 | A perspective on the science of cosmology that I found to be interesting from the viewpoint of Objectivism. The scientific content of the book consists of a discussion of the flaws in the Big Bang Theory (some of which may be dated, since this was published in 1991) and a presentation of an alternative theory based on the physics of plasma. But this is more than just a book on science.
A major theme of Lerner's book is the interrelation of popular views on cosmology and popular metaphysical and political philosophy. Lerner traces the history of cosmological theory and shows that periods in which the prevailing cosmology posited a universe which was created at some definitive point in the past and is doomed to destruction in the future coincide with periods of political repression, widespread slavery and authoritarianism, and a generally malevolent view of the universe; while a cosmology based on a universe with neither beginning nor end tends to become prevalent in periods of political liberty, metaphysical benevolence, and individual freedom and achievement. He also criticizes a number of features of mainstream science, including the peer review system (cosmologists generally have little background in plasma physics, so it's difficult for peer-reviewed cosmology journals to fairly evaluate papers based in plasma physics), the use of physical laws as general principles when they apply only in certain limited contexts (the main example he uses is the popular doom-and-decay interpretation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics), and the confusion of mathematical models with physical reality.
There is some social commentary in the book which seems to come from a somewhat Marxist perspective, but I didn't find Lerner's views in that area to negate the value of the rest of the book.
I don't have the background in physics to give a fair evaluation to Lerner's criticism of the Big Bang Theory or to plasma cosmology as he presents it, so I can't attest to the scientific value of this book. Nevertheless, I found it to present a refreshingly rational view of science in a culture where most popular science books seem to have titles like “God and the New Physics” and ”The Tao of Physics.” |
The Big Bang Never Happened by Eric J. Lerner
