Table of Contents
Cosmology
Cosmology is a hoax
- Cosmology is a hoax.
The real cosmological principle: The street light effect
chatgpt explains
The story of a man searching for his lost keys under a streetlight, often referred to as the “streetlight effect”, is a metaphor illustrating how people tend to look for answers or solutions in places that are easy to search, rather than where the answers might actually be.
The Classic Anecdote:
A passerby notices a man searching intently under a streetlight late at night and asks him what he is looking for.
The man replies, “I lost my keys.”
The passerby decides to help and after some time, asks, “Are you sure you lost them here?”
The man replies, “No, I lost them over there,” pointing to a dark area away from the streetlight.
Puzzled, the passerby asks, “Then why are you looking here?”
The man replies, “Because this is where the light is.”
Interpretation and Meaning:
Human Tendency Toward Convenience:
The story highlights our inclination to focus on what is easily accessible or visible, even when it might not lead to the right solution. It’s easier to search where there is light than to venture into the dark.
Cognitive Bias:
It illustrates a type of cognitive bias where people rely on information that is readily available (availability heuristic) instead of seeking the more accurate or relevant data that may be harder to find.
Applied Contexts:
- Science and Research: Researchers may focus on questions with available data rather than challenging ones requiring innovative methods.
- Problem-Solving: Teams might tackle visible issues while ignoring root causes in harder-to-reach areas.
- Everyday Life: People may stick to familiar approaches rather than exploring unknown but promising alternatives.
Philosophical Perspective:
- The story has a deeper philosophical resonance. It suggests that the search for truth or understanding often requires venturing into the metaphorical “darkness,” where uncertainty and effort are necessary, rather than staying in the comfort of the familiar or easy.
The moral of the story encourages us to go beyond superficial convenience and face challenges head-on to find real solutions—even if it means stepping into the darkness.
Jim Peebles explains how cosmology is based on Streetlight effect
Proposition I.
- The universe as a whole \(\mathbf{U}\) is unknowable.
- \(\mathbf{U}\) : Unknowable. Undefined. Undefinable. Unmeasurable.
- \(\mathbf{U}\) : Unknowable. Undefined. Undefinable. Unmeasurable.
Proposition 2
- The observable universe \(\mathbf{O}\) is observable and knowable.
- \(\mathbf{O}\) is not \(\mathbf{U}\)
- \(\mathbf{O} \neq \mathbf{U}\)
- \(\mathbf{O}\) is not \(\mathbf{U}\)
Proposition 3
- \(\mathbf{U}\) is greater than \(\mathbf{O}\)
- \(\mathbf{U} > \mathbf{O}\)
- But with the caveat that \(\mathbf{U}\) is unknown and unknowable so it cannot be considered to be a quantity or a whole.
- \(\mathbf{U} > \mathbf{O}\)
Some random notes about cosmology (from cards)
- Lemaitre seriously ask this question:
- What is the volume of the world?
- What is the volume of the world?
- They suppose Einstein’s equations and they try to fit the universe to Einstein’s equations
- “Density of matter in our neighborhood.”
- “According to Einstein’s equations space is finite but without boundary.”
- “Real space, the universe, is finite.”
- How do you know?
- How do you know?
- “…half-tone of the universe, that is, the greatest distance that may exist in space is inversely proportional to the square root of density.”
- The primeval atom: The world has proceeded from the condense to the diffuse.
- The evolution of the world can be compared to a display of fireworks that has just ended: some few red wisps, ashes and smoke. In concluding, we must indicate the manner in which the theory of the expansion of the universe is adopted to the idea of the primeval atom.