Alternative Explanations of the Cosmic Microwave Background: A
  Historical and an Epistemological Perspective
  We historically trace various non-conventional explanations for the origin of
the cosmic microwave background and discuss their merit, while analyzing the
dynamics of their rejection, as well as the relevant physical and
methodological reasons for it. It turns out that there have been many such
unorthodox interpretations; not only those developed in the context of theories
rejecting the relativistic ("Big Bang") paradigm entirely (e.g., by Alfven,
Hoyle and Narlikar) but also those coming from the camp of original thinkers
firmly entrenched in the relativistic milieu (e.g., by Rees, Ellis,
Rowan-Robinson, Layzer and Hively). In fact, the orthodox interpretation has
only incrementally won out against the alternatives over the course of the
three decades of its multi-stage development. While on the whole, none of the
alternatives to the hot Big Bang scenario is persuasive today, we discuss the
epistemic ramifications of establishing orthodoxy and eliminating alternatives
in science, an issue recently discussed by philosophers and historians of
science for other areas of physics. Finally, we single out some plausible and
possibly fruitful ideas offered by the alternatives.
