Masks of the Universe

Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos

Edward Harrison

340 pages, parution le 05/05/2003 (2^eme édition)

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Résumé

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?

Contents

Introducing the masks

Worlds in the Making

The magic Universe
The mythic Universe
The geometric Universe
The medieval Universe
The infinite Universe
The mechanistic Universe

The Heart Divine

Dance of the atoms and waves
Fabric of space and time
Nearer to the heart's desire
The cosmic tide
Do dreams ever come true?

The Cloud of Unknowing

The witch universe
The spear of Archytas
Ultimum Sentiens
All that is made
The cloud of unknowing
Learned ignorance

Bibliography
Index

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Cambridge University Press
Auteur(s)	Edward Harrison
Parution	05/05/2003
Édition	2^eme édition
Nb. de pages	340
Format	15,7 x 23,5
Couverture	Relié
Poids	694g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780521773515
ISBN13	978-0-521-77351-5