Cosmonauts

 “The Crisis in Cosmology:  A Marxist Analysis,” by Adam Booth, In Defence of Marxism magazine, Summer 2014

This is an excellent summation of the terminal problems in the mainstream cosmological view of the “Big Bang,” dark matter and dark energy, pure math science, bad versions of infinity, multiverses, multiplying ‘fundamental’ particles, string theory and applying Newtonian physics to cosmology.  Booth includes some mainstream critics who are realizing some of the problems, Jim Baggott and Lee Smolin, but also cites Engels excellent works, “The Dialectics of Nature” and “Anti-During.”

MAINSTREAM CLAIMS

Booth starts with the missing existence of dark matter and dark energy, which would provide the gravitation and energy to make the standard model ‘Big Bang’ (BB) expansion theory work.  Only 10% of matter and 5% of the energy for this process have been located, yet careers are built on finding these magical substances and forces.  He looks at the BB theory itself, which postulates that an ‘infinite’ density in a ‘singularity’ exploded, creating the Universe.  All the laws of physics evidently were not operative at this point.  Nor is there a real explanation of what ‘caused’ this explosion or what existed prior to the explosion.  Mainstream cosmology says it was a ‘quantum fluctuation’ – which explains nothing.  Engels pointed out that to go from complete stasis to dynamism can only happen through an external ‘God’ force.  This is why the Catholic Church has endorsed the BB, as Genesis 1:1 agrees.

Mainstream cosmology treats time and space as ‘things’ – not the products of matter in motion.  What we are really talking about is the missing concept of change – not a static entity.  All 4 – matter, motion, time and space - are actually interrelated and cannot be separated.  We are supposed to believe that Einstein’s ‘space-time continuum’ is like a rubber sheet – finite and fixed, a bit flexible. In fact Einstein had to adopt a closed Universe. This is a Newtownian conception of the Universe as a mechanical ‘thing,’ not an infinite collection of processes, interactions and relationships related to matter.    

Booth takes on idealism in ideas, especially string theory and its big brother, M-theory and a cyclic Universe.  Both are based on pure math calculations, not observation or facts – in other words, idealist methods, not scientific methods. They include 5 different theories, with either 10 or 11 dimensions for the Universe, all discovered through math.  The theorists behind them receive publication, grants, publicity and acclaim.  Science writer Jim Baggot, in his book “Farewell to Reality,” especially hits at the purely theoretical nature of so much of this mainstream cosmology, calling it “fairy-tale physics,” identifying “mathematical structures” as a “wrong turn” in cosmology.    

INFINITY

In all of these theories, we run into the problem of infinity, as mainstream cosmology postulates a finite Universe, with an edge, a beginning and an end in entropy.  The obvious question is “What is beyond the edge of the universe? Monsters?” If this idea of the ‘beginning’ of the Universe seems like a Christian origin myth, you’d be right.  An end is also appropriate, see Revelations. To try to include ‘infinity’ in their ideas, some theorists claim the BB was just a ‘phase change’ in the evolution of the Universe, as if the Universe was a Newtonian ‘thing’ that evolves.  It is matter that changes and evolves, not the Universe.  The Universe is just another name for all that is. Another theory is that of ‘eternal inflation,’ in which this Universe is an inflating bubble in a vacuum within another Universe also inflating inside a vacuum.  Booth calls these various ideas ‘bad infinity’ for trying to incorporate infinity and failing.  Many infinities or multiverses do not make even one.  I’d call these ideas science fiction. 

Some theories claim that all events are infinitely ‘random’ or that all events are based on hard-and-fast ‘laws’ – when it is obvious that randomness and patterns interact dialectically, as chaos theory demonstrates.  The idiotic randomness postulate that a million monkeys with a million type-writers would eventually write Shakespeare is an expression of an abstract possibility, not a real one.  Another line of thought, Neils Bohr and the Copenhagen School, posits that the observer changes reality, hence reality itself doesn’t exist, only the observer does.  This is an overeager attempt to analyze mistakes in observation. The fake problem of the ‘tree falling in the forest’ without anyone to hear it fall comes out of this.  Schroedinger created his both dead and alive ‘cat’ to make fun of Copenhagen’s fantasy.  Theirs is another level of idealism, claiming reality is just what human’s do, think or feel.  The earth existed long before humans appeared – though fundamentalist Christians do not believe this either.  There is a reality independent of the observer, even if observers sometimes get it wrong or interfere with what they are testing.

