The new universe and the human future: How a shared cosmology could transform the world

The New Universe and the Human Future: How a Shared Cosmology Could Transform the World

Volumn , Issue , 2011, Pages 1-238

  Abrams, Nancy Ellen ^a   Primack, Joel R ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84902757462     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: None     Document Type: Book

References (68)

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2. Davies, Paul. The Last Three Minutes: Conjectures about the Ultimate Fate of the Universe. New York: Basic Books, 1997. An entertaining discussion of ultimate cosmological questions.
3. Primack, Joel R., and Nancy Ellen Abrams. The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos. New York: Riverhead, 2006. An accessible presentation of modern cosmology and what it may be telling us about how we humans fit into the universe. Includes the history of earlier cosmologies, scientific details, and references.
4. Rees, Martin J. Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe. New York: Basic Books, 2000. An introduction to the "anthropic" issues in cosmology-why the nature of the universe is determined by a small number of cosmic parameters, and why creatures like us would be impossible if any of these numbers were significantly different.
5. Rees, Martin J. Our Cosmic Habitat. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001. A more informal version of the previous book based on Rees's Scribner Lectures at Princeton University.
6. Seife, Charles. Alpha and Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe. New York: Viking, 2003. An overview of cosmology by a science journalist.
7. Weinberg, Steven. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 1993. The first popular account of modern cosmology, by a Nobel laureate who was a main creator of the Standard Model of particle physics.
8. Harrison, Edward R. Cosmology: The Science of the Universe. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Illuminating illustrations and historical sidelights. Several possible cosmologies are discussed, but not the recent data strongly favoring the double dark theory.
9. Ryden, Barbara. Introduction to Cosmology. San Francisco: Addison-Wesley, 2003. The Double Dark theory-here called the "benchmark model"-is emphasized in this book for undergraduate physics students.
10. Shu, Frank. The Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy. Sausalito, CA: University Science Books, 1982. A wonderful book for undergraduate physics students.
11. Ferris, Timothy. Coming of Age in the Milky Way. New York: Morrow, 1988. A historical introduction to the big questions of astronomy.
12. Goldsmith, Donald. 400 Years of the Telescope: A Journey of Science, Technology and Thought. Chico, CA: Interstellar Studios, 2009. Excellent companion book to the PBS TV special, explaining how better telescopes have led to new discoveries about the universe.
13. Kuhn, Thomas S. The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1957. A classic account of the historical origins and cultural impact of the first scientific revolution.
14. Lemonick, Michael D. The Light at the Edge of the Universe: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Cosmology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993. A you-are-there account of an exciting period of modern cosmology.
15. Overbye, Dennis. Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos: The Story of the Scientific Quest for the Secret of the Universe. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992. Focuses on the scientists involved in developing modern cosmology, especially Alan Sandage; includes interviews with Joel R. Primack and ends with the lyrics of a song by Nancy Ellen Abrams written for a 1986 cosmology conference.
16. Yulsman, Tom. Origins: The Quest for Our Cosmic Roots. Bristol, UK: Institute of Physics Publishing, 2003. A historical introduction by a science journalist, based in part on interviews with several of the leaders of modern cosmology.
17. Barrow, John D. The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas about the Origins of the Universe. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. The history, philosophy, and science of empty space.
18. Davies, Paul. Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. A whirlwind tour through competing and often wild views of the ultimate nature of our universe and other possible universes.
19. Ferris, Timothy. The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. An overview of modern cosmology emphasizing multiverse ideas.
20. Guth, Alan. The Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1997. An accessible introduction to cosmic inflation by its main originator.
21. Rees, Martin J. Before the Beginning: Our Universe and Others. Cambridge, MA: Helix Books, 1997. A popular introduction to cosmology and inflation theory by an eminent theoretical astrophysicist.
22. Vilenkin, Alex. Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. A popular account of how our universe and others might have begun, by a theorist who originated some of these ideas.
23. Bartusiak, Martha. Through a Universe Darkly: A Cosmic Tale of Ancient Ethers, Dark Matter, and the Fate of the Universe. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. A historical introduction, written before much relevant observational evidence became available.
24. Freeman, Ken, and Geoff McNamara. In Search of Dark Matter. Berlin: Springer, 2006. A historical introduction by a well-known observational astronomer and a science teacher.
25. Krauss, Lawrence M. Quintessence: The Mystery of the Missing Mass. New York: Basic Books, 2000. An introduction to dark matter and dark energy by a theoretical astrophysicist who is also a popular science writer.
26. Feynman, Richard. QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988. An engaging introduction to quantum electrodynamics by the Nobel laureate physicist who largely invented it.
27. Kane, Gordon. The Particle Garden: Our Universe as Understood by Particle Physicists. Cambridge, MA: Helix Books, 1995. Introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics and why it is incomplete.
28. Kane, Gordon. Supersymmetry: Unveiling the Ultimate Laws of Nature. Cambridge, MA: Helix Books, 2000. Why supersymmetry is the best idea for going beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.
29. Weinberg, Steven. Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature. New York: Pantheon Books, 1994. Historical and philosophical reflections on particle physics by a modern master.
30. Begelman, Mitchell C., and Martin J. Rees. Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe. New York: Scientific American Library, 1998. Engaging illustrated account by leading experts.
31. Schutz, Bernard F. Gravity from the Ground Up: An Introductory Guide to Gravity and General Relativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. A nonmathematical but sophisticated introduction to the many roles of gravity in the universe.
32. Thorne, Kip. Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy. New York: Norton, 1994. An introduction to general relativity and modern work on it, with wonderful anecdotes.
33. Davies, Paul. The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin of Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000. Maybe earth life originated on Mars, and other intriguing perspectives.
