6/19/2016

TheoriesoftheUniverse:ScientificOriginsoftheUniverse

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TheoriesoftheUniverse
ScientificOriginsoftheUniverse
Asfarbackasrecordedhistorygoes,therehavebeentwosetsofopposing
ideas,beliefs,theories,orteachingsabouttheoriginoftheuniverse.Ithaseither
existedeternallywithnobeginningorend,oritwascreatedatsomepointintime
andwilleventuallycometoanend.Inthefirstpartweexaminedtheearly
cultural,religious,andsomewhatphilosophicalviewsofhowtheuniversebegan.
We'vealsospentalittletimelookingatsomeideasaboutourownbeginnings
fromareligiousandscientificpointofview.Inthissection,we'regoingtotakea
briefexcursionthroughthevarioustheoriesthatsciencehasputforthtoexplain
theoriginoftheuniverse.
Byfarthemostpopulartheoryinsciencetodayisthebigbangtheory,theidea
thattheuniversecameintoexistenceatacertainpointintimeroughly15to20
billionyearsago.Inthelast25yearsthistheoryhasmovedtotheforefrontof
cosmology.You'llmeetsomeofthekeyfigureswhosetheorieshavelaidthe
foundationforthebigbang.However,asyou'llseeaswemovethroughthis
section,thistheoryisnotonlyaproductofsciencebutalsoofthetimesin
whichwelive.Andalthoughsciencewouldliketoconsideritselfremovedfrom
outsideinfluences,itcan'thelpbutbeaffectedbythepeoplewhoworkinthe
field.
TheCosmologicalPendulum
Idon'tthinkIhavetoreiterateforyouagainthetwomajorwaysinwhichthe
studyofcosmologycanbeapproached,I'msureyourememberwhattheyare.
Inourpresentday,thesetwomethodshavemanifested,andinsomecases
crystallizedintotwodistinctareasofscience:experimentationand
mathematicaltheory.Theoristsoftenhavenothingtodowithactual
experimentationandthesamecanbesaidofexperimenters.Anditisthis
distinctionthathasbeenasourceofdisagreementbetweenvariousscientific
groupswhoputforthoneviewoftheoriginoftheuniverseoveranother.Tosee
exactlywhatI'mtalkingabout,let'stracethedevelopmentofthebigbang
theorythroughitsvariousstages.Alongthewayyou'llgetachancetomeetan
opposingtheory,andexaminesomeofthereasonswhythebigbangwas
developedinthefirstplace.
Scienceasamethodologylikestoseeitselfasarevealerofthetruenatureof
theuniverse,assortofaseerthatcanlookbeneaththeveilofappearance.
Yetscienceispracticedbyscientists,humanbeingswhobringwith
themselvesawholesetofpredispositions,valuesandbeliefs.Andasinany
crosssectionofoursociety,somewillbeseriouslyinvestedintheirpositions
andviewpoints,takingthemselvesratherseriouslyandpurportingthe
correctnessoftheirviews.Ofcourse,thereareasmanywhodon'ttakethis
stanceandseektomovebeyondanypersonalattachmenttowhotheyareand
whatthey'vediscovered.
Muchofthehistoryofcosmologyanditstheoriesareareflectionofthese
typesofpeopleandtheculturestheylivedin.Oftenthemostwidelyaccepted
theorybecomesexactlythat,becauseoftheforcefulpersonalitybehindthe
ideas.Andwhilesciencetriestoremainfreeofinfluencefromthingsoutsideof
it,thescientistswhopracticeitarestillaproductofthecultureandthetimes
inwhichtheylive.Inotherwords,inrelationtothetheoriesincosmology,
whethertheuniversehasalwaysexistedorbeganwithabang,can'tbe
separatedfromtheinfluenceofthezeitgeist,orspiritofthetimes.Whilethere
isn'tenoughtimetogobackthroughhistoryindetailandshowyouhowthe
cosmologicalpendulumhasswungfromonetheorytotheother,Icangiveyou
aroughoutlineandafewexamplesofsometimeperiodsinwhichthis
occurred.Justrememberthattherearealwaysmanyfactorsimpactinghow
anyspecificparadigmdevelops.

TheoriesoftheUniverse
ScientificOriginsofthe
Universe
BangThatDrum
ABigBangAlternative
TheAcceleratingUniverse
PlasmaCosmology
TheStandardModel
TheAlphaandtheOmega
It'sOutofControl

BlackHoles
Ithashappenedmorethanonce
inthehistoryofsciencethat
becauseofthefameofan
individual'scontribution,theory,
orbreakthroughinsomeareaof
science,theypushtheirviews
overthoseofotherlesserknown
individuals.Thishappens
regardlessofthecorrectnessof
theirexplanation.IsaacNewton
refusedtolistentorebuttals
againstsomeofhisideas,asdid
NeilsBohrandevenAlbert
Einstein.Somewherealongthe
way,thesearchfortruthin
sciencegetslostintheperson
identifyingwiththetruthoftheir
ideas.

