Masks of the Universe: Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos

by Edward Harrison

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)

Genres: Science, Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 1985

Reviews

[Sergej van Middendorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A developmental perspective on the universe using the metaphor of masks. I have seen stronger and more integrative developmental frameworks than this one, for example that by Arnold Cornelis or Robert Kegan, although it was not bad.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will begin by admitting that I am a little negatively biased towards this book because it was required reading for a class, and I have an ingrained dislike for assigned reading that I’m unsure if I’ll ever overcome. Despite this ingrained bias, I did enjoy at least 1/3 of this book. Read the full review here

[Hudson okeeffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thoughtful book that brings philosophy, sociology, and quantum physics together in a lengthy discussion of the limitations of defining the universe and how such definitions throughout time have determined the direction of each society.

[Roberto Torres-Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Review is up at http://rxttbooks.blogspot.com/2016/02...