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Masks of the Universe: Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos
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| List Price: | £29.00 |
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Product Description
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?
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #783848 in Books
- Published on: 2003-05-08
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 342 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
From reviews of the first edition: ‘In an age where philosophers and social scientists are trying to outdo one another in imitating physicists, it’s refreshing and perhaps fitting that a physicist should remind them that there are important subjects that can’t be approached in this way … Harrison has done a marvellous piece of historical research, and the book is filled with gems … He speaks in the language of science about mankind’s age-old need to find meaning and order in a seemingly senseless Universe.’ James Trefil, New York Times
‘… a fascinating blend of historical narrative, science popularisation, and philosophical argument.’ Robert Romer, American Journal of Physics
‘… it exposes roots of our perennial search for meaning to our lives, to our world pictures, to our social universes, to the unknown Universe … It is a book to be read and reread.’ Harold Cassidy, American Scientist
'… well produced, informative … reasonably priced and will appeal to anyone of a philosophical turn of mind …'. Astronomy Now
About the Author
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.
