Cosmology, Physics, and Philosophy

1. Relativistic cosmology vs. modified concepts in physics and philosophy.- The problem of ordering.- How did it all start?.- The first seven stages.- 2. The Einsteinian methodology.- The withdrawal of philosophy from physics.- The greatest ambition of physics.- Unified field theories.- Physico-philo-sophical gains.- The expanding universe.- The 1977 “Aether drift” discovery.- Verification of physical laws by astronomy and astrophysics.- Einstein’s classification of physical theories.- 3. Economy of physical laws.- Search for higher symmetries and asymmetries.- Unified theories and quantum chromodynamics.- Gravitism.- Cosmology and physics.- Gravitation—structure—life.- Gravitational selection.- Gravitation, life and evolution.- Valid philosophies and Popper.- Task of philosophy.- The skeptic’s outlook.- I Preliminary Concepts.- Lecture I From Terrestrial Gravitational Structures To Black Holes and Neutrinos in Astrophysics.- Terminology and a word of caution.- The hierarchy of structures.- The main galactic structures.- Gravitation, asymmetry and structure.- Gravitationally—induced sedimentation, crystallisation, viruses, metamorphism, etc..- Stellar structures.- Main—sequence, supergiant and neutron stars.- Supernovae and pulsars.- Gravitational clocks.- X-ray astronomy and binary sources.- Black holes and violently active galaxies.- Gas, dust and formation of stars.- Cosmic distances measurement.- Cephei stars.- Neutrino astronomy.- Gamma-ray astronomy.- Unmanned spacecrafts exploring the universe.- Lecture II From “Conservation” in Classical Physics to Solitons in Particle Physics.- What is conservation?.- Micro-vs. macro-analyses.- Limitations of theory.- The general macroscopic equation.- Continuity and momentum equation.- Energy equation and dissipation.- Entropy balance equation.- Beyond classical physics: Solitons, Antisolitons and conservation.- Solitons in biophysics.- Conservation in subatomic processes.- The discovery of the neutrino.- Lecture III From General Relativity and Relativistic Cosmology to Gauge Theories.- Einstein field equations.- Principle of equivalence.- Confirmations of Einstein’s theory.- Preliminary formulations in general relativity.- Metric tensor and affine connection.- Newtonian limit.- The Energy—momentum tensor.- Weak static fields.- Master arrow of time.- Mathematical derivations.- Cosmological models.- Age and fate of the universe.- Accelerated observers and principle of equivalence.- Unified field theories: Solitons, instanton and gauge fields.- Spin-2 graviton and gauge fields.- Supergravity and spin-3/2 gravitino.- The skeptic’s view.- II From Physics To Philosophical Crossroads and Back.- Lecture IV The Arrows of Time.- Asymmetry—symmetry—space—time and the unification of the laws of physics.- Confusing concepts of time and asymmetry.- The entropie asymmetry.- Causality and causation.- Determinism in relativity.- Light cones.- Cosmological asymmetries.- Time-reversal invariance.- Subatomic asymmetries.- Symmetry breaking.- The death of scale—based physics.- Quantum geometrodynamics.- Superspace.- Failure of time.- Tachyons and macro—causality.- Memory in classical physics.- False entropy.- Entropy—free thermodynamics.- Lecture V The Crisis in Quantum Physics.- Preliminary review.- Gravitation and quantum physics.- The three main schools of thought.- Controversies over “uncertainty” and complementary “principles”.- Recent physico—philosophical conclusions about the state of determinism and chance.- The heresy of a few skeptics.- Mythologized concepts in physics.- The failure of quantum physics to deduce irreversibility and asymmetry.- Differential equations, initial and boundary conditions, and physical laws.- Quantum chromodynamics and super-symmetry.- Weinberg-Salam Theory.- Renormalizable gauge theories and supergravity.- Quarks, gluons, color, and the search for higher symmetry principles.- III From Physics to Cosmological Crossroads and Back.- Lecture VI Cosmology, Physics and Philosophy.- Reduction of thermodynamics to gravitation.- Gravitation as a super—asymmetry.- The earliest asymmetry.- Classification of expanding spaces.- Gravitation— asymmetry principle of equivalence.- Unsaturable spaces.- Derivation of the Master asymmetry from gravitation theories.- Irreversibility in the new theory.- The origin of all dissipation.- Terrestrial thermophysics.- Connections with classical and continuum thermophysics.- Electromagnetic irreversibility and the Master asymmetry.- Lecture VII Cosmological Origin of Time and Evolution.- Lecture VIII Black Holes and the Unification of Asymmetries.- Observational evidence.- Schwarzchild solution of the field equations.- Cygnus X-1.- Event horizons.- Black—hole physics and entropy.- “Evaporation” of black holes.- Primordial black holes?.- Back to unified asymmetries.- IV Beyond Present Knowledge.- Lecture IX Havayism—The Science of the Whole.- The futile quest for final answers.- An example in Havayism.- The interconnectedness of Havaya.- Impossibility of biotic evolution.- Gravitation and geochemical evolution.- Scale of biotic evolution.- Generation of biomonomers.- Gravitation and organisation.- Biological clocks.- Philosophy of biology.- Asymmetry and memory.- Brain and ordering of space and time.- Depth perception.- The failure of cybernetics and information theory.- Innate depth perception and gravitation.- Language, thinking and asymmetry.- Thinking, structure and complexity.- Spinozism.- From reason to Kant and back.- Fichte, Hegel, Kant and Spinoza.- Positivism.- Mach, Popper and Einstein.- Dialectical gravitism.- Beyond present physics.- Solitons and instantons in vacuum gauge fields.- Pregeometry.- Quantum chromodynamics.- Unified gauge fields.- Skepticism and the skeptic outlook.- Critique of Western Thought.- Crisis as constructive catalyst?.- Our universities: Are they adequate?.- A proper time to reasses priorities?.- Militarism, pacifism and the Einsteinian ethics.- Academe, power and survival.- The political philosophy of Spinoza.- Why higher education has failed.- The case for elitism and excellence.- Politics in science.- The need for philosophy in a time of crisis.- Historicism vs. theoretical physics.- Appendix I (Lecture X) A Few Historical Remarks on Time, Mind and Symmetry.- Symmetry at the dawn of science.- Time, mind and order in Hebrew and Greek antiquity.- Subjective time and causality.- Appendix II (Lecture XI) The Philosophy of Time & Change: Some Historical Notions.- Heraclitus and Plato.- Macroevolution and historicism.- Spencer.- Doomsday theories (Spengler and Toynbee).- Dialectical materialism and historicism.- Global interdependence.- Global economics and low-entropy energy resources.- Appendix III (Lecture XII) Structuralism and the Divided American Thought.- Chauncy Wright.- Pragmatism.- Operationalism.- Logical positivism.- Preoccupation with the analysis of language.- Wittgenstein.- Vienna Circle.- Structuralism.- Appendix IV (Lecture XIII) Policy and Publicity: A Critique.- Erosion of quality and abstract thinking.- Scientists as laymen.- Destruction of selectivity.- Decision-making.- Words, deeds and critics.- Unity and ideology.- Science and the media.- A vested interest in publications?.- Time and policy.- Unfunded discoveries.- Appendix V Thought-Provoking and Thought-Depressing Quotations.- Appendix VI (Lecture XIV) Critique of Western Methodology.- The decline of intelligentsia.- The search for a methodology.- The Einsteinian methodology vs. skepticism.- Ecology and interconnected thinking.