Category Archives: Electric Universe

The Electric Universe Model and the Future of Cosmology By Ghada Chehade, PhD

14 Monday Feb 2022

Posted by in Current Events, Electric Universe, Science

≈ 2 Comments

PART I. 

Drawing on Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm shift framework, I’ve established that cosmology is presently in crisis and inevitably heading towards a revolution (or paradigm shift). When a scientific model reaches a crisis point—marked by mounting anomalies and contradictions that the model cannot resolve—then it can no longer serve as a reliable guide to problem-solving and will eventually be replaced by a different model.

This is the Model Revolution Stage of the Paradigm Shift Cycle. It begins with the emergence of a new model or models that speak a fundamentally different language, making the old and new models irreconcilable and incompatible: which means that they cannot coexist. Simply put, the main criteria for model revolution, is a new model, that speaks a fundamentally different language and is incompatible with the existing model.

To distinguish it from other uses of the word, for the purpose of this analysis, I use the word language to refer to “paradigmatic language,” by which I mean how a paradigm talks about and describes the things it observes in nature. A change in paradigm is ultimately a change of worldview (The Structure of Scientific Revolutions). So, are there presently any cosmological models that speak a fundamentally different paradigmatic language, with a different worldview?

In order to explore this question, we must first establish the lexicon of the Standard Model of Cosmology. To put a complex subject in admittedly reduced terms, I have distilled the Standard Model lexicon to the three following foundational concepts and assumptions (in order of significance):

  • Gravity—as the principal cosmological force
  • General Relativity—as defining and/or in relation to gravity 
  • The Big Bang—an expanding universe birthed by the big bang

These concepts are complementary and interdependent, while also engendering the majority of other concepts and hypotheses contained within the Standard Model, which exist to explain (often contradictory or anomalous) observational data related to one or more of these foundational assumptions. In other words, the paradigmatic language or lexicon of the Standard Model is premised on, and couched within, one or more of these foundational notions.

PART II. 

A Fundamentally Different Cosmology?

So, are there presently any alternative models that deviate from one or all of these foundational concepts and assumptions? Let’s look at what mainstream science has to say about alternative cosmologies. In the mainstream, alternatives are sometimes described as physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). “Physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) refers to the theoretical developments needed to explain the deficiencies of the Standard Model…”[i] According to mainstream scientists, “theories that lie beyond the Standard Model include various extensions of the standard model…and entirely novel explanations, such as string theory, M-theory, and extra dimensions….”[ii]

Examples of extensions include Eternal Inflation theory and the Oscillating model of the universe.[iii] I leave it to cosmologists and astrophysicists to explore the details of these hypotheses. For our purposes, what matters is that both of these theories rely on the Standard Model’s foundational assumption, and lexicon, about a big bang, and are, therefore, not sufficiently different. Even early big bang rivals such as Steady State Theory still rely on foundational assumptions and concepts–such as gravity as the sole driving-force of the universe as well as expansion. 

Another mainstream alternative is Modified Newtonian dynamics or MOND. MOND “is a hypothesis that proposes a modification of Newton’s law of universal gravitation to account for observed properties of galaxies.” Specifically, It is “an alternative to the hypothesis of dark matter in terms of explaining why galaxies do not appear to obey the currently understood laws of physics.”[iv] In other words, MOND (and its variants) are an attempt to address one of the many anomalies—and crises—of the Standard Model. 

While it is touted as an alternative that can eliminate the problems and anomalies created by the hypothesis of dark matter, MOND is still gravity-centric (and actually increases the galactic effects of gravity).[v] It also relies on many of the main assumptions and concepts of the Standard Model (with the obvious exception of dark matter). Thus, as is the case with the previously mentioned extensions, MOND is also not a viable alternative in the Kuhnian sense.

Overall, an extension to the Standard Model, by its very definition, could never be seen as containing a fundamentally different paradigmatic language. What’s more, while these extensions arose to address problems and deficiencies in the Standard Model, by further contributing to the complexity of the Model, they ultimately exacerbate the crisis in contemporary cosmology. Let us recall that, as noted in previous articles, increasing complexity is an indication of crisis. 

