The Grand Contraption

Fülszöveg

Finalist, 2006 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards), Science Category, Independent Publisher
THE GRAND CONTRAPTION David Park
The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's anempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit—and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.
"Through flood myths and daimones. {guardian angels), and the... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Finalist, 2006 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards), Science Category, Independent Publisher
THE GRAND CONTRAPTION David Park
The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's anempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit—and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.
"Through flood myths and daimones. {guardian angels), and the interplay of the elements—earth, air, fire and water—Park lovingly charts the history of how we imagine Earth and our place in its surroundings." —Paul Nettleton, Guardian
"An exhilarating intellectual adventure." —Bryce Christensen, Booklist
"In this comprehensive and fascinating book, Park reviews how theologians, philosophers, and mathematicians have attempted to explain subjects ranging from the creation of life to the nature of matter and the structure of the universe." —Science News
"The Grand Contraption is a masterful presentation of the long timelines in the history of cosmology. It is a remarkable book on the development of the worldview from chaos to cosmos, and from the most ancient cultures to modern time." —Helge Kragh, Physics Today
"Park tells us not only what science now knows, but how it got to know it: from an enthralling mix of myth, genius, logic, careful observation, guesswork, invention, and a dash of inspired lunacy."
—Phillip Ball, author of Life's Matrix, and consultant editor, Nature
David Park is Webster Atwell-Class of 1921 Professor of Physics Emeritus at Williams College. He is the author of several previous books, including The Fire within the Eye, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1997, and The How and the Why (both Princeton).
Cover design by Maria Lindenfeldar
Cover photo: Fresco, Scroll of Heaven, Last Judgment, Kariye Camii, Istanbul, early 14th century. Dumbarton Oaks, Byzantine Photograph and Fieldwork Archives, Washington, D.C. Vissza