(Promotion for The Universe of Motion)
Consequently, all of the features and properties of stars and their aggregates (clusters and galaxies) can be derived from physical laws and principles, independently of astronomical observations, providing—and here’s the catch—providing that a complete and consistent system of these physical laws and principles is available. Present-day physical science does not have such a system. As described by Richard Feynman, the laws of physics currently recognized by the scientific community are “a multitude of different parts and pieces that do not fit together very well”. An analysis of this situation has shown that the shortcomings of the conventional theories axe due to an error in the prevailing concept of the basic nature of the universe. The “multitude” of individual theories are all based on the assumption that the universe with which these theories deal is a universe of matter, one in which the fundamental entities are units of matter existing in a framework provided by space and time. But this matter concept is known to be wrong, since we know that matter can be transformed into radiation, and vice versa. Obviously, this means that neither can be basic. Both must be forms of some underlying entity, some common denominator. The matter concept has been retained only because of the lack of any plausible alternative.
In a series of books published at intervals during the past 25 years, D. B. Larson has shown that the common denominator of the universe is motion; that is, the basic entities are units of motion rather than units of matter. With the benefit of this motion concept, he has identified the corrections that have to be made in physical theory to put it on a sound foundation. The revised theory, the theory of the universe of motion, is a fully integrated and self-contained structure, in which all conclusions in all areas are derived entirely from one set of basic premises. The theory not only accounts for the entities and phenomena of all of the major branches of physical science, but also provides simple and logical answers for the many problems, particularly in the basic areas, that have defied all previous attempts at solution.
Now, in a new book, The Universe of Motion, Larson extends the physical principles and relations developed in his earlier publications to the astronomical and cosmological fields. As in the earlier works, all of the conclusions that are reached are derived entirely by development of the necessary consequences of the postulates that define the universe of motion, without introducing anything from any other source. This book therefore gives us a purely physical view of the astronomical universe, completely independent of any information from astronomical sources. The relevant observational results are described, but they are not used in the development of the theoretical picture of the universe; they are employed only for the purpose of showing that the theoretical results agree, item by item, with the observations.
As could be expected in a field where factual information is relatively scarce, and existing theory has a large speculative content, this new development, based on physical principles that have been positively verified in fields readily accessible to observation, gives us a picture that is very different, in many respects, from that which we get from the astronomers. Now, fully verified, explanations for such phenomena as quasars and pulsars, the galactic recession, the white dwarf stars, and supernovae, eliminate the need for the fantastic products of the imagination that the astronomers are now calling upon to provide answers to the problems posed by the latest observational discoveries. In addition to returning these more recently discovered phenomena to the land of reality, the new, fully integrated, and solidly based theoretical development uncovers some serious errors in the currently accepted views of the evolutionary paths of the stars and galaxies. Additionally, although it deals only with classes of objects rather than Individuals, it identifies a number of previously unrecognized relations that will be useful in astronomical work. For example, the theory leads to a new and more accurate method of determining the distances to the globular clusters, a method that is applicable even where the cluster is so far distant that only a few of the most luminous stars are observable in detail.