The Dancing Universe

by Gleiser, Marcelo

• ISBN13: 9781584654667
• ISBN10: 158465466X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-03
• Publisher: Dartmouth College

Summary

Marcelo Gleiser refutes the notion that science and spirituality are irreconcilable. In The Dancing Universe, he traces mystical, philosophical, and scientific ideas about the cosmos through the past twenty-five centuries, from the ancient creation myths of numerous cultures to contemporary theories about an ever-expanding universe. He also explores the lives and ideas of history's greatest scientists, including Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein. By exploring how scientists have unlocked the secrets of gravity, matter, time, and space, Gleiser offers fresh perspective on the debate between science and faith.

Author Biography

MARCELO GLEISER is Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College. He is also the author of The Prophet and the Astronomer: A Scientific Journey to the End of Time (2002).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Preface to the 2005 Edition	ix
Preface	xi
Part I: Beginnings	1	(60)
Creation Myths	3	(20)
The Greeks	23	(38)
Part II: The Awakening	61	(86)
The Sun, the Church, and the New Astronomy	63	(34)
The Pious Heretic	97	(23)
The Triumph of Reason	120	(27)
Part III: The Classical Era	147	(42)
The World Is an Intricate Machine	149	(40)
Part IV: Modern Times	189	(52)
Of Things Fast	191	(21)
Of Things Small	212	(29)
Part V: Modeling the Universe	241	(69)
Inventing Universes	243	(37)
Beginnings	280	(30)
Epilogue: Dancing with the Universe	310	(3)
Glossary	313	(7)
Bibliography	320	(7)
Index	327