Your piece on Velikovsky failed to mention the current theory of the Moon's origin, that a planet-sized body hit the earth a glancing blow about 4 billion years ago, and the debris from this collision became the Moon (see "The Big Splat"). Of course, Velikovsky was wrong, but evidently there were numerous collisions in the early period of formation of the solar system. The collision theory is based on results from Apollo, as well as the fact that the Moon's average density is similar to that of the earth's crust, and much less than the average density of the earth (due to our iron core!).

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Martin Willcocks
SLC, UT, USA

Indirectly, it does. Worlds in Derision is Chapter 18 in the BA's book, p.174, is about Velikovsky's theories, which theories seem to say that Venus collided with the earth in the last few thousand years. The book does talk about collisions many millions of years before, but obviously none of them, including the one you are referring to, have anything to do with Velikovsky's theory

Yeah, the lunar formation theory doesn't have much to do with Velikovsky except tangentially (ha! a pun). A lot of V's current followers say that he is the one who kick-started modern catastrophic theories, but I doubt that's correct. His theories are so amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong that it's very unlikely that some scientist said, "Hey, maybe his ideas are amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong, but he may be on to something..." #-o

You never know. Maybe someone was laughing themselves to self over a book of his theories and went "wait a second... that is amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong, but it gives me an idea....".

Of course that doesn't change the fact that he is amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong. I just like saying that. Amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong! Amazingly, astoundingly, grossly wrong!

Ok I'm done now.

Welcome to BA to another OU Grad...


There is a difference between the current theory of the moon's formation, and Velikovski's ideas of Venus colliding round the Solar System, rather like a ball-bearing in a pinball game...

yea, this chapter bothered me too. more about Carl Sagan than Velikovsky.

Sagan was put down for poor or lacking arguments, but the points in this chapter didn't go much futher.



I just realized that the Author has to hear critiques all day - especially since he created this place. #-o

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"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
My travel blog

Some of my Astrophotography


Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

Actually, ten pages in the chapter discuss V's claims, and three talk about how the scientific community dealt with him. Of those three, about one page is concerning Sagan's attack on V.

I think that how the community dealt with V's antiscience garbage is very important, which is why I included it. I still stand by what I wrote in that chapter.

Actually, I liked the part describing the community. I'm a little younger than most astronomers, 24, and I wasn't around to see these things happen. reading about them is the only way to know.


I guess my complaint was that he, Sagan, wrote half a book on the subject and was put down, but there was nothing new that strenghtened the arguments against V.


Overall I throughly enjoyed your book. 8)

__________________
"I will do my best to understand and explain the universe from big to small without invoking miracles, unrepeatable events, or divine intervention. In place of those things I will use observations, mathematics, and science."


-Cross
My travel blog

Some of my Astrophotography


Those that lack education have a hard time understanding its value. - Cross

I have a physics degree but function as something other as do most people. How in the Worlds in Collision, did V get so much credibility that his puke had to be addressed by serious, busy scientists? Are we going to have to waste precious resources to debunk the golden shower hoard of pseudoscientists that populate Crank.net?

Is our public education system really this bad?

Yes ...

Just Look at Kansas and Kentucky ...

<Shudders>

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.