How Did Galileo Contribute To The Discovery Of The Universe
CONTENTS
Preface to the Vintage Edition xv Introduction 3 Part One THE COSMOLOGICAL DEBATE 9 1. The Big Bang Never Happened 11 2. A History of Creation 58 3. The Rise of Science 85 4. The Strange Career of Modern Cosmology 113 5. The Spears of Odin 169 6. The Plasma Universe 214 Part Two IMPLICATIONS 281 7. The Endless Flow of Time 283 8. Matter 328
9. Infinite in Time and Space 382 10. Cosmos and Society 405 Appendix 425 Bibliography 431 Index 441
XIII
PREFACE TO THE VINTAGE EDITION
Four hundred years ago Galileo broke the bonds that had entangled science with religion. Defying his fellow scientists' near unanimous commitment to Ptolemy's finite, earthcentered universe, Galileo defended Corpernicus's unlimited, sun-centered cosmos. …show more content…
Yet in the past few years, observation after observation has contradicted the predictions of this theory. Rather, such observations are far more consistent with new theories based on the idea that the universe has existed for an infinite time—without beginning or end. As yet, such alternative theories, known as "plasma cosmology," have been developed by only a relatively small group of physicists and astronomers, the most notable being Swedish Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven. But as the evidence mounts, more and more scientists are questioning their basic, long-held assumptions. The emerging revolution in science extends beyond cosmology. Today the study of the underlying structure of matter, particle physics, is intimately tied up with cosmology—the structure of the universe, theorists argue, is the result of events in the first instants of time. If the Big Bang hypothesis is wrong, then the foundation of modern particle physics collapses and entirely new approaches are required. Indeed, particle physics also suffers from an increasing contradiction between theory and experiment. Equally important, if the Big Bang never occurred our concept of time must change as well. Instead of a universe finite in time, running down from a fiery start to a dusty, dark finish, the universe will be infinite in duration, continuously evolving. Just such a concept of time as evolution is now emerging from new studies in the field of thermodynamics. The changes in these three fields—cosmology, particle physics, and thermodynamics—are merging into a single global transformation of how science views the universe, a transformation comparable to that which overthrew the Ptolemaic cosmos and initiated modern science. This book is a first effort to describe that emerging revolution and its implications. Since it gives the
Preface to the Vintage Edition xv Introduction 3 Part One THE COSMOLOGICAL DEBATE 9 1. The Big Bang Never Happened 11 2. A History of Creation 58 3. The Rise of Science 85 4. The Strange Career of Modern Cosmology 113 5. The Spears of Odin 169 6. The Plasma Universe 214 Part Two IMPLICATIONS 281 7. The Endless Flow of Time 283 8. Matter 328
9. Infinite in Time and Space 382 10. Cosmos and Society 405 Appendix 425 Bibliography 431 Index 441
XIII
PREFACE TO THE VINTAGE EDITION
Four hundred years ago Galileo broke the bonds that had entangled science with religion. Defying his fellow scientists' near unanimous commitment to Ptolemy's finite, earthcentered universe, Galileo defended Corpernicus's unlimited, sun-centered cosmos. …show more content…
Yet in the past few years, observation after observation has contradicted the predictions of this theory. Rather, such observations are far more consistent with new theories based on the idea that the universe has existed for an infinite time—without beginning or end. As yet, such alternative theories, known as "plasma cosmology," have been developed by only a relatively small group of physicists and astronomers, the most notable being Swedish Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven. But as the evidence mounts, more and more scientists are questioning their basic, long-held assumptions. The emerging revolution in science extends beyond cosmology. Today the study of the underlying structure of matter, particle physics, is intimately tied up with cosmology—the structure of the universe, theorists argue, is the result of events in the first instants of time. If the Big Bang hypothesis is wrong, then the foundation of modern particle physics collapses and entirely new approaches are required. Indeed, particle physics also suffers from an increasing contradiction between theory and experiment. Equally important, if the Big Bang never occurred our concept of time must change as well. Instead of a universe finite in time, running down from a fiery start to a dusty, dark finish, the universe will be infinite in duration, continuously evolving. Just such a concept of time as evolution is now emerging from new studies in the field of thermodynamics. The changes in these three fields—cosmology, particle physics, and thermodynamics—are merging into a single global transformation of how science views the universe, a transformation comparable to that which overthrew the Ptolemaic cosmos and initiated modern science. This book is a first effort to describe that emerging revolution and its implications. Since it gives the