Grand Contraption The World as Myth Number & Chance

"The Grand Contraption is the long-needed antidote to all those top-heavy histories of scientific thought that pass brusquely over the philosophies of the ancient world, eager to find the sure footing of modernity. Park tells us not only what science now knows, but how it got to know it: from an enthralling mix of myth, genius, logic, careful observation, guesswork, invention, and a dash of inspired lunacy."--Philip Ball, author of Life's Matrix and consultant editor, Nature

"This book literally grabs you. The facts presented, the stories told, the author's reflections on the information he presents, are rendered beautifully-and masterfully. This is a labor of love, and the passion with which David Park has written the book is readily apparent and makes one want to keep on reading. And in doing so one is richly rewarded with keen insights, judicious appraisals, and with questions regarding courses of action and consequences that are not only thought provoking but also relevant."--Silvan S. Schweber, Brandeis University and Harvard University, author of QED and the Men Who Made It (Princeton)

"The Grand Contraption is an impressive feat of scholarship in the history of science, and it is even more impressive if one considers that it is written in clear and unpretentious English. Park offers, in plain language, an attractive way to think about cosmological ideas from a single perspective. No one will put this book down without having their level of consciousness raised by a few notches."--Christian Wildberg, Princeton University

"Physics, astronomy, geology, and poetry all come together here in the grand quest to understand what out universe is and how it works. "Only a handful of authors have both the expertise and the courage to write a book of this sweep and depth. David Park has woven together a vast tapestry of humankind's vision of the cosmos, from ancient myths to our contemporary curiosity about intelligent life on other worlds."--Owen Gingerich. Professor of Astronomy and the History of Science, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"An exceptional and well-written introduction to the history of ideas, viewed from the perspective of their creators, who were adapting their thinking to new facts and conceptions as they went. We found the book engrossing and illuminating."--Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Paul T. Barber, coauthors of When They Severed Earth from Sky

Through flood myths and daimones (guardian angels), and the interplay of the elements--earth, air, fire and water--Park lovingly charts the history of how we imagines Earth and out place in its surroundings. -- Paul Nettleton, The Guardian Bring Homer and Einstein, Aristotle and Columbus into one timeless room (with translators), and their conversation would likely turn to the themes of this astonishingly capacious history of cosmology. . . . An exhilarating intellectual adventure. -- Booklist In this comprehensive and fascinating book, Park reviews how theologians, philosophers, and mathematicians have attempted to explain subjects ranging from the creation of life to the nature of matter and the structure of the universe. . . . Park gives a comprehensive and readable overview of the 'grand contraption' that is the universe. -- Science News The Grand Contraption is a masterful presentation of the long timelines in the history of cosmology. It is a remarkable book on the development of the worldview from chaos to cosmos, and from the most ancient cultures to modern time. -- Helge Kragh, Physics Today There is no practical way, of course, to pack all human understanding into a single volume, and Park doesn't try. Instead, he traces our evolving lines of reasoning, at least those emerging in the Western world, from early myth through the emergence of modern philosophy to the establishment of scientific method. . . . From person to person, period to period, Park threads together how myths were jettisoned for fact, how fact turned out to be more fabulous than myth. -- Scott LaFee, San Diego Union-Tribune [A] well-written history of human thought. -- Herbert E. Kasube, MathDL This book celebrates the formation of ideas based on myth, religion, aesthetics, logic and mathematics as they have evolved over the past four thousand years. . . . David Park is a fabulous guide through the history of these ideas and the minds of the great participants. -- B. I. Henry, Australian Physics By abandoning any attempt to construct a neat plot, Park has avoided the temptation to trace out a progressive line leading inexorably toward modern science, and the book's meandering structure itself recalls the nondirectional pattern of scientific change. . . . Park's decision to be guided by personal choice and serendipity has led him to construct a meta-commentary on science's history. -- Patricia Fara, Isis

"Through flood myths and daimones (guardian angels), and the interplay of the elements--earth, air, fire and water--Park lovingly charts the history of how we imagines Earth and out place in its surroundings."--Paul Nettleton, The Guardian

"Bring Homer and Einstein, Aristotle and Columbus into one timeless room (with translators), and their conversation would likely turn to the themes of this astonishingly capacious history of cosmology. . . . An exhilarating intellectual adventure."--Booklist

"In this comprehensive and fascinating book, Park reviews how theologians, philosophers, and mathematicians have attempted to explain subjects ranging from the creation of life to the nature of matter and the structure of the universe. . . . Park gives a comprehensive and readable overview of the 'grand contraption' that is the universe."--Science News

"The Grand Contraption is a masterful presentation of the long timelines in the history of cosmology. It is a remarkable book on the development of the worldview from chaos to cosmos, and from the most ancient cultures to modern time."--Helge Kragh, Physics Today

"There is no practical way, of course, to pack all human understanding into a single volume, and Park doesn't try. Instead, he traces our evolving lines of reasoning, at least those emerging in the Western world, from early myth through the emergence of modern philosophy to the establishment of scientific method. . . . From person to person, period to period, Park threads together how myths were jettisoned for fact, how fact turned out to be more fabulous than myth."--Scott LaFee, San Diego Union-Tribune

"[A] well-written history of human thought."--Herbert E. Kasube, MathDL

"This book celebrates the formation of ideas based on myth, religion, aesthetics, logic and mathematics as they have evolved over the past four thousand years. . . . David Park is a fabulous guide through the history of these ideas and the minds of the great participants."--B. I. Henry, Australian Physics

"By abandoning any attempt to construct a neat plot, Park has avoided the temptation to trace out a progressive line leading inexorably toward modern science, and the book's meandering structure itself recalls the nondirectional pattern of scientific change. . . . Park's decision to be guided by personal choice and serendipity has led him to construct a meta-commentary on science's history."--Patricia Fara, Isis

[A] well-written history of human thought. Scott LaFee - San Diego Union-Tribune

[A] well-written history of human thought. Helge Kragh - Physics Today

Finalist for the 2006 Book Award in Science, Independent Publisher Book Awards

The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate contraptions by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit; and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the grand contraption we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.