Moving on to the “entirely novel explanations” such as String Theory, M-theory and extra dimensions, the main thing worth nothing for our purposes is that these still treat gravity as the main driving-force in the universe. As such, they too cannot be seen as speaking a fundamentally different paradigmatic language, and do not qualify as serious theoretical considerations for a new model.

These are but a few examples of mainstream alternatives that exist. I leave it those more versed in the hard sciences to sift through and evaluate all of the possible add-ons and extensions to the Standard Model. As a critical discourse analyst working within the Kuhnian framework, I am primarily interested in identifying alternative models that meet the criteria for Model Revolution; ones that self-consciously and directly espouse a fundamentally different language, with a different view of the cosmos

The Electric Universe Model

One model that I am familiar with, and that also stands out for speaking a radically different language, is the Electric Universe Model of Cosmology (or EU Model for short). Proponents of this model self-consciously espouse an entirely different paradigmatic language. Let’s look at some examples in the words of its proponents.

In an introduction to an essay in The Secular Heretic by EU physicist and pioneer, Wal Thornhill, the magazine’s editors describe the EU Model as the science of the 21st century, telling its readers: “Set aside everything you think you know about all things great and small because the ideas presented” in the Electric Universe “overturn it all.”[vi] Referring to the EU Model’s take on the primary assumptions of the Standard Model, they note:

“Was there a big bang? Not likely. Einstein’s Relativity? Doesn’t hold up. Is the Sun a thermonuclear fusion reactor which will eventually run out of fuel and burn out? Nope. Are there black holes? No such thing. What about dark matter and dark energy? Forget about that nonsense and start learning about the science of the 21st century.”[vii]

Implied in this statement is the idea that the Electric Universe Model calls into question many of the foundational concepts and suppositions of Standard Cosmology. 

What about gravity? This is arguably the most important point of departure. 

For the EU Model, the universe’s nature cannot be explained by gravity alone. Moreover, according to Wal Thornhill, “unlike the Standard Model, the EU Model has a physical model for gravity as a manifestation of the electric dipole force.” In the Standard Model, gravity is the fundamental organizing force in the Universe. On the macro scale, the Universe is dominated by gravity. But in the Electric Universe Model, “The Electric Force is the fundamental organising force at all scales.”[viii]  

According to EU proponents:  

“…the gravitational theorem…does not single-handedly provide all the answers required by physical science, particularly in deep space….gravitational theory struggles to explain many anomalies in observation….Today’s most vexing scientific anomalies point to an unexpected—at times dominating—role of the electric force.”[ix]

The EU Model does not deny the role of gravity in the universe. On the contrary, as its proponents explain:

“The Electric Universe concept emerged from the principles of empirical physical science as expressed by such pioneers as Galileo, Kepler and Newton…However, there is an important corollary to the gravitational theorem…”[xi] and that is the Electrical Force.  [xii]

Due to the hierarchical structure of the gravity-relativity-big bang lexicon that I identify at the beginning, if the first foundational concept—i.e., gravity as the organizing force in the universe—is compromised, then it stands to reason that the other two would also be called into question. If the Standard Model’s views on gravity as organizing force are wrong, then general relativity would be rendered irrelevant, and the big bang improbable. For instance, based on what the EU Model has to say about gravity, the question of a big bang becomes moot. According to Thornhill, “there was no big bang” and “we do not know the origins of the universe.” 

What about theories such as dark matter, dark energy, black holes, gravitational waves., etc.? While they are presented as declarative truths or foregone conclusions by mainstream science, EU advocates would caution that these concepts are physically undefined and remain ad hoc hypotheses.

Paradigmatic Traps

However, it is not likely that the Standard Model will easily let go of these, and other, foundational concepts. This is partly due to the fact that paradigmatic lexicons/foundational assumptions can trap scientists in a discursive prison that limits the way they can talk about—or even think about—what is observed. In a parading shift, the new paradigm typically understands the language of the old or existing model (but does not agree with it). The old paradigm, however, is restricted in its ability to understand—or even consider—the language of the new model. 

