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The Human Cosmos
- Civilization and the Stars
- Narrated by: Jo Marchant
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
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Publisher's summary
A Best Book of 2020 NPR
A Best Book of 2020 The Economist
A Top 10 Best Science Book of 2020 Smithsonian
A Best Science & Technology Book of 2020 Library Journal
A Must-Read Book to Escape the Chaos of 2020 Newsweek
Starred review Booklist
Starred review Publishers Weekly
A historically unprecedented disconnect between humanity and the heavens has opened. Jo Marchant's book can begin to heal it.
For at least 20,000 years, we have led not just an earthly existence, but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are - our art, religious beliefs, social status, scientific advances, and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. It's a disconnect with a dire cost.
Our relationship to the stars and planets has moved from one of awe, wonder, and superstition to one where technology is king - the cosmos is now explored through data on our screens, not by the naked eye observing the natural world. Indeed, in most countries modern light pollution obscures much of the night sky from view. Jo Marchant's spellbinding parade of the ways different cultures celebrated the majesty and mysteries of the night sky is a journey to the most awe inspiring view you can ever see - looking up on a clear dark night. That experience and the thoughts it has engendered have radically shaped human civilization across millennia. The cosmos is the source of our greatest creativity in art, in science, in life.
To show us how, Jo Marchant takes us to the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux in France, and to the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at New Grange in Ireland. We discover Chumash cosmology and visit medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. The cosmically liberating, summary revelation is that star-gazing made us human.
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Critic reviews
“Marchant charts the history of humanity’s fascination with the night sky and explores the way the stars have shaped art, faith, science and society, and what our modern disconnect from the stars has cost us.” (USA Today, “5 Books Not to Miss”)
"A tour of the heavens that centers not so much on outer space as what it does to our inner beings...Readers interested in the cognitive aspects of cosmology will enjoy Marchant’s explorations." (Kirkus)
"This thematic, engaging overview of our stars and skies has something for all readers of geography, exploration, religion, philosophy, and politics" (Library Journal)
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A thrilling scientific investigation and the portrait of an extraordinary genius, The Seashell on the Mountaintop gives us new insight into our planet, revealing how we learned to read the story told to us by the Earth itself, written in rock and stone.
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Not to be missed
- By Vanessa on 10-22-03
By: Alan Cutler
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Twilight of the Gods
- The Mayan Calendar and the Return of the Extraterrestrials
- By: Erich von Däniken
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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"Something here really stinks to high heaven," writes Erich von Däniken. "In Twilight of the Gods," says von Däniken, "I document precisely what it was that left the first visitors breathless as they stood before the mighty stone blocks some 400 years ago. I will show you what archeologists discovered hundreds of years ago and demonstrate how much has been destroyed over the centuries. Intentionally.
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So very logical it makes me shiver!
- By Chuck on 06-10-11
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Anaximander
- And the Birth of Science
- By: Carlo Rovelli
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Over two millennia ago, the prescient insights of Anaximander paved the way for cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and biology, setting in motion a new way of seeing the world. His legacy includes the revolutionary ideas that the Earth floats in a void, that animals evolved, that the world can be understood in natural rather than supernatural terms, and that universal laws govern all phenomena. In this elegant work, the renowned theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli brings to light the importance of Anaximander’s overlooked influence on modern science
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Wide ranging case for a Critical Figure in the Evolution of Science
- By Tom on 03-20-23
By: Carlo Rovelli
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The Upright Thinkers
- The Human Journey From Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Leonard Mlodinow
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In this fascinating and illuminating work, Leonard Mlodinow guides us through the critical eras and events in the development of science, all of which, he demonstrates, were propelled forward by humankind's collective struggle to know. From the birth of reasoning and culture to the formation of the studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and modern-day quantum physics, we come to see that much of our progress can be attributed to simple questions - why? how? - bravely asked.
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10/10 Got What I Wanted.
- By Austin on 09-22-15
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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The Story of Western Science
- From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves.
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Good text, tedious book structure
- By Diane K. on 10-07-15
By: Susan Wise Bauer
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America Before
- The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Stunning new archaeological discoveries in North America together with new genetic evidence have launched a revolution in our understanding of the remote past of our species and of the origins of civilization. Graham Hancock, the internationally best-selling author has been overwhelmingly vindicated by recent discoveries. America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization is a mind-dilating exploration of the mystery of ancient civilizations, amazing archaeological discoveries, and profound implications for how we lead our lives today.
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Fun to Think About
- By Amazon Customer on 04-26-19
By: Graham Hancock
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A Theory of Everything (That Matters)
- A Brief Guide to Einstein, Relativity, and His Surprising Thoughts on God
- By: Alister McGrath
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Einstein’s revolutionary scientific ideas have transformed our world, ushering in the nuclear age. The current pace of scientific and technological progress is simply astounding. So is there any place for faith in such a world? Einstein himself gave careful thought to the deepest questions of life. His towering intellectual status means he is someone worth listening to when we think through the big questions of life.
