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    Citizenschallenge-v.3 replied to the topic Can being come from Non-being ? in the forum Religion and Secularism 5 years, 1 month ago

    Okay, that’s enough of Thornhill for me.

    The People Who Believe Electricity Rules the Universe
    “Electric universe” theory is at odds with everything modern science has determined about the universe. Yet something about it sparks fervor in the hearts of believers.

    By Sarah Scoles
    Feb 18 2016

    www_vice_com/en_us/article/nz7neg/electric-universe-theory-thunderbolts-project-wallace-thornhill

    They call themselves The Thunderbolts Project.

    They subscribe to an idea called “electric universe,” and sometimes describe themselves as “getting EU eyes.” Like slipping on rose-colored glasses, the conversion changes their perception of the entire universe. The objects and events remain the same. But they’re tinged with truth. And in EU theory, the truth is that electricity rules. …

    “The story of the cosmos that you see in the media now is virtual reality,” said Wallace Thornhill, one of the founders of EU.

    The electric universe concept does not meet the National Academy of Sciences’ definition of a “theory,” which is “a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence” and “can be used to make predictions about natural events or phenomena that have not yet been observed.”

    In physics, theories need math. That’s how you predict, gather evidence, verify, disprove, and support. But EU theory isn’t big on math. In fact, “Mathematics is not physics,” Thornhill said. While that equation aversion makes the theory pretty much a nonstarter for “mainstream” astronomers, it is the exact thing that appeals to many adherents.

    “They don’t blind you with science,” said Rasjid Smith, who learned EU theory from YouTube. “It is understandable to a capable schoolchild.”

    The idea that outsiders (“the people”) will revolutionize physics, in a way that those outsiders understand, is powerful.

    “What doesn’t seem to vary is the dissident psychology behind the involvement.”

    “Science is returned to the peopleā€”the garage tinkerer, the practical engineer, and the natural philosopher,” Thornhill told Motherboard. …

    Thornhill sounds like a libertarian, let the people take back science. Ā Keep the debate alive. Ā Knowledge not required. Ā Politics of resentment and rejection at work here.

     

    Just saying.