For example, because the Standard Model does not allow for cohesive electrical effects in space, they are limited to describing much of the interstellar medium as gas, whereas the EU Model describes it as plasma (not least because over 99 percent of the known universe is made up of electrically-charged plasma).[x] Standard Model scientists know what plasma is, but given their paradigmatic assumptions, they default to the language, and, therefore, the physical properties, of gas. 

For more on the differences between the Electric Universe Model and the Standard Model refer to The Electric Universe Heresy by Wallace Thornhill, and this recent video by Mel Acheson.

In exploring some of the most important differences between the two models, I do not claim to assert whether or not the EU Model is poised to replace the Standard Model. As Acheson and others have noted, the EU Model is still evolving and remains a work-in-progress. However, looking at the paradigm shift framework, one could not ask for a better example of a model that meets all of the requirements for the Model Revolution Stage, embodying what it means for a model to speak a fundamentally different language than—and be incompatible with—the dominant or existing model.

Moreover, as I have shown in previous work, the Electric Universe Model is also arguably less complex than the existing Standard Model, thereby satisfying part of Kuhn’s requirements for paradigm change. In this respect, the EU Model cannot be considered as an add-on or extension to the Standard Model. It is by the aforementioned measures, a fundamentally different cosmological paradigm. 

A Note on Worldview

Implied by the major differences between the Standard Model and the EU Model is a difference in worldview. As Wal Thornhill explains, Electric Universe proponents believe in a “resonantly connected universe,” which is “self-organising,” and where “entropy can decrease.” In the Electric Universe worldview,  “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. The universe is “consciousness-filled…” with “instantaneous information transfer via resonant connection.”[xiv]  Overall, the EU worldview highlights and emphasizes cosmic connectivity.

While the Standard Model does not have a formally articulated and expressed worldview, the Electric Universe infers from what the Standard Model says and, more importantly, what it is silent on, a worldview of  “disconnected, random, chaotic, unconscious, purposeless, ever-increasing entropy.”[xv] A worldview that is very much in contrast to its own.

Given these differences, Standard Model proponents and Electric Universe proponents are ultimately living in two different—and incompatible—worlds. 

As stated earlier, a paradigm shift or scientific revolution is ultimately a change of worldview for scientists. As noted in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions:

“Though the world does not change with a change of paradigm, the scientist afterword works in a different world….Rather than being an interpreter, the scientist who embraces a new paradigm is like the man wearing inverting lenses. Confronting the same constellation of objects as before, and knowing that he does so, he nevertheless finds them transformed…through and through…” (pp.121-122).

From this statement, we can conclude that a change of paradigm will ultimately upset the scientist’s worldview and field of study–turning them on their head. In light of this, let’s look at how proponents of the Standard Model have reacted to the Electric Universe.

Part III.

Mainstream Response to the EU Model

For a long time mainstream science and media responded as Kuhn’s work would suggest. Once Science becomes Institutionalized and entrenched, it tends to function like other dominant Institutions—such as Religion and Politics—in that it is dogmatic and unyielding to falsification and change or newness. For years, mainstream scientists have ignored, dismissed and/or mocked the Electric Universe Model. Some even going as far as to lump it in with absurd hypotheses held by “crackpots and a few fringe contrarians.” There are also claims that EU Model’s predictions are “in absurd conflict with observations of the big bang.”[xvii]

This is ironic given the Electric Universe’s claim of a history of accurate predictions. 

Examples include: 

  • That solar radiant energy is due largely to transmutation of elements in the electrically active solar plasma, which was confirmed by an independent SAFIRE experiment in 2019.
  • The electrical “flash” discharge preceding the impact of a copper projectile on Comet Tempel One
  • That the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan has distinctive lightning scars—called Lichtenberg patterns—with virtually no large craters. 
  • Successful predictions about what would be found at the heliopause
  • Successful predictions about the heat from Saturn’s north pole

These predictions, notwithstanding, it is not surprising that the Standard Model would dismiss the EU, especially given what Kuhn says about incommensurability. In the course of a paradigm shift, new ideas and assertions cannot be strictly compared to—or judged by—those of the old model, since the two models will have no common measure. From the perspective of my field, Critical Discourse Analysis, judging the EU Model by the existing Model’s standards and/or categorizing it as a model that is not to be taken seriously, are prime examples of how language is linked to power. 

