Book Review: The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook by Luke Barnes and Geraint Lewis

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Introduction:

The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook by Luke Barnes and Geraint Lewis introduces the reader to the science underpinning the Big Bang Theory. What make this book unique is that Barnes and Lewis have written it as an instruction manual. You want to dethrone the Big Bang Theory as the prevailing model of the universe? This book promises to guide you through that very process. If only you’re up for the task.

The Science:

To start the conversation, Barnes and Lewis lay the groundwork for understanding what science is and how it functions. Science, they suggest, is not just about explaining existing data, but also about predicting data yet to be discovered. And this is done by the development of scientific models. It is here that Barnes and Lewis point to and summarize a paper by historian of science Michael Keas on the different theoretical virtues of science (there are twelve of them, in case you didn’t know). Once the model is established, Barnes and Lewis turn to the “real” process of science: publishing, peer review, and presentation. If you want to overthrow the Big Bang, you’ll need to master it all.

Barnes and Lewis then explore what scientific revolutions look like in practice. Beginning with Aristotle and working through Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton they outline how the developments of their respective models required overthrowing at least some of the physics of the previous models But with the rise of Newton came a problem: an infinite universe with infinite stars that would produce infinite brightness across the tire sky (this is known as “Olber’s Paradox”). That this phenomenon is not observed requires explanation, and that explanation is found din the universe having a beginning with stars only being formed some finite time ago.

The discussion then shifts to the data surrounding light from distant galaxies. Barnes and Lewis outline how astronomers can identify shifts in the light spectra produced from far-away sources. This is the data. The question that needs answering is why these spectra appear shifted. From caved variable stars to supernovae, Barnes and Lewis connect the dots to the conclusion that the universe is expanding, and at an increasing rate. In doing so they eliminate alternative explanations such as electromagnetic influences or gravitational redshifting.

Whereas the previous discussion focused on how time and distance works in the universe, the next discussion focuses on the slowing of clocks and fading light. The trick to making predictions in accordance with the Big Bang Theory is figuring out how much light is expected to fade over time as it travels through an expanding universe. While we would like this to be straightforward, this task requires additional correction factors to account for how light can be shifted outside of the detector range due to redshift. Barnes and Lewis then compare the Big Bang Theory with the alternative explanation of “tired light” – the theory that light loses energy as it travels – and find the alternative wanting.

The discussion shifts to what Barnes and Lewis identify as the greatest demonstration of the Big Bang Theory: the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This is a faint radiation signal that exists everywhere in space. The temperature of the CMB is measured ot be 2.725 K. The fact that the CMB is uniform throughout space is significant because in order to account for this the universe must have been much hotter and denser in the past than it is today – which effectively is the definition of the Big Bang Theory. Barnes and Lewis further demonstrate how the Steady State model of the universe – the model in which the universe looks the same at any point in space and time – fails to account for the fact that the universe appears different as we look back in time.

Barnes and Lewis next jump into the physics of quasars. Quasars are incredibly bright distant objects. The light from these objects has undergone extreme redshift in every case – and this redshift is uniform across all wavelengths for a given quasar. In addition, the absorption lines in the light spectra indicate the properties of the universe – in the case of quasars the universe is densely populated with hydrogen. Both of these phenomena fit well within an expanding universe model.

The discussion takes a turn in order to address an important question: what is the universe made of? Here we are talking about the chemical composition of the universe. But what is most important for he purposes of this book is how to explain how the compositional materials of the universe are distributed. Barnes and Lewis explain – in detail – how different chemical elements are produced. Some are produced in stars. Others require significantly more energy. When all is said and done, the hot and dense early universe of the Big Bang model results in the predictions about the chemical composition of the universe that largely match observations (with the exception of lithium).

Next, Barnes and Lewis address the overall shape of the universe. The universe is geometrically indistinguishable from being flat, but has a particular degree of “bumpiness” with a particular distribution. The points to initial conditions of the universe that are explained well by the inflationary model of the early universe. The only other alternative seems to be a sense of hope that the need to explain these phenomena disappear eventually.

Barnes and Lewis then turn the discussion toward some more extreme proposed alternatives to the Big Bang. These alternatives vary in degree of absurdity. Some are simple, requiring only a change in the rate of universal expansion. Others are extreme, involving a now-vanished white hole that spat the universe into existence. In each case, the alternatives fail to account for observations, at a minimum, and some even fail to produce any quantitative predictions at all.

The book comes to a close by pointing out some of the current gaps in our understanding of the universe that need filling. from dark energy and dark matter to galactic formation and the amount of lithium in the early universe, Barnes and Lewis outline precisely the areas in need of better explanations. Those wishing to overturn the Big Bang would do well to pay attention because this section is where the authors provide an opportunity for them to do so.

In Conclusion

Overall, this is a fun read. The technical content can be found in numerous different physics books, but The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook is truly unique in how the content is packaged. The discussions are engaging and humorous, and by presenting the material in the form of guidance for overturning the Big Bang, Barnes and Lewis manage to keep the reader wanting more. Out of all the books on the Big Bang theory that I have read, this is one of the most enjoyable.

With that said, it is predominantly a book of physics, with a little bit of philosophy thrown in there from time to time. Therefore, the apologetic applications are minimal. This book is beneficial for apologetics only insofar as the Big Bang lends support to certain cosmological arguments. But this is something the authors refrain from discussing. Regardless, this book fits well in the library of anyone involved in scientific apologetics, and for that reason I highly recommend it.