34. Ferris, Timothy. Life beyond Earth. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000. Beautifully illustrated companion volume to Ferris's PBS TV special.
35. Grinspoon, David. Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. A personal view of planetary astronomy and astrobiology.
36. Krauss, Lawrence M. Atom: An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth . . . and Beyond. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Follows an oxygen atom from the Big Bang to living organisms.
37. Lemonick, Michael D. Other Worlds: The Search for Life in the Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998. An overview by the former science editor of Time.
38. Morris, Simon Conway. Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. A noted authority on the emergence of large organisms on earth argues that it should not surprise us that they evolved into intelligent creatures like humans.
39. Primack, Joel R., and Nancy Ellen Abrams. The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos. New York: Riverhead, 2006. Chapter 8 is about life in the universe.
40. Shostak, Seth. Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2009. An engaging personal account by a senior scientist at the SETI Institute.
41. Ward, Peter D., and Donald Brownlee. The Life and Death of Planet Earth: How the New Science of Astrobiology Charts the Ultimate Fate of Our World. New York: Henry Holt, 2002. How the increasing luminosity of the sun spells ultimate doom for the earth.
42. Goldsmith, Donald. The Quest for Extraterrestrial Life: A Book of Readings. Mill Valley, CA: University Science Books, 1980. A collection of classic articles, many of which remain essential.
43. Lunine, Jonathan Irving. Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. San Francisco: Pearson Addison Wesley, 2005. From the basic science to the frontiers of research on life and planetary evolution.
44. Cohen, Joel E. How Many People Can the Earth Support? New York: W. W. Norton, 1995. A classic summary of many approaches to the question.
45. Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005. Vivid accounts of a variety of environmental catastrophes, leading up to a discussion of global survival today. Diamond's answers at the end to many naysayers about our current environmental problems are especially recommended.
46. Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do about It. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2006. Companion book to Gore's Oscar-winning movie, with photos and references.
47. Gore, Al. Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2009. A practical illustrated guide to relevant new technologies.
48. Hawken, Paul. Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. New York: Viking, 2007. Impressive evidence and analysis support this argument that there is a worldwide pattern of transformation in what seem at first to be millions of small, unrelated attempts at environmental protection or social justice.
49. Muller, Richard A. Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines. New York: W. W. Norton, 2008. A primer on the physics behind nuclear weapons, global warming, and other challenges, based on Muller's popular University of California, Berkeley, course.
50. Rees, Martin J. Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning: How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind's Future in This Century on Earth and Beyond. New York: Basic Books, 2003. A catalogue of the present dangers to humanity, by the eminent astrophysicist who is past president of the Royal Society.
51. Schneider, Stephen H. Science as a Contact Sport: Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2009. A political and scientific memoir by a leading climate scientist who died in 2010 whose work helped the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Describes his simultaneous struggles to figure out how climate is changing and to get the world to take action.
52. Speth, James Gustave. The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. Why achieving sustainability will require major cultural and economic changes.
53. Stern, Nicholas. "Climate: What You Need to Know." New York Review of Books, June 24, 2010, 35-37. The noted British economist argues that despite the urgency of limiting human-caused global warming, growth is not incompatible with sustainability.
54. Taylor, Graeme. Evolution's Edge: The Coming Collapse and Transformation of Our World. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2008. Obstacles to progress toward sustainability, and choices the world must make to overcome them.
55. Weart, Spencer R. The Discovery of Global Warming: Revised and Expanded Edition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008. The history of the science of climate, by a historian of science. See also http://www.aip.org/history/climate/.
56. Wilson, Edward O. The Future of Life. New York: Vintage Books, 2002. The challenge of the twenty-first century will be "to raise the poor to a decent standard of living worldwide while preserving as much of the rest of life as possible."
57. Barbour, Ian G. Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997. An overview by a leading scholar, based on his Gifford Lectures.
58. Davies, Paul. The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993. Theological issues raised by relativity, quantum theory, and cosmology.
59. Ferguson, Kitty. The Fire in the Equations: Science, Religion, and the Search for God. New York: Bantam Press, 1994. A response to Stephen Hawking's question, in Brief History of Time, "What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?"
60. Frank, Adam. The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Cosmology as sacred narrative, by a literary astrophysicist.
61. Jammer, Max. Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.
62. Matt, Daniel C. God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony between Science and Spirituality. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights, 1996. A Jewish mystical perspective on modern cosmology.
63. Wilson, David Sloan. Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002. An evolutionary account of religion emphasizing how it promotes social cohesiveness.
64. Berry, Thomas. The Dream of the Earth. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2006. A poetic and prophetic book about the origin of our global environmental challenges and the cultural and spiritual changes required to address them.
65. Campbell, Joseph. The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: Metaphor as Myth and as Religion. New York: A. van der Marck Editions, 1986. The last book by the famous mythologist seeks a new globally shared origin story based on modern science.
66. Kauffman, Stuart A. Reinventing the Sacred: A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion. New York: Basic Books, 2008. Suggesting that the natural creativity of the universe, which reveals itself through the emergence of increasing complexity, is a new kind of sacredness.
67. Wright, Robert. The Evolution of God. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. How religion has embraced increasingly inclusive groups, and how further inclusivity can save us all.
68. Wright, Robert. Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. New York: Vintage, 2001. Why natural selection and human cultural evolution favor win-win situations, and how cooperation can help us reach sustainability.