether and Einstein, I give Noether's two theorems.