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In Masks of the Universe, Edward Harrison brings together fundamental scientific, philosophical and religious issues in cosmology and raises thought provoking questions. Philosophical issues dominated cosmology in the ancient world. Theological issues ranked foremost in the Middle Ages; astronomy and the physical sciences have taken over in more recent times. Yet every attempt to grasp the true nature of the universe creates a new "mask," People have always pitied the universes of their ancestors, believing that their generation has at last discovered the "real" universe. Do we now stand at the threshold of knowing everything, or have we created yet another "mask," doomed to fade like those preceding ours? Edward Harrison is Adjunct Professor of Astronomy, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, and Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He worked as a scientist for the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory in England until 1966 when he became a Five College professor at the University of Massachusetts and taught at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith College. He is the author of numerous books, including Cosmology: the Science of the Universe (Cambridge, 2001)
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This page intentionally left blank Masks of the Universe Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos To the ancient Greeks the universe consisted of earth, air, fire, and water. To Saint Augustine it was the Word of God. To many modern scientists it is the dance of atoms and waves, and in years to come it may be different again. What then is the real Universe? History shows that in every age each society constructs its own universe, believing it to be the real and final Universe. Yet each universe is only a model or mask of the unknown Universe. This book brings together fundamental scientific, philosophical, and religious issues in cosmology, raising thought-provoking questions. In every age people have pitied the universes of their ancestors, convinced that they have at last discovered the ultimate truth. Do we now stand at the threshold of knowing everything, or will our latest model, like all the rest, be pitied by our descendants? Edward Harrison is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts, and adjunct Professor of Astronomy at the Steward Observatory, University of Arizona. He was born and educated in England, and served for several years in the British Army during World War II. He was principal scientist at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and Rutherford High Energy Laboratory until 1966, when he became a Five College Professor at the University of Massachusetts, and taught at Amhert, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges. He has written several books, including Cosmology: The Science of the Universe, also published by Cambridge University Press, and has published hundreds of technical papers in physics and astronomy journals. Masks of the Universe Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos edward harrison University of Arizona Second edition Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , United Kingdom Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521773515 © First edition Macmillan Publishing Company 1985 © Second edition Cambridge University Press 2003 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2003 -