The Big Bang before the Big Bang

According to received opinion, the Big Bang theory of cosmology was formulated by Lemaître in the first half of the 20th century, and received acceptance as a scientific account of the Universe in the later 20th century. This paper examines some ideas and passages by a trio of unorthodox cosmologists from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Erasmus Darwin, Edgar Allan Poe and Herbert Spencer) and shows how they anticipate some of the the major outlines of the Big Bang theory. Although their insights were not formulated within the discipline of mathematical physics, they should not be disregarded in their role as cosmologists, as the construction of mental and narrative models is an important aspect of evolutionary science. It was such insights that allowed to conceive of cosmology and physics as evolutionary sciences, a paradigm change that is still under way.

See also:

_____. "Darwin's Big Bang." In García Landa, Vanity Fea 22 Nov. 2012.*

         http://vanityfea.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/darwins-big-bang.html

         2012

_____. "Poe's Big Bang." In García Landa, Vanity Fea 25 Nov. 2012.*

         http://vanityfea.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/poes-big-bang.html

         2012

_____. "Sobre el orden autogenerado." In García Landa, Vanity Fea  25 Feb. 2013.*

         http://vanityfea.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/sobre-el-orden-autogenerado.html

         2013

_____. "El Big Bang antes del Big Bang—según Spencer, Darwin y Poe." Net Sight de José Angel García Landa 10 July 2014.*

http://www.unizar.es/departamentos/filologia_inglesa/garciala/publicaciones/bigbangdarwin.html
2014

https://personal.unizar.es/garciala/publicaciones/bigbangdarwin.pdf

2019

_____. "El Big Bang antes del Big Bang—en Spencer, Darwin, y Poe (The Big Bang before the Big Bang—in Spencer, Darwin, and Poe)." SSRN 10 July 2014.*

http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2463993

2014

Cultural Anthropology eJournal 10 July 2014.*

http://www.ssrn.com/link/Cultural-Anthropology.html

2014

English & Commonwealth Literature eJournal 10 July 2014.*

http://www.ssrn.com/link/English-Commonwealth-Lit.html

2014

Philosophy of Science eJournal 10 July 2014.*

http://www.ssrn.com/link/Philosophy-Science.html

2014

Cosmology & Large-Scale Structure eJournal 10 July 2014.*

https://www.ssrn.com/link/Cosmology-Large-Scale-Structure.html

2020

_____. "El Big Bang antes del Big Bang –según Spencer, Darwin y Poe." In García Landa, Vanity Fea 9 July 2014.*

         https://vanityfea.blogspot.com/2014/07/el-big-bang-antes-del-big-bang.html

         2026

_____. "El Big Bang antes del Big Bang, según Spencer, Darwin y Poe." Academia 28 Jan. 2015.*

https://www.academia.edu/10357250/

         2015

_____. "El Big Bang antes del Big Bang, según Spencer, Darwin y Poe." ResearchGate 20 March 2015.*

         https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272302905

         2015

_____. "The Big Bang Before the Big Bang—According to Spencer, Darwin, and Poe." In García Landa Vanity Fea 8 July 2014.*

         https://vanityfea.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-big-bang-before-big-bang.html

         2026

_____. "The Big Bang Before the Big Bang—According to Spencer, Darwin, and Poe." In García Landa, Vanity Fea 9 Sept. 2026.*

         https://blogdenotasvanityfea.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-big-bang-before-big-bang-according.html

         2026

—oOo—