Masks of the Universe

2. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-0-521-77351-5
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 342 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 647 g

To the ancient Greeks the universe consisted of earth, air, fire and water. To Saint Augustine it was the Word of God. To many modern scientists it is the interaction of atoms and waves, and in years to come it may be different again. What then is the real universe? History shows that in every age society constructs its own universe, believing it to be the real and final one. Yet these are only models, or masks covering what is not understood and not known. This book brings together fundamental scientific, philosophical, and religious issues in cosmology, raising thought provoking questions. In every age people have pitied the universes of their ancestors, convinced that they have at last discovered the full truth. Do we now stand at the threshold of knowing everything, or will our latest model also be rejected by our descendants?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Harrison, Edward

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Physik Angewandte Physik Astrophysik
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Naturphilosophie, Philosophie und Evolution
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Kosmologie, Urknalltheorie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Wissenschaftstheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astrophysik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; Introducing the masks; Part I. Worlds in the Making: 1. The magic Universe; 2. The mythic Universe; 3. The geometric Universe; 4. The medieval Universe; 5. The infinite Universe; 6. The mechanistic Universe. Part II. The Heart Divine: 7. Dance of the atoms and waves; 8. Fabric of space and time; 9. Nearer to the heart's desire; 10. The cosmic tide; 11. Do dreams ever come true?; Part III. The Cloud of Unknowing: 12. The witch universe; 13. The spear of Archytas; 14. All that is made; 15. The cloud of unknowing; 16. Learned ignorance.

Über Autor(innen)

Harrison, Edward
Edward Harrison is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts, and adjunct Professor of Astronomy at the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona.