Dark Energy, Paradigm Shifts, and the Role of Evidence

TL;DR

This paper examines the historical context of paradigm shifts in astronomy to shed light on current debates in cosmology regarding dark energy and dark matter, highlighting the importance of evidence and theory modification.

Contribution

It offers a historical analogy to compare the introduction of dark components with theory modifications, providing insights into the scientific process in cosmology.

Findings

Historical cases illustrate paradigm shifts in astronomy.

Analogies between dark matter/energy and past discoveries are explored.

The role of evidence in theory change is emphasized.

Abstract

We comment on cases in the history of Astronomy, which may shed some light on the current established but enigmatic concordance model of Cosmology. Should the model be understood by adding new entities such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy, or by modifying the underlying theory? For example, the prediction and discovery of planet Neptune can be regarded as analogous to finding a dark component; while explaining the anomalous perihelion precession of Mercury by General Relativity can be taken as analogous to the possibility that modified gravity is an alternative to dark components of the universe. In this paper, we revise this analogy coming from the history of astronomy with an eye to illustrating some of the similarities and differences between the two cases.