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Makes you think...
- By Katy Bagdon on 10-10-19
By: Alister McGrath
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Until the End of Time
- Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Brian Greene
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal.
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Uneven
- By NJ on 03-03-20
By: Brian Greene
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Isaac Newton
- By: James Gleick
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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James Gleick has long been fascinated by the making of science: how ideas order visible appearances, how equations can give meaning to molecular and stellar phenomena, how theories can transform what we see. In Chaos, he chronicled the emergence of a new way of looking at dynamic systems; in Genius, he portrayed the wondrous dimensions of Richard Feymnan's mind.
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BRUTAL
- By Andrew on 05-25-05
By: James Gleick
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The Varieties of Scientific Experience
- A Personal View of the Search for God
- By: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan - editor
- Narrated by: Adrienne C. Moore, Ann Druyan
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design.
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Sagan's lectures about the possibility of God
- By David T. on 11-13-17
By: Carl Sagan, and others
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The Empires of Atlantis
- The Origins of Ancient Civilizations and Mystery Traditions Throughout the Ages
- By: Marco M. Vigato
- Narrated by: Micah Hanks
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Exploring more than 100,000 years of Earth’s history, Marco Vigato combines recent discoveries in the the fields of archaeology, geology, anthropology, and genetics with the mystery teachings of antiquity to investigate the true origins of civilization. Establishing the historical and geological reality of Atlantis stretching all the way back to 432,000 BCE, he traces the course of Atlantean civilization through its three empires, revealing how civilization rose and fell several times over this lengthy span of time.
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Lost library
- By russell b. on 04-02-24
By: Marco M. Vigato
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Biocentrism
- How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to the True Nature of the Universe
- By: Robert Lanza, Bob Berman
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The whole of Western natural philosophy is undergoing a sea change, forced upon us by the experimental findings of quantum theory. At the same time, these findings have increased our doubt and uncertainty about traditional physical explanations of the universe's genesis and structure. Biocentrism completes this shift in worldview, turning the planet upside down again with the revolutionary view that life creates the universe instead of the other way around.
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The Copenhagen Interpretation Resurrected
- By S. Kozlowski on 12-14-09
By: Robert Lanza, and others
What listeners say about The Human Cosmos
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert Reitter
- 01-13-21
Entertaining and most informative
An entertaining walk through mankind’s fascination with the heavens from ancient times to the present. Jo Marchant writes and narrates with knowledge and enthusiasm.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Roderic Rinehart
- 02-05-22
Unique and thought provoking
Takes a different view of humanity’s interaction with the stars over thousands of years. Most people don’t even look up anymore from their screens to see the majesty and terror in the universe that surrounds them.
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- Durian Lover
- 06-29-22
Fantastic book and narration
Very unique and erudite. What an adventure. Well worth the time. It’s rare to find such good writing and narration from an author.
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- laura g jackson
- 07-30-21
Feels Right
Wow! A short but very well done history of the Cosmos and much more. Heartfelt but pleasant reading. She articulates facts and possibilities that feel so right, important for every one of us right now. High recommendation for thinkers and dreamers.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Russell
- 06-19-21
So much more than I thought it was going to be
I'm really glad I picked this one up. It was way more than what I was expecting and I found it and enthralling.
Will definitely be listening to it more than once ☺️
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- M. Grace
- 01-15-23
What a wonderful listen!
A unique, superb, and holistic perspective. I love this book and will listen again. Narrator was excellent.
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- bdbrinker
- 04-10-22
Without Awe What Are?
This book is incredible. Such a delight to listen to. If you consider yourself a polymath or a person just as comfortable and interested in the Buddha Mind and Newton’s law of gravity or Gnosticism and Astro-biology then this book is for you. As a collection of facts, I have to admit knowing a good deal of them, but there is something amazing and absolutely enlightening about the way the book is written and arranged. I feel as though I crossed over some bridge of pessimism and that this book has given me strength that I had forgotten or lost. Can’t say enough. Ending is superb.
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1 person found this helpful
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- W Hill
- 05-28-23
Excellent Book
Love books like this one! We’ll written and very informative. I Highly recommended this book. Outstanding job by the author. I’ll be looking into reading other books by Jo Merchant.
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- Aida Benitez-Rexach
- 11-18-22
Beautiful
A book worthy of science, philosophy, and love for the magnificent cosmos. It reminded me of the awe I found when I read and watched a video of the Power of Ten.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Aaman L
- 04-27-22
A compelling and expansive book
This book serves to provide an expansive review of the nature of human interpretations of the cosmos, addressing philosophical, scientific, artistic and psychological perspectives. It describes the changing concepts of the luminaries in these fields, dating back to the shamans, Plato and up to the modernists and post-modernists/abstract expressionists. The narration by the author herself is well done and keeps one engaged.
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