> the problem is that most such alternatives raise more complicated questions like breaking the consistency our theory of gravity, or introducing bizarre quantum behavior of certain cosmological fields, etc. Maybe all those problems can also be solved — but nobody knows how! That’s why it appears like they “ignore” it.
To me as a lay-man, this seems like you are indeed ignoring non-dark matter solutions, as dark matter allows you to add various magical elements to explain up whatever is missing in other models. This seems very un-scientific.
> dark matter allows you to add various magical elements to explain up whatever is missing in other models.
It’s not like physicists are looking for every little possibility to be fanciful. Here’s the irony — The “DAMA” experiment has been claiming to have discovered dark matter particles for years, but most physicists don’t trust that the experiment is understood well enough to call it a victory. The process of “adding particles” is an extremely rigorous one (the various detailed checks and stringent requirements involved are unsexy content ignored by pop science). Adding particles is how we discovered the Higgs boson, the weak nuclear force carriers and the internal structure of the proton. It is a battle tested process that underpins the tremendous success of particle physics in the twentieth century.
> To me as a lay-man, this seems like you are indeed ignoring non-dark matter solutions
Seems like there is a massive disconnect with how one actually “does research”. Let’s say I completely agree with you and want to come up with alternative models, and I’ve read the literature — but don’t know how to solve the hairy outstanding problems. What do I actually do when I get up and go to work tomorrow morning? :-P
To me as a lay-man, it is unclear what you expect them to do instead. Which part of "nobody has come up with a theory that explains nearly as much as DM can explain" constitutes "ignoring"?
To me as a lay-man, this seems like you are indeed ignoring non-dark matter solutions, as dark matter allows you to add various magical elements to explain up whatever is missing in other models. This seems very un-scientific.