No Sun or Moon

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Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Also, let me clarify: I am not saying "the myths are true". I'm writing fiction about that myself. I am suggesting that ancient cultures described to the best of their ability (what we choose to call mythology) something that really happened in the sky of their time, which we find almost impossible to believe because what they described is not what we see now.

Again, I think that we agree somewhat. The science of the ancients was the best that they could do at that time; also, the writings etc that we have from those ancient days may be a subset of what was known. As far as we know, someone somewhere wrote about germ theory, but the papyri were destroyed in the drowning of Númenor (though I doubt it ).

As for "across all myths", I misspoke. There are ancient cultures respected for their highly accurate recordings of the night sky, namely Egypt, Mesoamerica, and Babylon, where these strange similarities crop up. These, by the way, are starting points.

It occurred to me a possible reason why 'light' is created before the sun. Those of you up and outside earlier enough in the morning (when you are waiting for the morning paper at the end of your driveway...) may have observed that it becomes light before the sun rises. Some maybe the ancients were just explaining what they observed, which if you assumed a flat earth...

What I'm talking about, however, is an entire paradigm issue by which certain theories are not even allowed to be considered by those who hold scientific power in universities.

Such as? Note that if there exists a scientific cabal, they have yet to allow me to join. Not saying that this is what you mean, but if you want to add 'supernatural' to the mix, then science becomes useless, though a cushy job if you can get it. Why does the moon orbit the Earth? The god created it that way, so we're done and so can go for ice cream (which sounds like a good idea). If a god, by definition, can do anything - even violate its own laws - then what's the use?

Kind of like the literati who refuse to accept Tolkien's works as good literature because it doesn't fit their narrow view of what good literature ought to be.

Not exactly. The Soviets practiced Lysenkoism and ignored the works of Mendel. Was it just subjective opinion? Did they just prefer red to blue, or think that vanilla ice cream was capitalistic? No, using the wrong 'science' - Lysenkoism was a belief based on faith and not evidence - people starved.

On general relativity, are you saying the theory has been put to rest in some cases but not others, or that it has been put to rest completely? Being a theory about general relativity, I do believe I am correct in understanding that it purports to account for all forces in relation to each other: gravity, electromageticsm, weak and strong forces (of some kind), and that in relation to each other, no force can be infinite precisely because it must BE in relation to the other forces. If that is incorrect, how?

First, nothing in science is *ever* put to rest. One of science's strong points is that it constantly tests itself (sure, sometimes the establishment isn't too happy about the new and so tries to squash things, but doesn't this take place everywhere humans are involved?), constantly trying to disprove theories. Scientists do not assume that what's true today will be true tomorrow. Not that there won't be some carryover, as usually ideas are refined and not always thrown out, but, in the end, more information leads to more understanding.

Think that this is why people don't 'get' science. How much more comforting - even to me - to think that everything is known, all is well and someone is minding the shop. How annoying and even scary to know that what you think you know may not be how things truly are.

On the other hand, note that gravity is a theory. If, and the day will come (see below), this theory is modified or overturned, you won't go floating off into space.

Regarding Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: This site should make your head hurt. At issue is how to reconcile gravity and quantum mechanics. So far, much has been conjectured but nothing proven. How will it all pan out? Don't know, but what I find amusing is that, one day a thousand years from now some person will dust off a 2008 physics book and look and laugh.

"I can't believe they thought that the universe was..."