ABSTRACT
Steady state theory, as first suggested in 1948, mandates that the large-scale features of the universe do not change with time. In this theory, the observed expansion of the universe is exactly matched by the creation of new matter, at a rate of formation that preserves a stable situation that is a constant density. For most but not quite all scientists, steady state theory died in 1965, with the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation, and the theory is now primarily a subject of historical and philosophical interest. Still, the controversy over the steady state theory during its brief ascendency tells us much about the underlying assumptions of our cosmology. The Bondi-Gold theory differed from the Hoyle theory primarily in considering the perfect cosmological theory as a fundamental axiom from which physical results should be deduced.
