Planetary Chauvinism vs the High Frontier

> Were there planetary collisions between Mars and Venus in c. 1500 BC, and
> other periods before then?
>
> Velikovsky provided copious historical, geological, and astronomical
> evidence for the thesis that not only did this occur, but that it
> occurred near enough to Earth to have cataclysmic consequences on this
> planet, which were recorded in ancient documents and found in geological
> samplings.

Velikovsky has been extensively debunked. He was extraordinarily
selective in his choice of evidence, perhaps even to the point of
outright fraud. His 'theories' ignore basic laws of physics, not
just once, but over and over again, blowing everything from
orbital dynamics to conservation of energy and momentum to relativity,
to you name it. In terms of fringe science he is not even within
spitting distance of the ordinary weirdos like the free energy
crowd, or the alien kidnappees. By writing this I am giving
velikovsky more time and attention than he deserves, but I fear that
if I don't point out that the man was a liar and a borderline lunatic
otherwise sensible folk may waste their time finding this out for
themselves. Don't bother, unless you enjoy reading crackpot
theories and finding holes in them. In velikovsky's case the latter
is like shooting fish in a barrel.

We can build an empire in the sky if we choose. O'Neill showed one
path. Velikovsky, however, showed the path of delusion. Don't read
'Worlds in Collision' - reread 'The High Frontier' - or 'The Cat
in the Hat' for that matter.

For those whose curiousity is piqued, take a look at the skeptical
inquirer website, James Randi's website, the CSICOP site - all will
point you to information about why Velikovsky isn't worth even a
few minutes of your time.

......Andrew

Andrew Case
acase@...
Institute for Plasma Research
University of Maryland, College Park |