Cosmology is the study of origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe. Since the earliest of times, humans have questioned and studied the universe. In the past, myths about creation have developed in order to explain the origins of the universe. Then scientific models of the universe arose to explain the positions of the planets and Sun in the universe. There is no doubt that the understanding of cosmology has increased in the last century or so. What caused this explosion of progress in cosmological thought to occur? An answer to this is advances in technology. Advances in technology play a significant role in understanding the universe. These technologies are used as a tool, which helps us explore the universe so we may better understand it. Certainly, this cannot be the only cause to the progress in cosmological thought. Modern cosmology cultivated from the ancient ideas of the universe. Which gets credited as to the understanding of the universe and its role, technological advancement or prior knowledge? Advances in technology and the state of prior knowledge have both made a significant contribution to the understanding of the universe as they work hand in hand; therefore neither is more important than the other.
Technology has progressed continuously since the beginning of civilization. However prior to any technological advancement occurring, early humans studied the sky and observed it through their naked eyes. Through their observation of the sky, people created myths in order to explain what was going on in the sky. Therefore, cosmologies during the early times were not based on reasoning but purely on observation from what they saw. As time passed, many other instruments were created in order to better obser...
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...hem. The advancement of technology and prior knowledge go hand in hand when understanding new thing about the universe.
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Many scholars, researchers, and scientist claim that the greatest discovery in mankind’s history was actually made by Professor Albert Einstein and is called the “Theory of Relativity.” The reason they say this is that by being able to explain and understand how everything relates to everything else is the key to advancing or evolving our knowledge about everything. In other words if we know how a starfish relates to a star, in theory we can know or cause to be known everything in-between. So the very evolution of knowledge is at stake, never mind the methodology that is used.
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During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the scientific revolution brought about a slow change in societies’ thinking regarding math, earth science, physics, and astronomy. Early on, new ideas about our universe were not widely accepted, especially from the church. This soon changed due to the hard work and perseverance of several scientists and philosophers who unbeknownst to them brought about an era known as the Enlightenment.
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Generally, science is a hotly discussed and vehemently debated topic. It is difficult to achieve consensus in science, considering the fact that ideas are diverse about even science definition, leave alone the true interpretations and meaning of scientific experiments, philosophies and discoveries. However, these arguments, disagreements as well as continuous trials to find a better reasoning, logic and explanation are exactly what have always been driving science progress from art to art form. It is worth noting that, in Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction, the Author-Samir Okasha explore various way of looking at science via the prism of life by citing a variety of scientific experiments, and providing examples from history of science.
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On the other hand, believers in science take a completely different approach in explaining the origin of the universe. Although there is more than one theory, the most popular today is the concept of the big ba...
The bottom line is that historical sciences (in this case, cosmology) can make testable predictions: the existence of background radiation and its properties, the distribution of light isotopes, the presence of galaxy evolution, the age constraint, and so on. The same goes with evolutionary biology, another historical science.
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During the seventeenth century, the modern science of physics started to emerge and become a widespread tool used around the world. Many prominent people contributed to the build up of this fascinating field and managed to generally define it as the science of matter and energy and their interactions. However, as we know, physics is much more than that. It explains the world around us in every form imaginable. The study of physics is a fundamental science that helps the advancing knowledge of the natural world, technology and aids in the other sciences and in our economy. Without the field of physics, the world today would be a complete mystery, everything would be different because of the significance physics has on our life as individuals and as a society.