In CDA, power is understood in broader symbolic terms, including the power to represent someone or something in a certain way. 

For CDA “language….is not simply a tool of communication, but a means by which people demonstrate their commitment, in one way or another, to certain ideologies”[xix] or dogmas. From the perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis, language is always about power and control, and is never arbitrary (Birch, 1991; Hall, 1981–cited in “A critical discourse analysis of power and ideology,” 2011).

With respect to science, those working in a model that is as deeply entrenched and as heavily funded as the current Standard Model, ultimately have the power to define and control the very discourse around cosmology—including what is considered acceptable and not acceptable. Given the careers and funding at stake, and given the power it has to define and shape the discourse, it is not surprising that mainstream science and cosmology would dismiss or mock any truly alternative model that threatens or undermines it. 

Once this becomes the official discourse on cosmology—i.e., that the Standard Model is acceptable and alternative models that deviate from it are unacceptable—it functions as a form of neuro-linguistic programming, that signals to the broader population how they should think about cosmology.

Ironically, however, it is the very resistance to new ideas that eventually forces Institutionalized Science to change. By resisting novelty, normal science (or dominant science) prepares the way for its own change, not least because crises left unresolved eventually force individuals—including scientists working within the existing model—to look elsewhere for new and better answers or explanations.

It must be stressed that this entails fully abandoning the existing, broken model. For Kuhn, new models demand the destruction of the old paradigm. In a scientific revolution, the new paradigm does not simply revise—or extend and add on to—the old paradigm, it replaces it.

While mainstream science has typically ignored and/or dismissed the Electric Universe Model, more recently, there has been what I describe as “electric universe adjacent” language in the mainstream. 

Examples include the following titles: 

From the titles alone, we can see that this language is different and uncharacteristic from what’s been typically reported by the mainstream in the past; and appears to be more closely aligned with the discourse of electromagnetism. 

One title even mentions filaments. And While two of the titles deal exclusively with magnetism, according to the EU Model, it is meaningless to talk about magnetism without also considering the Electric Force.

What might this recent change in mainstream discourse foretell? 

While it is too early to say for sure, one possibility is that more advanced technology (with more sophisticated probes) will make it increasingly impossible to deny the role of electricity in space. Something the EU Model has long claimed.

Wal Thornhill notes that “the Electric Universe paradigm has an unparalleled record of successful predictions in the space age.” He expects that this will continue; and that images and findings from the new James Webb Space Telescope will further support the predictions of the Electric Universe. 

Given the recent additions to their lexicon, could proponents of the Standard Model be preparing or attempting to get ahead the curve, and make room in their discourse for electromagnetism, and cosmic electrical forces; while maintaining their authority. 

In other words, could they be preparing to include electricity as an add-on or extension. Will we suddenly be reading about E-Gravity, for instance.

Kuhn’s paradigm shift framework, and everything discussed so far, clearly demonstrate that this is not sustainable in the long-run. Mixing incommensurate models—with fundamentally different paradigmatic languages—would only hurt science and could not be considered a true paradigm shift or scientific revolution. 

Due to their fundamental differences, the Electric Universe Model and the Standard Model cannot co-exist in the same paradigm. They are too different. As Mel Acheson aptly maintains, trying to add the Electric Universe as an extension to the Standard Model would simply muddy the waters. 

Given everything we know about the paradigm shift process (including our clearly articulated criteria for a Model Revolution stage), we must conclude that the future of cosmology cannot, and will not, be an ad hoc revision to the Standard Model. On the contrary, due to the very nature and definition of a scientific revolution, the only way forward is a truly alternative cosmological model, with a radically different paradigmatic language and worldview

Could this be the Electric Universe Model of Cosmology?

