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Science

laconicsax

(14,860 posts)

15. And yet, Copernicus didn't idly speculate.

Reply to Speck Tater (Reply #14)

Sun Apr 1, 2012, 05:59 PM

Apr 2012

Hypotheses are the product of speculation, but that speculation isn't idle.

Idle speculation is speculation for the purpose of speculation. That's what makes it idle. Meaningful speculation is asking a question as part of trying to figure something out.

Copernicus asked the question, "would a heliocentric model fit the data?" and acted in it.

Newton asked the question, "what if everything was attracted to everything else?" and worked out the consequences.

Einstein asked the question, "what happens if you apply relativity to gravitation?" and worked out the consequences.

The list goes on.

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Mysteries of "The Redshift Desert" --Why Do Galaxies in the Early Universe Appear Old? [View all] n2doc Mar 2012 OP

Although shunned by the herd, there are still viable alternatives to the Big Bang theory. Speck Tater Mar 2012 #1

??? There either was a beginning of time or there wasn't. You can't have both. DetlefK Mar 2012 #3

Steady State hypothesized the continuous creation of new hydrogen Speck Tater Mar 2012 #7

Explain the CMB. laconicsax Mar 2012 #9

Yup. That's why steady state in its current form has been discredited. Speck Tater Mar 2012 #10

Idle speculation isn't how progress is made. laconicsax Apr 2012 #11

Two things. Speck Tater Apr 2012 #12

All of the advances by those you quote built on the work of others. laconicsax Apr 2012 #13

What was that famous quote? Speck Tater Apr 2012 #14

And yet, Copernicus didn't idly speculate. laconicsax Apr 2012 #15

Ah, so your real quibble is with the word "idle". Speck Tater Apr 2012 #16

I'm I the only one who believes redshift can be affected by compressed and/or expanded space? tridim Mar 2012 #2

Compressing space won't help DetlefK Mar 2012 #4

Who said the Universe is flat on a cosological scale? tridim Mar 2012 #5

Light isn't sound; space isn't air longship Mar 2012 #6

The WMAP experiment did. laconicsax Mar 2012 #8