A non-Standard model

Why has dark matter never been found? The Standard Model assumes that dark matter exists. A rival theory assumes nothing. So why do most scientists dismiss it? David Merritt, a former professor of physics, explores why the issue is not that the dismissed theory is too complex; it is that the Standard Model is too simple. In this insight into the philosophy of theories, he argues that we should explore alternatives to the standard model of cosmology. "What is a poor scientist to do? How is she to decide? It turns out that the philosophers have some suggestions. They point out that scientific theories can achieve correspondence with the facts in two very different ways. The ‘bad’ way is via post-hoc accommodation: the theory is adjusted, or augmented, to bring it in line with each new piece of data as it becomes available. The ‘good’ way is via prior prediction: the theory correctly predicts facts in advance of their discovery, without - and this is crucial - any adjustments to the original theory."