Category: Astronomy one

Article on an Alternative to Dark Matter

Dr. Matlof has a theory that stars may have their own version of consciousness.

“In the summer of 2011, Dr. Matloff delivered a paper in London at the British Interplanetary Society’s conference on the works of philosopher and writer Olaf Stapledon, the author of Star Maker (1937). One of Stapledon’s startling ideas was that stars themselves might have a form of consciousness. Greg’s presentation went to work on the notion in light of anomalous stellar velocities and asked what might make such an idea possible. His paper on the seemingly incredible notion follows.” –Paul Gilster, 2012

“The Dark Matter hypothesis has been invoked as an explanation for the fact that stars revolve around the centers of their galaxies faster than can be accounted for by observable matter. After decades of failed experimental searches, dark matter has remained elusive.”

Dr. Matlof’s hypothesis that stars are conscious is nothing new and hails from panpsychism or animism. Greek philosophers from 600B.C. dabbled in this idea, particularly Plato.

This world is indeed a living being endowed with a soul and intelligence … a single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related.-Plato

In our modern, mechanistic, detached Christian worldview, I would venture to say most of the world’s people don’t believe that the Earth and the cosmos have actual consciousness.  The media and religions have done a good job of dulling our minds to the real connectedness to the web of life. Consequently, we find ourselves with our finger on the button, a toxic political climate, and a toxic planet.

But why do we believe we are more conscious than a star? Because it’s different; it doesn’t have a body, it’s celestial, not terrestrial, it doesn’t walk, eat, or have blood so it must not be conscious. Why can’t there be different kinds of consciousness in different forms?  Does a brain always have to be gray matter inside a skull?

You see how ethnocentric our thinking and believing can be as humans.  For some evolutionary reason, we really emotionally need everything to look like us and agree with us or we get scared.  That makes us so vulnerable in a world where the only sure thing is change.

It hasn’t been proven that Dark Matter exists, so what can account for the stars holding in place?

Does Dark Matter Exist?

“In 1978, astrophysicist Vera Rubin concluded that the observable motions of galaxies couldn’t be explained by the laws of Newtonian physics alone. Due to the speed of the galaxies’ rotation, the stars on their edges would fly away if the only thing holding them in place were the visible matter.”

We’re not sure about the stars, but my intuition tells me that what holds me here, in my body, is my intention, my mind, my will which says, “I like my body and the planet and I want to be here.” If that force can hold me in place, maybe it can hold a star in place as well.” We’ll have to see if we can prove otherwise.