Time Will Tell…

Notes

[i] https://hep.info.yorku.ca/beyond-the-standard-model/

[ii] https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/11813627

[iii]  https://www.space.com/24781-big-bang-theory-alternatives-infographic.html

[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_Newtonian_dynamics

[v] See Ibid. 

[vi] https://thesecularheretic.com/the-electric-universe-heresy/

[vii] Ibid. 

[viii] As cited in a chart created and provided by Wallace Thornhill, February 2022.  

[ix] https://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2013/11/28/common-misconception-5-what-about-gravity/

[x] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzw6s4nbTZA&feature=emb_logo

[xi] https://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2013/11/28/common-misconception-5-what-about-gravity/

[xii] As cited in a chart created and provided by Wallace Thornhill, February 2022.  

[xiii] Ibid. 

[xiv] Ibid. 

[xv] Ibid.

[xvi] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ap0nxgg9Ws

[xvii] See https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/05/06/why-isnt-anyone-seriously-challenging-the-big-bang/?sh=2275dfa1689f

[xviii] https://www.grin.com/document/350636

[xix] Ibid. 

[xx] https://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2021/06/26/not-if-but-when-cosmology-in-crisis-the-coming-paradigm-shift-part-3/

[xxi] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=95&v=9brYReflH3A&feature=emb_titl

Copyright © 2022 Ghada Chehade. All content in this article is the sole property of the author and can only be reproduced with the expressed permission of the author, Ghada Chehade.

Why Cosmology Matters Beyond Science

26 Tuesday Oct 2021

Posted by in Electric Universe, Science

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In previous articles, I explored the current crisis in cosmology and what it means to have a revolutionary shift or change in cosmology. In today’s article, I step back and explore why cosmology matters in the first place. Why does cosmology matter beyond science and to non-scientists? And, how does cosmology impact everyday life?

We know that the study of the universe is important to science. But cosmology has impacts far beyond science and has a significant cultural component. What we believe about the cosmos impacts our worldview and eventually influences how we view and organize our cultural and social institutions, values, and norms.

It also greatly impacts how we view ourselves in the world.1 While we may not think of culture when we think of cosmology, cosmology has greatly impacted everything from anthropology and art to philosophy, morality, religion, and even politics.

Historically, changes in cosmology have precipitated tectonic cultural and ideological shifts that have shaped and defined the course of history. But the relationship between cosmology and culture is not unidirectional; it is far more nuanced than that. Cosmological shifts are also a product of their time, and often grow out of and/or reinforce philosophical and socio-political milieus that benefit from or exploit the ideas promoted or reflected in a new cosmology.

Let’s look at these points in greater detail.

I. Galileo and The Scientific Revolution

Changes in cosmology can have tectonic ripple effects that influence the course of history. A classic example is Galileo (and the Copernican revolution) and the shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric model of cosmology. This shift was so profound that it sparked the Scientific Revolution. But it also had profound consequences beyond science. As the Educational Director of the Italian Consulate (in the US) explains, “Galileo’s ideas not only sparked a scientific revolution, they initiated a large-scale revolution in human thinking. He changed the way we see the world and, more importantly, how we perceive ourselves within it.”2

Continue Reading

Recent Hiatus

01 Thursday Jul 2021

Posted by in Electric Universe, Science

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Thank you for visiting the blog. I have been on hiatus due to pregnancy and the birth of my first child. I will be returning to the website soon.

In the meantime, if you’d like to read or watch some recent material on cosmology, here are some links.

Articles:

Not If, But When: Cosmology in Crisis & The Coming Paradigm Shift, Part 1

Not If, But When: Cosmology in Crisis & The Coming Paradigm Shift, Part 2

Not If, But When: Cosmology in Crisis & The Coming Paradigm Shift, Part 3

Videos:

Videos:

Electric Cosmology And Shifting Paradigms

14 Saturday Oct 2017

Posted by in Electric Universe, Science

≈ 6 Comments

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This article is based on the breakout room talk I gave at the EU 2017 Conference in Phoenix. It is a summary of my previous EU work, and there is some overlap with earlier EU articles here.

electric sky

Like many interested in the electric universe theory, I am not a scientist. Yet, like many, the Electric Universe speaks to me and appeals to me. In this article I raise three points that may be interesting to non-scientists, such as myself, with respect to the electric universe theory. First: That cosmology is the biggest and most definitive paradigm there is. Secondly: As a meta-paradigm, cosmology influences other subsidiary paradigms, even if indirectly. Finally: Given the first two points, if and when cosmology changes, then other paradigms will also necessarily change.