The Infinity Clock is Ticking

Booth puts the blame on these various theorists for following Newtownian ideas of the universe, not religion or bourgeois idealism.  Newtownian physics operates on the assumption that all events are isolated and mechanical, which works in certain contexts, but not others – especially not on the cosmological level.  This is why it is understood that not all scientific approaches work in every area – also the reason electro-magnetism, the strong and weak nuclear forces and gravity will never be ‘united’ in a bogus ‘theory of everything’ according to Booth.  Booth analyzes the concept of ‘mass’ which was seen as the property of each thing, but in an advance is now seen as a relationship between things, thus rejecting Newtownianism. 

If you follow cosmology, you will be aware of the many multiplying ‘quarks’ being discovered or guessed at, in the search for the basic ‘God particle.’   This has been claimed for the Higgs boson, but Booth understands that no ‘basic’ particle will ever be found.  Booth also looks at the present incompatibility between quantum mechanics and the standard model of particle physics and general relativity.  He thinks combining them is impossible as well, as they deal with different levels of reality, different scales of motion, even though the BB demands this combination. 

SMOLIN

Cosmologists are well aware of the problems by now.  Mainstream theoretical physicist Lee Smolin, in his book “Time Reborn,” has thrown in the towel on present mathematical or Newtownian cosmology, though he advances his own version at the end of the book.  Smolin points out that the “aesthetic” beauty of math equations is not the guide to reality, nor is isolated systems’ analysis applicable to the study of the Universe.  Smolin understands that the ‘laws’ of physics are not imposed on reality, but that they emerge within reality. Smolin thinks a main problem is a removal of ‘time’ from mainstream cosmological theories.  Booth makes his point more accurately, as it is really change that has been removed.  It is interesting that ‘change’ – which most people understand is ever-present, everywhere – is in bourgeois cosmology, sidelined.  Hmmmmm…      

DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM

Dialectical materialism guides a theorist, scientist or those interested in science in the direction of seeing the universe as infinite, as always existing, as a dialectical unity of the finite and the infinite, where time and space are properties of matter in motion, where change proceeds from quantity to quality through internal processes and relationships.  This is not a static, closed or ‘steady-state’ view, it is dynamic and open.  This is a far more sophisticated and yet at the same time factual and grounded view than the religious, idealist, science fiction-y or mechanical methods of modern cosmology.  Booth uses dialectical materialism throughout this 13 page article to analyze these theories and developments in more detail than I describe here.  If you want a good introduction to critical cosmology, this would be a good place to start. (It is also available on-line.) 

https://www.marxist.com/the-crisis-of-cosmology-part-one.htm

Another mainstream cosmologist questions the "Cosmological Principle" based on the BB, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JETGS64kTys

P.S. - The 2022 NASA Webb Infrared explorer is proving how big the universe really is and how old it really is. It is pretty clear no 'edge' is showing up.  They've already had to double the age of the universe too.  

Prior blog reviews on this subject, use blog search box, upper left, to investigate our 14 year archive:  “Reason in Revolt” (Woods-Grant); “The Big Bang Never Happened,” (Lerner) “Seeing Red” (Arp) “The Philosophy of Space-Time,” “The Dialectical Universe,” “The Einsteinian Universe,” (all 3 by Malek); “Big Bang Goes Boom!”   “The Big Bang is a Situation Comedy,” “Dialectical Materialism versus the New Physics” (Gimbel), “Ten Assumptions of Science,” “The Tragedy of American Science” (Connor).

And I bought it at May Day’s excellent periodicals section!

Red Frog

August 2, 2021