Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation

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The episode, devoted to the planet Mars, begins with scientific and fictional speculation about the Red Planet during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ( H. This is one of the greatest books ever written, by on of the best minds, but we all know that; half of this audiobook the speakers are just talking about how great this book is; and what they are planning to add in the book. On many topics, the book encompasses a more concise, refined presentation of previous ideas about which Sagan had written. Eratosthenes' successful calculation of the circumference of Earth leads to a description of the ancient Library of Alexandria. The story of fifteen billion years of cosmic evolution transforming matter and life into consciousness, of how science and civilisation grew up together, and of the forces and individuals who helped shape modern science.

Beginning with the separation of the fuzzy thinking and pious fraud of astrology from the careful observations of astronomy, Sagan follows the development of astronomical observation. While some of the more theoretical content in this book is now considered fact or debunked, Cosmos contains a fountain of knowledge about our universe.In ancient Greece, some philosophers ( Aristarchus of Samos, Thales of Miletus, Anaximander, Theodorus of Samos, Empedocles, Democritus) freely pursue scientific knowledge, while others ( Plato, Aristotle, and the Pythagoreans) advocate slavery and epistemic secrecy.

It was published in 1980 as a companion piece to the PBS mini-series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with which it was co-developed and intended to complement. Obviously there have been many advances / updates in the last 30 or so years but I can still recommend both as an example of the thoughts and presentation of the times . Sagan also believed the television was one of the greatest teaching tools ever invented, so he wished to capitalize on his chance to educate the world. The book Cosmos I recomend it to all you, who love to read books of Astronomy and themes which envolve about it. Sagan explores 15 billion years of cosmic evolution and the development of science and civilization.Clarke in a speech promoting an end to Cold War anti-ICBM spending, instead arguing that the anti-ICBM budget would be better spent on Mars exploration. It's a book of education and culture, a book of science and history, a starting point for people to educate themselves. His Peabody Award-winning public television series, Cosmos, has been seen by more than 500 million people in over sixty countries, and the accompanying book spent seventy weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. He appeared on many television programs, wrote a regular column for Parade, and worked to continually advance the popularity of the science genre.

On August 5, 2011, plans were announced for a sequel to the series, bringing up-to-date special effects and scientific discoveries to the themes and messages of the original series.

The way the story of the cosmos is blended with human nature, evolution and the history of civilisation was brilliant. The narration by LeVar Burton is possibly the second best I've heard in an audiobook so far (just behind Peter Kenny) and the final two chapters are very thought provoking and really make me reconsider a lot of what I thought it was to be a member of this planet. He raises issues about anti-scientific movements in society and how an uneducated society is more likely to throw itself into irrational conflicts. Although Project Orion was discontinued as a result of nuclear disarmament treaties, Project Daedalus pioneered the idea of using nuclear fusion rather than fission for a viable interstellar spacecraft.

The lucidity with which Carl delivers his insights about the Cosmos and our relationship to the Universe is eye opening and awe inspiring. I legit feel smarter for having listened to Cosmos, and I'll also never be able to forget why medieval Catholic monks first domesticated rabbits (hint: it wasn't because they were cute). A story told with Carl Sagan's remarkable ability to make scientific ideas both comprehensible and exciting. As for the content he reads, lets just say I am saddened that Carl Sagan died before I ever knew who he was.Ideas about time and space are explored in the changes that constellations undergo over time, the redshift and blueshift measured in interstellar objects, time dilation in Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, the designs of both Leonardo da Vinci and spacecraft that could travel near light speed, time travel and its hypothetical effects on human history, the origins of the Solar System, the history of life, and the immensity of space. The new 13-part series, referred to as Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, was originally announced to premiere in the 2012–13 United States network television schedule, but a Twitter update from Neil deGrasse Tyson in June 2012 indicated an early 2014 release. But above all that, I'd say the biggest merit of this book is it made me want to go outside and just look at the vast sky above and the stars that fill it. In making the move to commercial television, the hour-long episodes were edited to shorter lengths, and Sagan shot new epilogues for several episodes, in which he discussed new discoveries—and alternative viewpoints—that had arisen since the original broadcast. In 2013, a new edition of Cosmos was published, with a foreword by Ann Druyan and an essay by Neil deGrasse Tyson.