Overview

Modern research has demonstrated that many stars are surrounded by planets—some of which might contain the right conditions to harbor life. This has only reinforced a question that has been tormenting scientists, philosophers and priests since Antiquity: Are there other inhabited worlds beyond our own? This book analyzes the many ways that humans have argued for and depicted extraterrestrial life over the centuries. The first known texts about the subject date from as early as the 6th century BC. Since that time, countless well-known historical characters like Lucretius, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Cusanus, Bruno, Kepler, Descartes, and Huygens contributed to the debate; here, their lesser known opinions on the subject are studied in detail. It is often difficult for the modern mind to follow the thinking of our ancestors, which can only be understood when placed in the relevant context. The book thus extends its scope to the evolution of ideas about cosmology in general, as well as the culture in which these great thinkers wrote. The research is presented with the author's insights and humor, making this an easy and enjoyable read. 

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9783030414504

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Reviews

I found this an engaging book, with a much wider scope than suggested by its title. The writing is lively and humorous, welcome when approaching some of the metaphysical and theological passages. The supporting apparatus, footnotes, two bibliographies, and index are thorough, and the production is good ... . I am happy to recommend it, not just for specialists. (Peredur Williams, The Observatory, Vol. 141 (1280), February, 2021) The book is well written, solidly produced, and infused with numerous color ... . All things considered, this book is a good contribution to the literature and a fitting historical capstone to a stellar astronomical career. (Steven J. Dick Ashburn, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23 (2), 2020)

Author Information

Dr. James Lequeux completed his PhD thesis in radioastronomy in 1962 and was an assistant, then associate, professor of physics and astronomy at Paris University until 1966. He was an Astronomer from 1966-1999 and an invited scientist at CalTech from 1968-1969. Dr. Lequeux was also the Director of the Marseilles Observatory from 1983-1988 and was Editor-in-Chief of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics for 15 years. He retired in 1999 and then began work on the history of astronomy, a subject he presently writes about. Dr. Lequeux has published over 403 papers and six books, including The Interstellar Medium (Springer 2005), Le Verrier: Magnificent and Detestable Astronomer (Springer 2013), and François Arago (Springer 2016). Dr. Pierre Connes joined the laboratory at CNRS after his university studies in Dijon. There, he helped revolutionize the techniques of analyzing the light of the stars and was a pioneer in Fourier transformation spectroscopy. Connes was a long-time beloved friend of the Astronomical Society of Burgundy. He passed away on February 22, 2019 at the age of 90.

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