Cosmology is the Mother of all Science and Philosophy

Starting with the first point, think for a moment about what a significant and defining paradigm cosmology is. Historically speaking, cosmology can be seen as the mother of all science and philosophy. Cosmology tells the “big story” of our universe and deals with the big questions. Fundamentally, cosmology tells the story of what is.

What is this thing we call the universe? What is the structure of the universe? What is its driving force? How and why did it develop the way it has? Also, is it isolated or is it connected, is it finite or is it infinite, does it have an origin, does it have an end..?

These questions are as much philosophical as they are scientific, and therefore have impact far beyond the sciences. To put it simply, just thinking about the universe will eventually lead to contemplating everything within it. Continue reading →

Undoing & Awakening-EU 2017 Poem

28 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by in Electric Universe, Poetry

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Author’s Note: A transcript of the poem I performed at the EU 2017 Conference. As this is a performance piece, it is written the way it is meant to be spoken.

 

Dear Dying System:

I am an observer… but don’t think me mute

Give me a pen and i’ll shoot

Words that ringggg like ammu-ni-tionn

Bringing you dowwwn to pure sub-mi-ssionn…

 

You see, there’s a flawww in your scientific design…

For the people are ready to take back their mindddd

You don’t believe me well here’s the proof

The struggle right nowww is the struggle for truth

 

We can’t run from this des-tin-y

We’ve been stifled too long by rela-ti-vi-ty…

While ignoring the power… of e-lec-tri-ci-ty

An answer….soooo elegant…in its sim-pli-ci-ty

 

So let’s wield our pen like a thunderbolt…

Our voice like a bow and arrow,

Sending out wooords of emancipation

Words for con-scious-ness liberation…

Intended to raise….. our future vibration

 

Cause if you look realll hard you will find

That truuue freedom, it starts in your mind

 

So to undo yearsss of scientific confusion

This must be the first site of the re-vo-lu-tion

 

Because we cannot see if we’re blind…

And the first step is to take back our mind

From theoreticians and… ma-the-ma-ti-cal magicians…

Who conjure black holes…while fostering revisions

 

They confuse us with endless equations….

That contradict their own pedagogical persuasions 

 

So it is time…to…take…the story…from…them

And it is time to name the source from which all things… stem….

 

It’s s in every star……being……planet… and flower…

 

It’s time to embrace its ubiquitous presence

And acknowledge its universal power….

Cause there’s a shift…there’s a shift…there’s a paradigm shift!

 

The Electric Universe Theory… And The Coming Paradigm Shift

27 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Electric Universe, Philosophy, Science

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electric-sun

This is the final article in my series on the appeal of the electric universe theory (EUT) to non-scientists, such as myself. In previous posts I discussed the historical appeal and the structural appeal of the EUT. In this post, I explore the final category—discourse. For me, one of the main draws of the EUT is that it has the potential to change and redefine certain existing paradigms, thereby possibly altering our meta-discourse or meta-narrative about the universe, our world, and our place in it.

As I have stated elsewhere, cosmology is the mother of all science and philosophy. It tells the “big story” of our universe and deals with the big questions. It addresses our concept of life, the world, and our place in it—past, present and future. Fundamentally, cosmology tells the story of what is. What is this thing we call the universe? What is the structure of the universe? What is its driving force? How and why did it develop the way it has? Is it isolated or connected, is it finite or infinite, does it have an origin, does it have an end, etc?

