The great revolutions in science have all come from people with the courage to challenge a prevailing orthodoxy. Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Bohr, and many others have successively revolutionized the way we look at the world.
As scientists, we fear that this is becoming less possible. The weight of orthodoxy -- an implicit, unassailable fixation on certain models -- is stifling true objectivity. From elementary to graduate school, students are taught theories, such as the Big Bang origin theory or the heliocentric solar system, as if they were unassailable fact. And because of this weight of orthodoxy, few researchers have the courage to challenge these assumptions.
Objectivity results from the use of the scientific method without philosophic or religious assumptions.
We believe objectivity will lead not only to good origins science, but also to constitutional neutrality in this subjective, historical science that unavoidably impacts religion. We promote a value-neutral approach to the physical sciences, with emphasis on evidence and experimentation.
Nowhere is the weight of scientific orthodoxy more evident than in its disdain for geocentricity. Models of the solar system are always heliocentric; models of the universe are always purely relatavistic. Einstein assures us that all viewpoints are valid, but nowhere in the literature do we find models centered on the Earth, despite the many advantages that such models have to offer.
One of the main purposes of the IPA is to challenge this particular orthodoxy, by promoting research based on geocentric models.
The Institute for Progressive Astronomy has no religious affililations. Our staff and board include people of varying faiths, including Christians, Jews, Hindus, and agnostics.
Many of our researchers have found that much of our work, particularly our work on geocentric models, is more consistent with biblical theory than are more commonly taught models.
However, we believe that, though prayer and religious texts may be appropriately used to suggest research directions, they should not be cited as the only evidence for a theory. A scientific theory should stand or fall based exclusively on the preponderance of reproducible evidence.