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The Human Cosmos

A Secret History of the Stars

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The Human Cosmos

By: Jo Marchant
Narrated by: Jo Marchant
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About this listen

For most of human history, 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 religious beliefs, power structures, scientific advances and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. And that disconnect comes at a cost.

In The Human Cosmos, Jo Marchant takes us on a tour through the history of humanity's relationship with the heavens. We travel to the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux and witness the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at Newgrange. We 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 extra-terrestrial life. And we discover why star-gazing can be really, really good for us.

It is time for us to rediscover the full potential of the universe we inhabit, its wonder, its effect on our health and its potential for inspiration and revelation.

©2020 Jo Marchant (P)2020 Canongate Books Ltd Physics Science

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All stars
Most relevant  
A brilliant book. Thought provoking and thoroughly interesting. Very well narrated by the author.

For those interested in science, art, cosmology, biology, religion.

Reality is a Work in Progress

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A panoramic view of the intelectual development of mankind interspersed with fascinating stories from history all set out in an easy to follow sequence, carefully researched, beautifully narrated by the author, thank you to her for all that work

Very impressive

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Very enjoyable listen taking us from prehistoric times to the most modern scientific research, art and philosophy.

Great overview of humans and cosmos

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I finished The Human Cosmos today and thought it was quite an enlightening book. It started very strong when the scope of the book was dealing with pre-historic interpretations of the night sky, and then as it led through Babylonian, Greek & Roman interpretations of the cosmos it really got me hooked.
As it led through to the scientific age, it became more of a summary than anything in-depth, which I think is fair as there are whole books out there dealing with many of the topics covered here.
Overall, I think the later chapters do well to cover a vast range of scientific discoveries, and as the scope and scale of the cosmos became clearer due to scientific progress, so the scope and scale of the subject also grows significantly.
I liked the final chapter on consciousness, and how our modern society is less interested in the awe of the cosmos and many people barely even see or notice the stars.

A good history of humanity’s relationship with the cosmos.

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An erudite sweep through the whole human history of cosmology from the earliest human artifacts to quantum mechanics. With many interesting detours and meanders .

Profound and entertaining

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The way the author explains our relationship with the stars starting from ancient times and ending in the present day gives a good idea of how they have shaped our society.

The role of consciousness in the world

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A really fascinating and wide-ranging book about how the sky, heavens, stars, other planets and our understanding of our place in the universe has influenced human development throughout its history. I really enjoyed this and got a lot out of it. Unfortunately the editing meant that the gaps between chapters were shorter than those between sentences, which was a little disconcerting; but the author does a decent job of narrating clearly and effectively.

Really interesting and diverse

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I enjoyed this perspective of the cosmos enormously. The book drew on art, science and history spanning human existence and the organisation of the information was both beautiful and aided understanding of the ideas. I thought I was picking up another enjoyable romp through popular science but the skilful writing and scope elevated this book for me. Compelling and inspiring beyond all expectation.

A fascinating perspective, beautifully and skillfully written.

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A well written and beautifully read book. The role of the cosmos as a source of wonder and gods in human history and the subsequent scientific explanations are explored in an accessible way and we are reminded that the cosmos is still important to our humanity.

A delightful and insightful book

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I swallowed this book. It brings together all the different perspectives and make sense of so many things for me. I love the fact that the author brings together art , science /philosophy and politics to lead us through the history of our curiosity to discover who we are and where do we come from. I am buying a hard copy of this.

Excellent portrait of humanity and its relationship/perception of the universe

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