Research Catalog

The Copernicus complex : our cosmic significance in a universe of planets and probabilities

Title
The Copernicus complex : our cosmic significance in a universe of planets and probabilities / Caleb Scharf.
Author
Scharf, Caleb, 1968-
Publication
New York : Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.
Supplementary Content
Cover image

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TextRequest in advance JSE 15-23Offsite
TextUse in library JFE 16-2704Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
278 pages : illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
  • "A groundbreaking revision of the Copernican principle Though the concept of "the universe" suggests the containment of everything, the latest ideas in cosmology hint that our universe may be just one of a multitude of others--a single slice of an infinity of parallel realities. In The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, from tiny microbes within the Earth to distant exoplanets and beyond, asserting that the age-old Copernican principle is in need of updating. As Scharf argues, 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 Copernicus Complex 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"--
  • "A groundbreaking revision of the Copernican Principle"--
Subject
  • Cosmology
  • Space and time
  • Life
  • SCIENCE / Astrophysics & Space Science
  • SCIENCE / Cosmology
  • SCIENCE / History
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-263) and index.
Call Number
JSE 15-23
ISBN
  • 9780374129217
  • 0374129215
LCCN
2014008035
OCLC
2014008035
Author
Scharf, Caleb, 1968- author.
Title
The Copernicus complex : our cosmic significance in a universe of planets and probabilities / Caleb Scharf.
Publisher
New York : Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.
Edition
First edition.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-263) and index.
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Cover image
Research Call Number
JSE 15-23
JFE 16-2704
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