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384 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2019


”Тествайте идеите чрез експерименти и наблюдение. Надграждайте върху идеите, които преминат теста. Отхвърлете онези, които се провалят. Следвайте доказателствата, където и да ви отведат. И поставяйте под съмнения авторитета...и всичко...защото няма да намерим пътя си, докато истината не стане от значение”.

"Test ideas by experiment and observation. Build on those ideas that pass the test. Reject the ones that fail. Follow the evidence wherever it leads. And question everything, including authority. ... because we won't find our way until the truth matters."
Some books are simply noble. They show how fascinating the world within and around us is and ignite a thirst for further exploration. They bring out the good, throwing a lifeline to the traumas, problems, and horrors that humanity often inflicts upon itself, or which it superstitiously accepts as inevitable and predetermined by a ruthless fate or gods.
Ann Druyan continues the tradition of a host of enlightened minds and popularizers who carry and generously distribute the torch of science into every small lantern found along the way, out of the designated dark and austere temple where only a few initiates are admitted while everyone else can only gaze at the facade... from afar.
The mysteries of the near and deep Cosmos and the origin of life, the unyielding human spirit of a botanist and biologist in the dark ages of Stalinism, the belated (or perhaps not?) enlightenment of an ancient cruel tyrant, the dance of atoms and molecules, the secret signals of the brain, and a multitude of other fascinating topics are seamlessly and effortlessly presented and richly illustrated in the thematic essays of this aesthetically flawless edition. This is exactly how artistically irresistible an illustrated book delving into the secrets of the universe ought to be.
Ann Druyan reveals a colorful world viewed through various scientific disciplines. And she proves once again that—to paraphrase Constantine the Philosopher—naked are all nations without science. And concepts like nation and people smoothly blend into the only true unit of measurement called "humanity."
4.5 stars
Kita sebagai manusia berpikir kitalah ceritanya. Bahwa kita adalah segalanya di kosmos. Namun sepengetahuan kita, kita hanya produk sampingan kekuatan-kekuatan geokimia—yang bekerja di seantero alam semesta. Galaksi membuat bintang, bintang membuat dunia, dan barangkali planet serta bulan membuat kehidupan. Apa itu membuat kehidupan jadi kurang menakjubkan—atau lebih menakjubkan?(hal.93)
Kesinambungan purba kehidupan ada di tangan Anda.(hal.370)