A.M.D.G.
Purpose: to illustrate how the philosophy of science that we have studied, The Universe: Beyond the Big Bang
specifically Thomas Kuhn’s notion of paradigm shifts (or scientific
revolutions), applies to the field of astronomy over the past 100 years. RS 472 – Science and Religion
Mr. Cody
INTRODUCTION – First, let’s clarify what the big bang theory says about our universe. Recall that all
scientific theories explain what we observe in nature and must make falsifiable predictions about what we
observe in nature.
How does the big bang theory explain and predict what we observe about our universe?
Everything that exists starts smaller than an atom, then in a flash everything
expands and rapidly grows, blows up and creates stuff expands, called big bang
Science is expanding as well, everything expands, starts pattern of expanding
Ascend ladder of knowledge
Everything is expanding as we learn and
Why is the big bang neither “big” nor a “bang”?
Was as big as an atom, very small, but rapid expand
Believed that because the universe is expanding, the original big bang was
extremely small and smaller than
And it wasn’t necessarily a bang more just a ball of heat that rapidly grew to the
universe
Recall that Kuhn argued that science goes through cycles or revolutions that happen in three stages. Let’s
apply this to the development of the theory of the big bang in astronomy.
NORMAL SCIENCE – consensus on an established paradigm; scientists puzzle-solve within accepted
paradigm
Prior to the Big Bang theory, the accepted paradigm was that of a “static universe.” How did this paradigm describe
the universe?
Static infinite, eternal, had to have beginning or ending, old idea, easy to think of
universe as always existing rather than created
Einstein’s theory of gravity is an anomaly for the static universe paradigm. How was Einstein’s theory of gravity a
problem for the static universe paradigm? How did Einstein solve this anomaly within the static universe paradigm?
Things were attached to each other, space and time weaving together, gravity is curved
Gravity is a shape of space and time
Orbits, trajectories, etc.
Light can’t escape gravity
General relatively, either expanding or contracting
Edwin Hubble was puzzle solving in the static universe paradigm when he discovered an anomaly. What did Hubble
observe about the galaxies in our universe that called into questioned the static universe paradigm? Was this
anomaly solved by the static universe paradigm?
Hubble looked deeper into uniververse, revealed our sun was one among billions,
Hubble created standard candle, the brighter something is the closer
Found something a million light years away, galaxy just like milkway
Grew it from 1 galaxy to over a billion galaxies, most galaxies are moving away
Found data that galaxies moving away from each other, with this he could
calculate the age of the universe
REVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE – established paradigm is questioned and eventually overthrown
George Lemaitre used Hubble’s observations and Einstein’s theory of gravity to challenge the accepted paradigm
that the universe was static and infinitely old. He proposed his theory of the “primeval atom.” Summarize the main
idea of his theory and how it better explains and predicts what we observe in the universe.
Lemaitre believed started primeval atom, small thing of matter, rapidly expanded into
everything we know
Lemaitre theory could be tested but not proved
Small atom creates universe, that is always expanding
Hubble realized that it is true that it is always expanding, found data of galaxies moving
away
Was the scientific community quick to accept Lemaitre’s theory? Why not?
No, hard to test his theory without finding the “gun” of the atom, no hard
proof to believe even though theory could be tested could not be
completely proved
PRE-PARADIGM SCIENCE – competition among theories; eventual establishment of new paradigm
What alternative theory competed with Lemaitre’s theory of the Big Bang? Whose theory was it? How were non-
scientific factors involved in this competition?
Steady state theory, created by Hoyle
Everything after helium is star dust, created from stars
Hydrogen makes up more than 70 percent of universe, believed that hydrogen and helium always
existed, meaning the universe always existed, always been here no beginning or end
Popular among everyone, whole country
What evidence was discovered that cemented the Big Bang as the current paradigm and made it the new “normal
science” in astronomy? In other words, what was “the smoking gun” that falsified Hoyle’s steady state paradigm?
Hoyle could not explain where helium and hydrogen came from just that they created
the other elements, because he could not explain it, falsified his theory
Big bang explained why there was more hydrogen then helium, explained how they
were created from the heat of big bang
Optional: What are some current “puzzles” in the big bang paradigm that astronomers are trying to solve?
