X-Message-Number: 12611 From: "George Smith" <> References: <> Subject: No "lethal cosmological constant" Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 11:02:37 -0700 In message #12605, Mike Perry asked if there was an alternative view to the popular expectation that the universe will eventually end. Well, here's a suggestion to consider, Mike. THE BIG BANG NEVER HAPPENED by Eric J Lerner (1991, 1992 ISBN: 0-679-74049-X) "explodes" the nonsense surrouning how and why we are currently saddled with a view of the cosmos which deeply reflects the beliefs of most popular religions. Just as chemistry outgrew "phlogeston" (the hidden substance which causes fire), cosmology will eventually outgrow creationism. Science does indeed "progress funeral by funeral" it would seem. When we re-connect the chalk board theorists with direct observations of what is actually out there, a great deal of our current pseudo religious dogma in cosmology falls apart. "A mesmerizing challenge to orthodox cosmology with powerful implications not only for cosmology itself but also for our notions of time, God, and human nature - with a new Preface addressing the latest [1992] developments in the field "Far-ranging and provocative. THE BIG BANG NEVER HAPPENED is more than a critique of one of the primary theories of astronomy - that the universe appeared out of nothingness in a single cataclysmic explosion ten to twenty billion years ago. Drawing on new discoveries in particle physics and thermodynamics as well as on readings in history and philosophy, Eric J Lerner confronts the values behind the Big Bang theory: the belief that the universe is finite and decaying; and that it could only come into being through some outside force. With inspiring boldness and scientific rigor, he offers a brilliantly orchestrated argument that generates explosive intellectual debate." -from the back cover of the 1992 paperback edition. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=12611