History of the Plurality of Worlds

History of the Plurality of Worlds PDF Author: Pierre Connes
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030414504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book Here

Book Description
Modern research has demonstrated that many stars are surrounded by planets—some of which might contain the right conditions to harbor life. This has only reinforced a question that has been tormenting scientists, philosophers and priests since Antiquity: Are there other inhabited worlds beyond our own? This book analyzes the many ways that humans have argued for and depicted extraterrestrial life over the centuries. The first known texts about the subject date from as early as the 6th century BC. Since that time, countless well-known historical characters like Lucretius, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Cusanus, Bruno, Kepler, Descartes, and Huygens contributed to the debate; here, their lesser known opinions on the subject are studied in detail. It is often difficult for the modern mind to follow the thinking of our ancestors, which can only be understood when placed in the relevant context. The book thus extends its scope to the evolution of ideas about cosmology in general, as well as the culture in which these great thinkers wrote. The research is presented with the author's insights and humor, making this an easy and enjoyable read.

History of the Plurality of Worlds

History of the Plurality of Worlds PDF Author: Pierre Connes
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030414504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book Here

Book Description
Modern research has demonstrated that many stars are surrounded by planets—some of which might contain the right conditions to harbor life. This has only reinforced a question that has been tormenting scientists, philosophers and priests since Antiquity: Are there other inhabited worlds beyond our own? This book analyzes the many ways that humans have argued for and depicted extraterrestrial life over the centuries. The first known texts about the subject date from as early as the 6th century BC. Since that time, countless well-known historical characters like Lucretius, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Cusanus, Bruno, Kepler, Descartes, and Huygens contributed to the debate; here, their lesser known opinions on the subject are studied in detail. It is often difficult for the modern mind to follow the thinking of our ancestors, which can only be understood when placed in the relevant context. The book thus extends its scope to the evolution of ideas about cosmology in general, as well as the culture in which these great thinkers wrote. The research is presented with the author's insights and humor, making this an easy and enjoyable read.

On the Plurality of Worlds

On the Plurality of Worlds PDF Author: David Lewis
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631224266
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is a defense of modal realism; the thesis that our world is but one of a plurality of worlds, and that the individuals that inhabit our world are only a few out of all the inhabitants of all the worlds. Lewis argues that the philosophical utility of modal realism is a good reason for believing that it is true.

The Plurality of Worlds ...

The Plurality of Worlds ... PDF Author: William Whewell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plurality of worlds
Languages : en
Pages : 328

Get Book Here

Book Description


Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds

Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds PDF Author: M. de Fontenelle (Bernard Le Bovier)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plurality of worlds
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Get Book Here

Book Description


Plurality of Words

Plurality of Words PDF Author: Steven J. Dick
Publisher: CUP Archive
ISBN: 9780521319850
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book analyses the debate over extraterrestrial life from Aristotle to Kant.

On the Plurality of Actual Worlds

On the Plurality of Actual Worlds PDF Author: Andrew L. Blais
Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Press
ISBN: 9781558490727
Category : Pluralism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Challenging the thesis that there is only one world, the author builds on Immanuel Kant's notion of metaphysical inversion to develop his idea that a world is the sum total of what exists in a particular time. In arguing that there are many representing beings, actual worlds, and truths, the author addresses ontological questions raised by Protagoras, Plato, and numerous contemporary philosophers. He concludes that there is no social and political reality independent of perspective. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Space and Pluralism

Space and Pluralism PDF Author: Stefano Moroni
Publisher: Central European University Press
ISBN: 9633861268
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book addresses the social, functional and symbolic dimensions of urban space in today's world. The twelve essays are grouped in three parts, ranging from a conceptual framework to case descriptions rich with illustrations. They provide a valuable service in exploring the nature and significance of social space and particular aspects of its contemporary distribution and contestation. The book addresses a topic that is intrinsically interdisciplinary. Questions of space are examined from a rich variety of disciplinary perspectives in a welcome range from urban planning to political philosophy, shedding a good deal of light in the process. The issues in focus include the dichotomies of public and private space, discussion of rights and duties with regard to the use of space, or conflicts over its allocation. Well reasoned and presented discussion is offered from the perspective of basic values and rights. The policy issue of institutional recognition of the specifics of (minority community) identity is raised in opposition to abstract distributive accounts of justice.

Worlds Without End

Worlds Without End PDF Author: Mary-Jane Rubenstein
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231156626
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Multiverse” cosmologies imagine our universe as just one of a vast number of others. While this idea has captivated philosophy, religion, and literature for millennia, it is now being considered as a scientific hypothesis—with different models emerging from cosmology, quantum mechanics, and string theory. Beginning with ancient Atomist and Stoic philosophies, Mary-Jane Rubenstein links contemporary models of the multiverse to their forerunners and explores their current emergence. One reason is the so-called fine-tuning of the universe: nature’s constants are so delicately calibrated, it seems they have been set just right to allow life to emerge. For some theologians, these “fine-tunings” are proof of God; for others, “God” is an insufficient explanation. One compelling solution: if all possible worlds exist somewhere, then it is no surprise one of them happens to be suitable for life. Yet this hypothesis replaces God with an equally baffling article of faith: the existence of universes beyond, before, or after our own, eternally generated yet forever inaccessible. In sidestepping metaphysics, multiverse scenarios collide with it, producing their own counter-theological narratives. Rubenstein argues, however, that this interdisciplinary collision provides the condition of its scientific viability, reconfiguring the boundaries among physics, philosophy, and religion.

Other Worlds Than Ours

Other Worlds Than Ours PDF Author: Richard Anthony Proctor
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Astronomy
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Get Book Here

Book Description


The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900

The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900 PDF Author: Michael J. Crowe
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486145018
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 724

Get Book Here

Book Description
Detailed, scholarly study examines the ideas that developed between 1750 and 1900 regarding the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life, including those of Kant, Herschel, Voltaire, Lowell, many others. 16 illustrations.