The View from the Center of the Universe
When I was young, my favourite book was My Place in Space. If you have spawned, go out and get this book for your leechlings and then take a look at yourself in the mirror for taking parental advice from me. The View from the Center of the Universe by Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams is very much the adult continuation of My Place in Space, expanding our view of the universe to its very edges and exploring where we fit inside it. Spoiler alert: us humans are the utmost important component of the universe. Who knew?
This a wide ranging book, which suits our wide ranging universe. To its credit it's equation free, but heavy on the metaphors. In an age where people prefer to call themselves "spiritual" rather than "religious", hard science is often seen as cold and aloof with no softer alternative for the common man to relate to. When even the most knowledgeable among us look up at the night sky and ask in vain "Is there more?", what chance does the common man have of getting a meaningful answer? Rather than answer that question, the book teaches us to feel fulfilled with what we already are. And it's convincing!
I don't consider myself to be a gullible person (who does?), and up until now I was more than happy to write humanity off as an inconsequential blip in an unfathomably large universe. This book has convinced me that we are the true masters of the universe through a one-two punch of highlighting the significance of our existence and tracing back the twists and turns taken by the universe in producing us. It seems obvious in hindsight, but sometimes the big ideas don't resonate until they're sold to us. I'm glad for my sake that the big picture came from a scientist and not an evangelist or an army recruiter.
It's easy to dismiss the conclusions drawn as the authors' own embellishments, and I suppose that would be a valid criticism, but they're firmly reasoned embellishments with nearly a quarter of the book taken up with extra footnotes and references to other works. Real previous work of others, not a small circle-jerk of communication and humanities lecturers. Read this book if you want a better understanding of where humanity fits in within the universe, but don't read this book if you want to rebut the next smartarse that says "Oh yeah, where did the Big Bang come from then!?".
A good read that is accessible to all. I give it four Crusty Demons.
ok for one thing god does not hate cats ur just trying to fuck with everybody's head. ill tell u one thing if i lived where u live i would take u by the throat and drown you in ur own feces. yur a bastard who needs to get help in the head, and i know someone for u the "world". we all would fuck u up so get a fucking grip and stop talking shit you no good piece of shit.[GREEN][/GREEN]
Slipheed, what you have done is truly offensive. If you have any decency as a human being, please remove the image of the cat and blog now. Otherwise you will be haunted for life by this, that I will promise you.
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