PSI Blog 20230220 Eric Lerner on “The Big Bang Never Happened”
Debate between a long-time “subversive” opponent and “distinguished”
cosmogonist Claudia Maraston
Eric is best known for his 30-year-old book supporting plasma
cosmology as an alternative to the Big Bang Theory:
Lerner, E.J., 1992, The Big Bang Never Happened: A Startling
Refutation of the Dominant Theory of the Origin of the Universe: New York,
Vintage Books, 440 p.[1]
Among his admirable assertions in that book was that the
universe was infinite in extent and infinite in time. As one can imagine, cosmogonists
(those who assume the universe had a beginning) were highly critical.
I reviewed one critique, which was presented by theoretical
physicist Victor Stenger in “Skeptical Inquirer.” It turned out that the
Inquirer should have been more skeptical of one of their favorite sons. Stenger’s
review is replete with errors that I pointed out along with a few made by Lerner:
https://scientificphilosophy.org/Downloads/Stenger1992%20antiplasma%20universe-GB%20review.pdf
Here is the debate between Lerner and Maraston:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtFlKQO2FQ
[1]
Lerner’s book mentions “plasma” 432 times and “infinite” only 198 times. Although
he mentions infinity more than most reformers, his overemphasis on a single
microcosmic type (plasma) lacks the generality necessary for the correct
version of Infinite Universe Theory. For instance, Eric nonetheless
assumes the Sixth Assumption of
Religion, noncomplementarity (All
things are subject to divergence from all other things). That assumption would
not be the way to begin an attack on the universal expansion trope. Furthermore,
he would not be able to resolve the SLT-Order paradox (see: Borchardt, Glenn, 2008, Resolution of the SLT-order
paradox, Proceedings of the Natural Philosophy Alliance: Albuquerque, NM, v. 5
[10.13140/RG.2.1.1413.7768].)
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