Velikovsky was a kook. He also wrote a book "Twelfth Planet (I think)" that contends that there is a planet in an excentric orbit that brings it close to earth every 10,000 years. The inhabitants of this planet visit us at that time. They are Von Daniken's gods in space-ships. Velikovsky, like Von Daniken, never worries about evidence, or science when it comes to proposing his theories."
If I remember correctly, he used ancient folklore and legend along with his brand of scientific investigation to come up with his hypothesies. Kook that he was, he did raise some interesting thought and possibilities. BTW, I'm not a subscriber to his views, but don't discount everything he wrote. I didn't read Twelfth Planet.
Velikovsky was a kook. He also wrote a book "Twelfth Planet (I think)" that contends that there is a planet in an excentric orbit that brings it close to earth every 10,000 years. The inhabitants of this planet visit us at that time. They are Von Daniken's gods in space-ships. Velikovsky, like Von Daniken, never worries about evidence, or science when it comes to proposing his theories.None of that is correct.
a kook, eh? So also thought Carl Sagan (and trumpeted constantly, thereby adding to the hue-and-cry from the rest of the scientific community thus labelling Velikovsky). Sagan also averred that the Earth's geological evolution was a benign one free of any impacts from stellar objects.
Yet today we see specials on the History Channel, or Discovery, about the science of Catastrophism, which was what Velikovsky maintained.
Yes he did come up with some weird stuff, but it's always interesting to me how often and continually the metaphoric "Pharisees unite against the upstart" paradigm appears amongst our (self-anointed...) intelligentsia... and how little credit if any is given to the Velikovsky's of the world when something does prove viable.