Horizon Information Portal

e-branch

Home

My Account/Renew Loans

Find Magazine Articles & more

The Copernicus complex : our cosmic significance in a universe of planets and probabilities / Caleb Scharf.

by Scharf, Caleb A., 1968-

View full image

Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.

Copernicus, Nicolaus, 1473-1543 -- Influence.

Space and time.

9780374129217 (hc.)

0374129215 (hc.)

278 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [233]-263) and index.

From microcosm to cosmos -- The Copernicus Complex -- The ten-billion-year spree -- Neighbors -- A grand illusion -- Sugar and spice -- Hunters of the cosmic plain -- There's something about here -- (In)Significance.

"Astrophysicist Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure, exploring tiny microbes within the Earth and the most distant exoplanets, asserting that the age-old Copernican principle is in need of updating. When Copernicus proposed that the Earth was not the fixed point at the center of the known universe (and therefore we are not unique), he set in motion a colossal scientific juggernaut, forever changing our vision of nature. But the principle has never been entirely true--we do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. To solve this conundrum we must put aside our Copernican worldview and embrace the possibility that we are in a delicate balance between mediocrity and significance, order and chaos. Weaving together cutting-edge science and classic storytelling, historical accounts and speculations on what the future holds, the author presents a compelling argument for what our true cosmic status is and proposes a way forward for the ultimate quest: to determine life's abundance not just across this universe but across all realities. Caleb Scharf is the author of 'Gravity's engines : how bubble-blowing black holes rule galaxies, stars, and life in the cosmos'"--Provided by publisher.

"A groundbreaking revision of the Copernican Principle"--

Horizon Information Portal 3.24_8902M

© 2001-2013 SirsiDynix All rights reserved.

Horizon Information Portal