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We are connected to distant space and time not only by our
imaginations but also through a common cosmic heritage. Emerging now from modern
science is a unified scenario of the cosmos, including ourselves as sentient beings,
based on the time-honored concept of change. From galaxies to snowflakes, from
stars and planets to life itself, we are beginning to identify an underlying ubiquitous
pattern penetrating the fabric of all the natural sciences -- a sweepingly encompassing
view of the order and structure of every known class of object in our richly endowed
universe. This is the subject of Eric Chaisson's new book. In
Cosmic Evolution Chaisson addresses some of the most basic issues we can
contemplate: the origin of matter and the origin of life, and the ways matter,
life, and radiation interact and change with time. Guided by notions of beauty
and symmetry, by the search for simplicity and elegance, by the ambition to explain
the widest range of phenomena with the fewest possible principles, Chaisson designs
for us an expansive yet intricate model depicting the origin and evolution of
all material structures. He shows us that neither new science nor appeals to nonscience
are needed to understand the impressive hierarchy of the cosmic evolutionary story,
from quark to quasar, from microbe to mind. Eric Chaisson
holds research professorships in physics, astronomy and education at Tufts University,
where he directs the Wright Center for Innovative Science Education. He is the
author of nine books, including The Hubble Wars (Harvard). |
