40 min
Lecture 3: Imagining Other Worlds Astronomy 141 - Life in the Universe
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- Courses
What is the cultural history of our imaginings of other worlds and their
possible inhabitants? I will draw examples from history, philosophy,
literature, cinema, and popular culture. In the end,
our imaginings about other worlds inform us more about ourselves, our
hopes and our fears, than about extraterrestrial life. The scientific
inquiry we are undertaking must therefore approach the problem from a
different direction. Recorded live on 2009 Sep 25 in Room 1005 Smith
Laboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.
What is the cultural history of our imaginings of other worlds and their
possible inhabitants? I will draw examples from history, philosophy,
literature, cinema, and popular culture. In the end,
our imaginings about other worlds inform us more about ourselves, our
hopes and our fears, than about extraterrestrial life. The scientific
inquiry we are undertaking must therefore approach the problem from a
different direction. Recorded live on 2009 Sep 25 in Room 1005 Smith
Laboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.
40 min