The Big Bang Never Happened Book Creator: Eric J. Learner Played by: Narada
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Game II Core Wave: "Ancient Ideas in Modern
Times" or "Time Transcendent Ideas."
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Main Submission
"The Big Bang Never Happened" is a 400 page review of the history of cosmology. Sub-titled "A Startling Refutation of the Dominant Theory of the Universe", it argues the case for various alternatives, and favours a "plazma universe" organised on the large scale by electromagnetic rather than gravitational forces. Whilst being a fascinating mind expanding read in itself, its main value to me personally was to show me that I had been seduced into accepting as scientific fact the latest popularised quasi-religious fairy tale. I find it disconcerting that so many progressive thinkers appear to use this fairy tale called the Big Bang to give some kind of scientific authority to their insights into the nature of reality. They seem to think that the Big Bang is a new and progressive description of reality, when quite possibly it is no more than the last throes of a very limiting thought system.
Some of the main advocates for and popularises of the dubious theory of the Big Bang have been well aware of the theological implications of their work. And their tenacity in arguing its virtues was inspired by their need to validate a cosmology that in its fundamental priciples allowed for the metaphorical parrallels of Christian creationism. In particular, one of the original forms of the theory was proposed by a young Belgian cosmologist and priest, one Georges-Henri Lemaitre. In 1931 he presented his theory of a 'primeval atom", based primarily upon such evidence as the newly discovered red shift of the galaxies, the second law of thermodynamics, and the mysterious origin of cosmic rays. The theory took quite a beating over the next decade, and it did not gain respectability until 1947 when one of the Manhattan project scientists took up the cause. To quote from the book: "Unlike Lemaitre, Gamow had a tremendous flair for publicising and popularising his own theories, a flair that, within a few years, would establish his element theory-soon to be dubbed the Big Bang, ironically, by its detractors-as the dominant cosmology. His propagandist talents are demonstrated in the first sentence of the article proposing his views-"It is generally agreed at present that the relative abundances of the various chemical elements were determined by physical conditions existing in the universe during the earlier stages of its expansion"-which was not at all the case: only a handful of scientists had accepted Lemaitre's primeval atom and perhaps only two or three believed that this could explain the origin of the elements. But if it hadn't been true before, Gamow changed that: in 1947 he published the immensely popular and well written book, 'One, Two, Three, Infinity', which gave a lively and sweeping overview of modern physical science and astronomy. The last chapter presents the big Bang as accepted fact. Gowns persuasive writing and his use of the analogy to the a-bomb, so vivid to the entire post war population, made his theory plausible to the male world of science writers and readers." The book also explores an alternative cosmology based upon plasma physics, and argues that electro-magnetic forces rather than gravity are more likely responsible for the large scale structure of the universe. I would be interested to read any more recent information as this book was published in1991, and the jugganaut of modern cosmology seems to me to be veering ever further from plausability.
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