Abstract
The observational and philosophical grounds for our belief in the spatial homogeneity of the universe, are reconsidered. On the one hand, spatial homogeneity cannot be directly verified observationally, and, on the other hand, it raises a series of philosophical problems that counter its attractiveness to a considerable degree. It is pointed out that there are several possible alternative approaches to the question of the homogeneity of the universe that may provide at least as attractive a philosophical basis as the current approach and that merit detailed investigation as possible alternative bases for our cosmological world view.
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This essay received the first award from the Gravity Research Foundation for the year 1979.-Ed.
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Ellis, G.F.R. The homogeneity of the universe. Gen Relat Gravit 11, 281–289 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00759562
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00759562