Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 2 hours and 48 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: University Press Audiobooks
Audible.com Release Date: March 17, 2012
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B007LB4FMK
Best Sellers Rank: #32 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Science > Astronomy #207 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Nonfiction > Nature #431 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology
Having just completed this wonderful short (117 pages) book, I am awestruck at the ability of the authors to tell "The Journey of the Universe" in so few pages and yet evoke a deep new awareness of what it means to be human within the Earth Community and Universe today.I have read Swimme's previous books and much of Thomas Berry's writings and perhaps the best way to describe this book is as a distillation and re-focusing of the best of this previous work. Although not as involved as "The Universe Story" by Berry/Swimme, it brilliantly captures its essence and expounds insights without bogging down in detail. I was amazed at the writing style which is so concise and informative and packs deep and thought-provoking insights into every paragraph. Yet it is a joy to read and what I would call an "easy read" probably requiring not much more than 2-3 hours! The collaboration of Mary Evelyn Tucker (editor of Thomas Berry's later books of essays) and Brian Swimme has created a book which could (and should!) well become one of the most widely read in the English-speaking world.Although the authors outline the cosmological history of our Universe it never bogs down in scientific jargon and always keeps the reader firmly focused on what this all means for us today. They do, however, paint an awe-inspiring picture of the Universe out of which we have emerged and the cosmological forces which have shaped this emergence.The essential focus of the book is not at all scientific in nature - most of it is concerned with subtly raising our awareness of the human species' place or role within Earth Community now that we understand all that modern cosmology has revealed. Note that this is subtle.
This is a delightful, yet provocative book. Once you pick it up you, will not be able to put it down. It is jam packed with interesting facts about cosmic evolution, cell biology and patterns in the universe that seem to apply on both the micro and macro levels. The authors assert that humans have evolved with the unique gift of symbolic consciousness, a window on the universe that enables us to reflect upon the majesty of the world on both its scientifically knowable and spiritual dimensions. They pose the question: can we as a species collectively generate a new sense of awe and wonder in time to transform our technology driven, "growth at any cost" system when ecosystems are collapsing and species are going extinct all around us?With the capacity of humans to experience "the depth of things" and to exhibit compassion and empathy for each other, and, hopefully, all species, do we have the creativity, tools and commitment to forge a planetary system that is sustainable? It is precisely this question that will challenge us over the next couple of decades as we reach seven billion people on the planet. Can we create a world that can flourish for all its inhabitants for generations to come?The authors document that humans are an exploratory species, fascinated by the journey. Our stories of that journey sustain us, yet not all explorations result in positive outcomes. And few of us understand the scope of this journey over cosmic time and humankind's infinitesimal part in that play. The authors explain that there is a dynamic tension that drives the universe - galactic expansion-contraction, life-death explosions, evolutionary experimentation-adaption. Cataclysmic events have wiped out massive potions of life on earth before.
from Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United StatesAll I can say is that you had better fasten your cosmic seatbelt when you enter into the sweep of this fantastic book. How does anyone set about taking readers through the journey of the ENTIRE, COTTONPICKIN'13.7billion UNIVERSE in one short, readable book? Unless that person is Brian Swimme. WHO IS THIS GUY? An astrophysicist? A philosopher? A scientist? A cosmologist? Yes, all that and one of the best all-round, captivating storytellers you'll ever meet. I suggest you read the book first, then treat yourself to the DVD and invite your friends over and take them with you on this amazing journey of the way we and everything around us first flared from a tiny spark of light, which generated gases that gathered and congealed and birthed stars and galaxies and supernovas that exploded and gave us Earth and moon and living creatures and beets and eggs and geysers in Yellowstone and - everything. And, when all was set - us human beings with consciousness and blazing imaginations. Not to mention our unique, awesome responsibility to care for our planet. There's a moral urgency behind this book. The truth is that we humans need to wake up - and soon- because we're out of control in our addiction to petroleum and pesticides and wastefulness that is fast destroying our planet. And those of us who belong to communities of faith need to understand the special role our religious convictions play in stewardship and care for Earth.
What in the Universe? (Steven Universe) Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story: Book 3 (The Universe Series) From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story: Book 2 (The Universe Series) First Meetings: In Ender's Universe (Other Tales from the Ender Universe) Journey of the Universe The Universe in Your Hand: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Beyond Journey to a New Beginning after Loss: Freedom from the Pain of Grief and Disappointment (Journey to Freedom) The American Journey: Reconstruction to the Present (THE AMER JOURNEY RECON/PRESENT) Journey Through Bavaria (Journey Through series) Revenge Romance: The Journey's Crossroad (Book 1) - Historical Christian Suspense (Historical Christian Suspense Revenge Romance: The Journey's Crossroad (Book 1)) Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe, Book 3 - A Vision of a Living World (Center for Environmental Structure, Vol. 11) The Process of Creating Life: Nature of Order, Book 2: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order)(Flexible) The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe, Book 4 - The Luminous Ground (Center for Environmental Structure, Vol. 12) The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe, Book 1 - The Phenomenon of Life (Center for Environmental Structure, Vol. 9) Alexander Girard: A Designer's Universe The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe Hidden Treasures Of The Universe: Midnight Edition: A Mystically Beautiful Coloring Book For Adults Thierry Mugler (Universe of Fashion) Patterns of the Universe: A Coloring Adventure in Math and Beauty