According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe.

The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.

The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit--and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.

According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe.

The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.

The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit--and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.

According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe.

The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.

"The Grand Contraption is the long-needed antidote to all those top-heavy histories of scientific thought that pass brusquely over the philosophies of the ancient world, eager to find the sure footing of modernity. Park tells us not only what science now knows, but how it got to know it: from an enthralling mix of myth, genius, logic, careful observation, guesswork, invention, and a dash of inspired lunacy."--Philip Ball, author of Life's Matrix and consultant editor, Nature

"This book literally grabs you. The facts presented, the stories told, the author's reflections on the information he presents, are rendered beautifully-and masterfully. This is a labor of love, and the passion with which David Park has written the book is readily apparent and makes one want to keep on reading. And in doing so one is richly rewarded with keen insights, judicious appraisals, and with questions regarding courses of action and consequences that are not only thought provoking but also relevant."--Silvan S. Schweber, Brandeis University and Harvard University, author of QED and the Men Who Made It (Princeton)

"The Grand Contraption is an impressive feat of scholarship in the history of science, and it is even more impressive if one considers that it is written in clear and unpretentious English. Park offers, in plain language, an attractive way to think about cosmological ideas from a single perspective. No one will put this book down without having their level of consciousness raised by a few notches."--Christian Wildberg, Princeton University

"Physics, astronomy, geology, and poetry all come together here in the grand quest to understand what out universe is and how it works. "Only a handful of authors have both the expertise and the courage to write a book of this sweep and depth. David Park has woven together a vast tapestry of humankind's vision of the cosmos, from ancient myths to our contemporary curiosity about intelligent life on other worlds."--Owen Gingerich. Professor of Astronomy and the History of Science, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"An exceptional and well-written introduction to the history of ideas, viewed from the perspective of their creators, who were adapting their thinking to new facts and conceptions as they went. We found the book engrossing and illuminating."--Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Paul T. Barber, coauthors of When They Severed Earth from Sky

David Park is Webster Atwell-Class of 1921 Professor of Physics, Emeritus at Williams College. He is the author of seven previous books, including "The Fire within the Eye", a "New York Times" Notable Book of the Year in 1997, and "The How and the Why" (both Princeton).

List of Illustrations ix
Preface xiii
CHAPTER ONE: Voices from the Sands 1
1.1 The Biblical Universe 1
1.2 Tales from Sumer and Egypt 6
1.3 Two More Worlds 15
1.4 Deluge 18
1.5 The Twisted Axle 22
CHAPTER TWO: Managing the World 26
2.1 Dramatis Personae 27
2.2 The Lower Tier 31
2.3 The Shape of the World 35
2.4 Fortune-Telling 40
2.5 The Stars Move Westward 44
2.6 Guiding Hands 47
CHAPTER THREE: Guesswork 54
3.1 A Mass of Rock 54
3.2 Ionians 57
3.3 Earth, Sun, Moon, and Law 60
3.4 A World Made of Numbers 62
3.5 Change and Eternity 68
3.6 Theories of Matter 72
3.7 Atoms and the Pursuit of Happiness 78
CHAPTER FOUR: Earth and Heaven 83
4.1 Law and Nature 83
4.2 Measuring Months and Years 87
4.3 Plato's Fantasy 88
4.4 Aristotle's Optimism 96
CHAPTER FIVE: Beginnings and Endings 107
5.1 Time and Space 107
5.2 Creation 111
5.3 The Universe Recycled 116
5.4 The End of Everything 120
CHAPTER SIX: Philosophy Continued 126
6.1 The Stars in Motion 126
6.2 Stars, Earth, and Numbers 132
6.3 Omens and Demons 136
6.4 Remembrance of Things Past 142
6.5 Motes of Dust 148
6.6 The Great Design 153
INTERLUDE: The World Map 161
I.1 Earth and Cosmos 162
I.2 Explorers and Traders 164
I.3 The Christian Earth 168
I.4 Travelers' Tales 172
I.5 The Age of Exploration 180
CHAPTER SEVEN: Toward a New Astronomy 190
7.1 The Sun Stands Still 191
7.2 The Mathematical Plan 197
7.3 The World Observed 204
7.4 A World Invented 210
7.5 Isaac Newton 217
CHAPTER EIGHT: What Is the World Made Of? 225
8.1 Atoms Reborn 226
8.2 Transformations 228
8.3 A Theory of Matter 231
8.4 Atoms and Numbers 233
8.5 Ether and the Nature of Light 239
CHAPTER NINE: The Universe Measured 245
9.1 Surveyors at Work 245
9.2 The Age of the Earth 251
9.3 The Long Descent of Man 255
CHAPTER TEN: The Exploding Universe 269
10.1 The Cosmos in Motion 269
10.2 The Big Bang 272
10.3 What's Out There? 279
CHAPTER ELEVEN: The View from Here 283
11.1 Is There Anyone Else? 283
11.2 The Best of All Possible Worlds? 286
11.3 Will It Ever End? 289
11.4 Reflections 292
References and Further Reading 297
Bibliography 311
Index 327