Astronomy and Civilization in the New Enlightenment: Passions of the Skies (Analecta Husserliana Book 107)

This volume represents the first which interfaces with astronomy as the fulcrum of the sciences. It gives full expression to the human passion for the skies. Advancing human civilization has unfolded and matured this passion into the comprehensive science of astronomy. Advancing science’s quest for the first principles of existence meets the ontopoietic generative logos of life, the focal point of the New Enlightenment. It presents numerous perspectives illustrating how the interplay between human beings and the celestial realm has informed civilizational trends. Scholars and philosophers debate in physics and biology, the findings of which are opening a more inclusive, wider picture of the universe. The different models of the universal order and of life here presented, all aiming at the first principles of existence―accord with the phenomenology/ontopoiesis of life within the logos-prompted primogenital stream of becoming and action, which points to a future of progressing culture Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The New Enlightenment: Cosmo-Transcendental Positioning of the Living Being in the Universe....Pages 3-17 On the First Principle of Biology and the Foundation of the Universal Science....Pages 19-36 The Relation Between Man and World....Pages 37-46 Observers, Freedom, and the Cosmos....Pages 47-60 The Enchanting Heavens....Pages 61-67 The Science Of Wholeness....Pages 69-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-81 Meridianae in Italy....Pages 83-88 The Cosmological Circumstances and Results of the Anno Domini Invention: Anno Mundi 6000, Great Year, Precession, and End of the World Calculation....Pages 89-98 Coming of Age Under the Night Sky: the Importance of Astronomy in Shaping Worldviews....Pages 99-109 Medieval Roots of the Modern Cosmology....Pages 111-117 Is There Any Fundamental Connection Between Man and the Universe?....Pages 119-120 Front Matter....Pages 121-121 Cultural Impacts Of Astronomy....Pages 123-128 Triadic Insights in Astronomy, Art and Music....Pages 129-135 The Social And Spiritual Impact Of Sky Lore On Prehistoric Societies In Europe....Pages 137-143 Impact Of Astronomy In Nepalese Civilization....Pages 145-149 Impact of Stars on Human Culture....Pages 151-165 The Contribution Of Musical Theory To An Ancient Chinese Concept Of The Universe....Pages 167-173 Cosmopolis: How Astronomy Affects Philosophies of Human Nature and Religion....Pages 175-185 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 Mind in the Quantum Universe....Pages 189-198 Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?....Pages 199-209 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 The Compelling Case For Panspermia....Pages 211-223 Nanobionts and the Size Limit of Life....Pages 225-228 The Russian Cosmism and the Modern Theory of Complexity: The Comparative Analysis....Pages 229-235 Astrobiology: From Extremophiles in the Solar System to Extraterrestrial Civilizations....Pages 237-246 Front Matter....Pages 247-247 Astronomy and the Soul....Pages 249-257 Rationality and Wonder: From Scientific Cosmology to Philosophy and Theology....Pages 259-268 Positive Contribution of Religion to Cosmology....Pages 269-276 Principle of Greatest Happiness....Pages 277-282 Astronomy: Brightest and Most Fascinating Shining Path for Mankind Future....Pages 283-288 A Theistic Model of Physical Temporality....Pages 289-295 Humanity En Route to the Glorious Unity of Our Universe....Pages 297-304 Back Matter....Pages 305-315