Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge and Jayant Narlikar (2000), on page 188 of their book, illustrate what they call the conformist approach to the standard hot big bang modern cosmology with a very instructive photograph. It shows a large group of geese that follow their leader(s). Here I concentrate myself on the probable idiosyncrasy of the last goose in the group.
1. Introduction
Soares (2003a) has already called the attention to goose affairs, firstly introduced by Hoyle, Burbidge and Narlikar by means of a photograph, in a brilliant page of a most interesting cosmology book.
I reproduce below the famous photograph that appeared in the book and
put forward in a few words, in the next section, the goose problematic.
2. The Photograph
3. Mercy for the goose
I often stop and think about the last goose. The last goose in the group. What are his thoughts? Why is he there? Where does he come from? Is he happy? Still more personal, how is he doing in life? What are his basic necessities, except food, love, and all of those usual things.
Well, that is hard to answer. For just one person. So I decide to start here a sort of an enquête amongst all those interested in cosmological matters. The purpose is to make a clear and trustful picture of such a grave personality. Please, send me your opinion about the last goose. Look first at him in the photograph, in the end of the row, of the line, as you wish, and try to find out what is going on inside his mind. I only ask mercy. It is not his fault. By the way, is it a fault, in the first place? To be there?, just be there? Well, why...
Could any of us be at that right place just now?
4. The last goose as bones and mind
Oops! Sorry, I thought I was talking about another thing. See Soares (2003b) for more on this.
Let us go now to our goose.
I list below the opinions I have so far on the last-goose's idiosyncrasy. That is to say, what he thinks, what he says, this kind of things.
The name of the author of each statement --- and electronic address, when possible --- follows. So, send your contribution! Let us make this goose understandable and clearcut! Hurrah!
References
∗ For more short comments on modern cosmology check at www.fisica.ufmg.br/~dsoares/notices-e.htm. Back.
♦ The position of lead goose has been properly claimed by Prof. P. James E. Peebles, from Princeton University, in his paper entitled Dark Matter, below equation (3), with the words: ``But consider that when I proposed CDM and then ΛCDM in the 1980s (...)". Back.