Man and machine: a miraculous partnership

ABSTRACTIt was over 30 degrees centigrade on the 16th of June 2006, but hundreds of people from various backgrounds embraced the heat and patiently queued to enter the S. H. Ho Sports Hall at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Many had been waiting since early morning, because Professor Stephen Hawking – perhaps the best known and most influential living scientist – would be giving a lecture (‘The origin of the universe’) for the newly established Institute for Advanced Study. The IAS is dedicated to ‘the advancement of knowledge to meet the great challenges of the 21st century’, and will ‘bring together the world's most brilliant minds to drive cutting-edge discovery and scholarship for the betterment of mankind’ (IAS, 2006). The inaugural event was announced a month prior to the lecture and – despite its being broadcast live on both the TVB News Channel and Cable TV Live, as well as transmitted via an intranet relay to the seven other tertiary institutions in Hong Kong – the response for tickets was overwhelming.

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Empedocles’ Big Break

Sapiens ubique civis ◽

10.14232/suc.2020.1.11-28 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 11-28

Author(s):

David Preston

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Fundamental Nature ◽

The Universe ◽

Origin Of The Universe

This paper endeavours to demonstrate that certain strands of ancient and modern cosmological thought are not as dissimilar as one might initially believe. In doing so, it will examine two accounts of the fundamental nature and origin of the universe – one put forward in the 5th century BCE by the Pre-Socratic Empedocles, and one favoured by a faction of 21st Century CE physical cosmologists. After said parallels are highlighted, there will be some speculation on how Empedocles may have arrived at such conclusions two and a half millennia ago, followed by a defence of him being classified only as an ancient poet.

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The Information Architecture of the Universe

Information Technology and Societal Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-004-2.ch018 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 419-433

Author(s):

Andrew Targowski

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Intelligent Design ◽

Albert Einstein ◽

Information Architecture ◽

The Earth ◽

Stephen Hawking ◽

Roger Penrose ◽

Edwin Hubble ◽

The Universe ◽

Origin Of The Universe

For years, the construction of the universe has occupied the best minds of theologians and scientists. The first modern breakthrough was made by Copernicus about 500 years ago. Later, in the 20th century, contributions were made with the bold theories developed by Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, and others. Science continues to discover the great mystery of the universe and life. But the more we know about this subject, the worse our outlook may be on the fate of humankind. The magnitude of the universe and our own smallness are in such contrast that it seems we are in a hopeless situation, even if you take into account only life’s perspective on the earth. However, the study of the universe may bring some unexpected surprises and humankind may after all have a future, particularly if we decipher the mystery by whom and how the universe was developed. This study has assumed the position of considering intelligent design in the origin of the universe, but with the addition of proposing that any existence of intelligent design would suggest corollary problems that must be scientifically testable.

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Odyssey without Nostos, or, From Globe to Planet

Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturforschung ◽

10.28937/1000108100 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 147-156

Author(s):

Hans-Christian von Herrmann

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Human Life ◽

Science And Technology ◽

Ancient Greek ◽

Cosmic Scale

We are witnessing a return of cosmology in 20th and 21st century thinking. It is cosmology in the ancient greek sense of the word which addressed the entirety of what surrounds and carries us. Another term for this ongoing transformation is the ›planetary‹ which isn’t simply a synonym for the ›global‹. The planetary means a kind of boundless pervasion based on science and technology and transposing planet earth and human life from a culture-historical to a cosmic scale.

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