Astronomy, Cosmology, and the Distant Past

Abstract

Astrophysics and Cosmology aim at understanding the state and evolution of the universe over billions of years, making them sciences of the deep past. In this talk, I will argue that these sciences also have strong methodological and epistemic similarities with (other) historical sciences. Two case studies—the Hubble tension, and black hole seeding channels—illustrate the distinctly historical questions that astrophysicists and cosmologists try to answer, with parallels to be drawn between the methods employed in these and other historical sciences. In particular, these cases highlight the roles of coherence testing, consilience, and epistemic iteration in handling the challenges faced by astrophysics and cosmology qua historical sciences.