The Copernicus Complex: The Quest for Our Cosmic (In)Significance - Softcover

Scharf, Caleb

 
9780141974934: The Copernicus Complex: The Quest for Our Cosmic (In)Significance
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0141974931 ISBN 13: 9780141974934
Publisher: Penguin, 2015

Synopsis

A thrilling journey through the recent discoveries in astronomy that point to our cosmic significance

In The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, 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, Scharf argues, has never been entirely true-we do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. By bringing together the latest discoveries in cutting-edge astronomy, Scharf shows how many aspects of our cosmic home are genuinely unique, and reveals what it means for our quest to determine whether we are alone in the universe.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Caleb Scharf is the director of Columbia University's Astrobiology Center. He has written for New Scientist, Science and Nature, and his Life, Unbounded blog was named one of the 'hottest science blogs' by The Guardian. He was born in England, and now lives in New York City.

From the Back Cover

In The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, 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, Scharf argues, has never been entirely true-we do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. By bringing together the latest discoveries in cutting-edge astronomy, Scharf shows how many aspects of our cosmic home are genuinely unique, and reveals what it means for our quest to determine whether we are alone in the universe.

From the Inside Flap

In The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, 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, Scharf argues, has never been entirely true-we do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. By bringing together the latest discoveries in cutting-edge astronomy, Scharf shows how many aspects of our cosmic home are genuinely unique, and reveals what it means for our quest to determine whether we are alone in the universe.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Penguin
Publication date
2015
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0141974931
ISBN 13 
9780141974934
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
288

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781846147128: The Copernicus Complex: The Quest for Our Cosmic (In)Significance

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1846147123 ISBN 13:  9781846147128
Publisher: Allen Lane, 2014
Hardcover