  The discovery that the Universe is accelerating in its expansion has brought
the basic concept of cosmic expansion into question. An analysis of the
evolution of this concept suggests that the paradigm that was finally settled
into prior to that discovery was not the best option, as the observed
acceleration lends empirical support to an alternative which could incidentally
explain expansion in general. I suggest, then, that incomplete reasoning
regarding the nature of cosmic time in the derivation of the standard model is
the reason why the theory cannot coincide with this alternative concept.
Therefore, through an investigation of the theoretical and empirical facts
surrounding the nature of cosmic time, I argue that an enduring
three-dimensional cosmic present must necessarily be assumed in relativistic
cosmology---and in a stricter sense than it has been. Finally, I point to a
related result which could offer a better explanation of the empirically
constrained expansion rate.
