From: jbaez@riesz.mit.edu (John C. Baez)
Subject: Re: "The Universe of MOTION" (book review)
Organization: MIT Department of Mathematics, Cambridge, MA
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 19:31:39 GMT

  "THE UNIVERSE OF MOTION", by Dewey B. Larson, 1984, North 
          Pacific Publishers, Portland, Oregon, 456 pages, indexed, 
          hardcover. 

Here we have about 92 capitalized words apart from book titles.
We have one claim to have revolutionized astronomy without good
evidence:

               "THE UNIVERSE OF MOTION" contains FINAL SOLUTIONS to 
          most ALL astrophysical mysteries. 
          
Minus the 5-point credit each post gets, this gives a 455-point crackpot index.
However, we also have claims that BOTH relativity AND quantum mechanics are
fundamentally wrong, for 20 points.  (Indeed, a wholesale rejection of higher 
mathematics.  This should perhaps count extra.)           
 
               Most books and journal articles on the subject of 
          astrophysics are bristling with integrals, partial 
          differentials, and other FANCY MATHEMATICS.  In this book, by 
          contrast, mathematics is conspicuous by its absence, except 
          for some relatively simple formulas imbedded in the text.  
          Larson emphasizes CONCEPTS and declares that mathematical 
          agreement with a theory does NOT guarantee its conceptual 
          validity. 
          
		....

               (2) The physical universe conforms to the relations of 
          ORDINARY COMMUTATIVE mathematics, its primary magnitudes are 
          ABSOLUTE, and its geometry is EUCLIDEAN. 
          
          
		....

               As a result of his theory, which he called "THE 
          RECIPROCAL SYSTEM", Larson TOTALLY REJECTED many of the sacred 
          doctrines of orthodox physicists and astrophysicists, 
          including black holes, neutron stars, degenerate matter, 
          quantum wave mechanics (as applied to atomic structure), 
          "nuclear" physics, general relativity, relativistic mass 
          increases, relativistic Doppler shifts, nuclear fusion in 
          stars, and the big bang, all of which he considered to be 
          nothing more than MATHEMATICAL FANTASIES.  He was very 
          critical of the AD HOC assumptions, uncertainty principles, 
          solutions in principle, "no other way" declarations, etc., 
          used to maintain them. 
          

I also feel strongly that indicating your degree is a good sign of having
a cracked pot, so I will henceforth give 5 points for this.  This book
review cites the degrees of both the author and the reviewer:
          
                                   Robert E. McElwaine
                                   B.S., Physics and Astronomy, UW-EC

So tack on 10 more points for a whopping score of 475 on the crackpot index.

Clearly the Larsonites could drastically reduce their crackpot index by 
taking it easy on the "caps" key, and I urge them to do so.

To recall, the crackpot index is presently given as follows.

-1)  A -5 point starting credit.
0) 1 point for every statement that is widely agreed on to be false.
1) 2 points for every statement that is logically inconsistent.
2) 5 points for each such statement that is adhered to despite careful
correction.
3) 30 points for each posting that claims a revolutionary theory but
gives no concrete testable predictions.
4) 10 points for each favorable comparison of oneself to Einstein, or
claim that special or general relativity are fundamentally misguided
(without good evidence).
5) 10 points for each claim the quantum mechanics is fundamentally
misguided (without good evidence).
6) 20 points for each favorable comparison of oneself to Newton
claim that classical mechanics is fundamentally misguided (without
evidence).
7) 5 points for each word in all capital letters (except for posters
with defective keyboards).  
9) 10 points for every use of science fiction works as if they were
fact.
10) 20 points for claiming that the "scientific establishment" is engaged
in a "conspiracy" to prevent ones work from gaining its well-deserved fame,
or suchlike.
11) 10 points for pointing out that one has gone to school, as if this was
evidence of sanity.