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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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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Request in advance	JSE 15-23	Offsite
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 16-2704	Schwarzman 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

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.

Connect to:

Cover image

Research Call Number

JSE 15-23

JFE 16-2704

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