Cosmology almost always lacks context.
Cosmology books, papers and articles typically provide a historical account and often elaborate mathematical explanations, but rarely present a physical grounding framework to explain how it fits in with firmly established physics.
My concerns about this led to an invitation to give a talk for a Cosmology Conference sited in the magnificent Olympic Peninsula. My talk entitled “Ground Rules for Cosmological Physics” resulted in an invitation to provide a paper based upon it.
This paper is simply a reminder for cosmology enthusiasts of the bright line separating the laws of physics from science fiction. To help examine cosmology science claims and concepts it provides some tools: rules, guidelines and a definition of space.
It explains the stringent thresholds for an idea before it can accurately be called a scientific theory or hypothesis; and how theorists nearly always bear the burden of proof for their ideas.
“These simple tools provide solid ground so you may more easily examine cosmology claims to help make up your own mind which side of the science / science fiction line a specific claim belongs on.”
Click here to read the definitive version of — “Ground Rules for Cosmological Physics.” You can buy it by clicking here, for a nominal sum at Astronomical Society of the Pacific or ASP (and provide useful support for a most laudable organization), or
click here to read “Ground Rules for Cosmological Physics” like a neutrino (without charge).
The ASP site has links to all the other (some groundbreaking) papers from the conference.
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