RE: To be dark matter or not to be dark matter - what does data tell us
You can always ask questions about things I should clarify. As this is a text and not a live discussion, I can only assume what is easy to understand and what is not :)
I get so upset when i talk with people who talk about for example "The Big Bang Theory" as a fact, even if the theory even have the word "Theory" in it.. lol
And i even believe in The Big Bang theory as a part of the explanation.
But i know it is a theory.
To get what a theory is, it is good to go back to the scientific definition of the word. A theory is a mathematical structure precisely explaining the ensemble of all experimental facts of a given domain. It can be used to make predictions and is thus testable. With this respect, the big bang theory, or standard cosmology if you prefer, is a theory. Now, should it stay or be sent top the graveyard of the dead theories, we don't know yet :)
But i am always happy when i see people who understand and make a clear difference between a theory and facts. :)
Theory with data is as useless as data without a theory :)
And then there is also another question i came to think about when i was reading this, does "nothing" exist?
Please define nothing. I am afraid we are entering the domain of philosophy here :p