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UniversalConstants
ZeitgeistisaGermanwordthat
meansliterallythespiritofthe
times.Itcanalsorefertoatrend
ofthoughtandfeelingduringa
period.Itdescribesthegeneral
moodofacultureorsociety
basedononeormany
influencescomingfromscience,
religion,art,politics,oreven
economics.

InancientGreecethetwobasicconceptsoftheempirical(observationandpracticalapplication)anddeductive

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TheoriesoftheUniverse:ScientificOriginsoftheUniverse

(theoreticalandmathematical)methodswereintimatelylinkedtotheconflict
betweenfreecitizensandtheslavepopulace.Theempiricalsystem
developedalongsidethefreecraftsmanandtraders,whilethedeductive
method,whichcandisregardobservationandpracticalapplication,arose
withtheslavemaster'sdisdainformanuallabor.
ThePtolemaicsystemwasstronglyinfluencedbythedeductivemethod
(theoryandmathasopposedtoobservation).Alsoatthistime,wefindthe
introductionoftoday'scentralthemeincosmology,theoriginoftheuniverse
outofnothing.Thisideologywasdevelopedoutofthesomewhatpessimistic
andauthoritarianworldviewsoftwofoundingChurchFathers,Tertullianand
St.Augustine.Thedoctrineofcreationexnihiloservedasthebasisfora
religioussocialsystemthatsawtheworldasdecayingfromaperfect
beginningtoanignominiousend.
Duringtheriseofscience,twocentralconceptsofmedievalcosmologywere
overthrowntheideaofadecayinguniverse,finiteinspaceandtime,and
thebeliefthattheworldcouldbeknownthroughreasonandauthority.The
deductive,finitePtolemaicsystemwasreplacedwiththeempirical,eternal,
andinfiniteuniversethatwasevolvingbynaturalprocesses.Itwasa
universeknowablebyobservationandexperiment.Thetriumphofscience
waslinkedtotheoverthrowofthefeudalsystem,outofwhichdeveloped
freelaborandasocietyofmerchants,craftsmen,andfreepeasantswho
questionedauthoritarianpowerreligious,political,andeconomic.

UniversalConstants
ExnihiloisaLatintermthat
translatedmeansoutof
nothing.Itwasanidea
presentedbySt.Augustinethat
becameChurchdoctrinelateron.
Itishisphilosophicalexplanation
ofhowGodcreatedeverything
outofnothing,whichinterestingly
enoughcanbeappliedtothebig
bangaswell.Wheredid
everythingcontainedinthebig
bangcomefromandwhydidit
banginthefirstplace?

Today'sviewofcosmologyismuchclosertothesystemsofPtolemyandAugustinethanGalileoandKepler.The
bigbanguniverseisafiniteonethatwilleventuallyendineitherthebigchillorthebigcrunch,(we'llexamineboth
ofthesetheoriesinSupersymmetry,Superstrings,andHolograms)whichlikethemedievalcosmosisfinitein
time.Theuniverseofpopularcosmologyistheproductofasingleuniqueevent,dissimilarfromanythingelsethat
haseveroccurredjustasthemedievaluniversewasseenasaproductofcreation.
AndfinallyjusttoshowyouhowwhatIoutlinedabovecanberevealedinthelivesofthepeoplelivingatsomeof
thosetimes,hereareafewquotesfromsomefamouspeople.
WhatmakesGodcomprehensibleisthathecannotbecomprehended.
Tertullian,c.200C.E.
IfIcan'tlaughinheaven,Idon'twanttogothere.
MartinLuther,c.1460
Religionteachesmenhowtogotoheaven,nothowtheheavensgo.
GalileiGalileo,c.1630
Themostincomprehensiblethingabouttheuniverseisthatitiscomprehensible.
AlbertEinstein,1935
Themoretheuniverseseemscomprehensible,themoreitalsoseemspointless.
StevenWeinberg,1977
Wemaynowbeneartheendofthesearchfortheultimatelawsofnature.
StephenHawking,1988

ExcerptedfromTheCompleteIdiot'sGuidetoTheoriesoftheUniverse2001byGaryF.Moring.Allrights
reservedincludingtherightofreproductioninwholeorinpartinanyform.UsedbyarrangementwithAlphaBooks,
amemberofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
Toorderthisbookdirectfromthepublisher,visitthePenguinUSAwebsiteorcall18002536476.Youcanalso
purchasethisbookatAmazon.comandBarnes&Noble.

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