How would first contact—on earth, in space, on another planet—transform our understandings of technology, philosophy, and what it means to be human? What kind of cognitive dissonance would society experience, if we discovered a previously unrecognized sentience on Earth?What would life be like if it originated in a frigid ocean beneath an impenetrable shell of ice? Or on a world whose haze obscures any view of the universe beyond? Or on an unfathomable scale in the...

This collection of essays looks at Darwin, Darwinism and evolution from several faith perspectives: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Contributors come from across the globe to examine their particular religious belief and views on evolution.

'A cloth spread under an apple tree can catch only apples', wrote Antoine de Saint Exupery in Terre des hommes (Land of Men), (English title: Wind, Sand and Stars), 'and a cloth spread under stars can catch only stardust ... What was most marvellous was that, there, standing on the planet's rounded back, between this magnetic cloth and those stars, was a man's consciousness in which that star-fall could be reflected as in a mirror.' And a few pages further on he writes: 'I was but a mere m...

For a long time what we now know as space was inaccessible to humans, not because it was at a height which was unattainable without the least astronautical technology or principles, but because of the cosmic and dualistic representation of reality. Humans were relegated to the centre, to a sort of ecesspiti of imperfection, alteration, incompleteness and finally death. Around them were crystal spheres which held the planets and starsoimmutable, eternal and perfectoa domain which was comple...

We live in an evolving and increasingly complex global community and with this complexity comes a broad range of ethical issues. The Ethics: Contemporary Perspectives brings together scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, including disciplines as diverse as philosophy, law, medicine and the study of world religions, to discuss these broad ethical issues in contemporary society. Its aim is explore our complex world, addressing both old and new ethical issues thr...

We live in an evolving and increasingly complex global community and with this complexity comes a broad range of ethical issues. The Ethics: Contemporary Perspectives brings together scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, including disciplines as diverse as philosophy, law, medicine and the study of world religions, to discuss these broad ethical issues in contemporary society. Its aim is explore our complex world, addressing both old and new ethical issues thr...

"Refreshing . . . A penetrating analysis of the assumptions that underlie SETI and the entire enterprise of searching for life beyond Earth." —Chris McKay, NatureFifty years ago, a young astronomer named Frank Drake first pointed a radio telescope at nearby stars in the hope of picking up a signal from an alien civilization. Thus began one of the boldest scientific projects in history, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). After a half-centur...

**“Ann Druyan has unearthed a treasure. It is a treasure of reason, compassion, and scientific awe. It should be the next book you read.*” —*Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith“A stunningly valuable legacy left to all of us by a great human being. I miss him so.*” —*Kurt VonnegutCarl Sagan's prophetic vision of the tragic resurgence of fundamentalism and the hope-filled potential of the next great development in human spirituality**The late great astrono...

Science: A Four Thousand Year History rewrites science's past. Instead of focussing on difficult experiments and abstract theories, Patricia Fara shows how science has always belonged to the practical world of war, politics, and business. Rather than glorifying scientists as idealized heroes, she tells true stories about real people - men (and some women) who needed to earn their living, who made mistakes, and who trampled down their rivals in their quest for success. Fara sweeps ...

A Nobel-winning physicist argues that fundamental physical laws are found not in the world of atoms, but in the macroscopic world around usIn this age of superstring theories and Big Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as impossibly distant from our everyday lives. But in A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin argues that the scientific frontier is right under our fingers. Instead of looking for ultimate theories, Laughlin c...

A scientist known for unraveling the complexities of the universe over millions of years, Sir Martin Rees now warns that humankind is potentially the maker of its own demise -- and that of the cosmos. Though the twenty-first century could be the critical era in which life on Earth spreads beyond our solar system, it is just as likely that we have endangered the future of the entire universe. With clarity and precision, Rees maps out the ways technology could destroy our species and thereby...

**The New York Times bestsellerA provocative, imaginative exploration of the nature and progress of knowledge**In this groundbreaking book, award-winning physicist David Deutsch argues that explanations have a fundamental place in the universe—and that improving them is the basic regulating principle of all successful human endeavor. Taking us on a journey through every fundamental field of science, as well as the history of civilization, art, moral values, and the...