The answers to these questions ultimately permeate our understanding of our own being, existence and nature, even if on a subconscious level. Given that cosmology is the definitive discourse and narrative, if cosmology changes then, conceptually, everything can also change. This is because cosmology is an overarching discourse that, traditionally, directly or indirectly affected and shaped everything from philosophy and religion– to art, culture and even pop culture. So a change in the way we perceive and understand the universe has the potential to change and affect the broader culture. Simply put, a change in our cosmology will not only affect our understanding of the material world, but may ultimately affect anything to do with culture, humankind’s place in the world, and the cosmos. Continue reading →

The Structural Appeal of the EUT: Connectivity and the Electric Universe

29 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Electric Universe, Science

≈ 3 Comments

andromedagalex_2048

This is the second article in my series on the appeal of the electric universe theory (EUT) to non-scientists, like myself. I want to note that what I mean by “non-scientist” is someone who is interested in subjects related to the sciences but does not have formal scientific training and is not particularly comfortable with mathematics and scientific jargon. This is how I approach the EUT and what follows are my personal interpretations and observations. My approach to the electric universe reflects my own background and interests as a researcher in the Humanities, a sociopolitical critic, a discourse analyst, and a performance poet. My approach may not reflect that of others but could open certain doors and pathways for further exploration and discussion of the electric universe theory for some.

In a piece I first wrote on the subject, I state that, for me, the “non-scientific” appeal of the EUT can be broken down into the three categories: historical, structural, and discursive. I explored the historical category in my previous post. In today’s post I explore the structural (or systemic) category at greater length.

The structural/systemic component of the EUT comprises a vast area of research within the scientific realm, in that it deals with cosmology and astrophysics, among other things. At the same time, what it posits about the nature and structure of the universe opens up avenues of interest and investigation for both scientists and non-scientists alike. So what exactly does the electric universe theory say about the structure of the universe and why should it be of interest to someone such as myself? Continue reading →

From “Mere Folklore” to Cosmology: The Historical Appeal of the Electric Universe

29 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Electric Universe, Philosophy

≈ 2 Comments

anthony-peratt-part-3-screen-shot-2016-04-28-at-6-31-52-pm-550x365

Ancient etchings that resemble a modern plasma formation are found all over the globe

 

 

This is a long-overdue follow up on my last post. Last month I wrote a piece on the appeal of the electric universe theory (EUT) to non-scientists, such as myself. I broke it down into three categories—historical, structural/systemic, and discursive/discourse—and planned to revisit each category individually later on. In today’s post I will discuss the historical appeal of the EUT in greater detail.

One of the biggest appeals of the EUT is that it unabashedly looks to the past to give us answers about our relationship to the cosmos as well as the scientific possibilities for the future. The EUT draws on people like Immanuel Velikovsky whose work, while it did not directly deal with the eclectic universe, was historically among the few to introduce the unconventional notion that there are electromagnetic forces in the solar system that counteract, or even supersede, gravity. According to Velikovsky the earth has suffered natural catastrophes on a global scale, both before and during humankind’s recorded history. Velikovsky held that the causes of these natural catastrophes were close encounters between the Earth and other bodies within the solar system such as the present day planets Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, these bodies having moved upon different orbits within human memory. To explain the fact that these changes to the configuration of the solar system seem to violate established laws of physics, Velikovsky posited a role for electromagnetic forces in counteracting gravity and orbital mechanics. [1] Continue reading →

Why the Electric Universe Matters to Non-Scientists: Part Two

05 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by in Electric Universe, Philosophy, Science

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electric sky

This is part two of my follow up article on the 2016 Electric Universe Conference. In the previous post I gave my general impression of the conference and began to discuss the possible appeal of the electric universe theory (EUT) to non-scientists. This post is a continuation of that discussion. Before I proceed, I want to stress that I am not a scientist and am not qualified to speak about the EUT scientifically. As a scholar in the social sciences and humanities, I’m interested in the philosophical and socio-historical implications of the electric universe theory. My perspective deals with the broader, non-technical appeal of the EUT, as I understand it.

In the previous post I state that the non-scientific appeal of the EUT can be broken down into the three categories: historical, structural/systemic, and discursive. These are categories that anyone can access as analytical tools by which to explore the electric universe as a truer explanation for the cosmos. I describe each of these categories briefly in the subsequent paragraphs and will follow up with a separate post for each category in the coming weeks. Continue reading →