Earth (Object Lessons)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. In Earth, a planetary scientist and a literary humanist explore what happens when we think of the Earth as an object viewable from space. As a "blue marble," "a blue pale dot," or, as Chaucer described it, "this litel spot of erthe," the solitary orb is a challenge to scale and to human self-importance. Beautiful and self-contained, the Earth turns out to be far less knowable than it at first appears: its vast interior an inferno of incandescent and yet solid rock and a reservoir of water vaster than the ocean, a world within the world. Viewing the Earth from space invites a dive into the abyss of scale: how can humans apprehend the distances, the temperatures, and the time scale on which planets are born, evolve, and die? Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. In Earth, a planetary scientist and a literary humanist explore what happens when we think of the Earth as an object viewable from space. As a "blue marble," "a blue pale dot," or, as Chaucer described it, "this litel spot of erthe," the solitary orb is a challenge to scale and to human self-importance. Beautiful and self-contained, the Earth turns out to be far less knowable than it at first appears: its vast interior an inferno of incandescent and yet solid rock and a reservoir of water vaster than the ocean, a world within the world. Viewing the Earth from space invites a dive into the abyss of scale: how can humans apprehend the distances, the temperatures, and the time scale on which planets are born, evolve, and die? Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. "In Earth, a planetary scientist and a literary humanist explore what happens when we think of the Earth as an object viewable from space. As a "blue marble," "a blue pale dot," or, as Chaucer described it, "this litel spot of erthe," the solitary orb is a challenge to scale and to human self-importance. Beautiful and self-contained, the Earth turns out to be far less knowable than it at first appears: its vast interior an inferno of incandescent and yet solid rock and a reservoir of water vaster than the ocean, a world within the world. Viewing the Earth from space invites a dive into the abyss of scale: how can humans apprehend the distances, the temperatures, and the time scale on which planets are born, evolve, and die?" --Amazon.com "As much as the mindsets of a planetary scientist and a medieval studies professor differ, it is what they share in common when thinking about that object so dear to all of us, the Earth, that is so fascinating. What this delightful and informative book ultimately demonstrates is that the humanity of science itself offers untold fuel for the humanities to ponder our existence. The object of this book, the Earth, is at once more interesting and better off because both of these scholars chose to write about it."--Page 4 de la couverture Title Page Copyright Page Contents Chapter 1 Prologue: Genesis Chapter 2 Orbit Chapter 3 Ground (Why Earth?) Chapter 4 Scale (Barriers to Understanding) Chapter 5 Radiance (Earth’s Beauty) Chapter 6 Gravity (Earth’s Pull) Chapter 7 Interlude: A Hike around Piestewa Peak Chapter 8 Imagination A Facebook status update that became a blog post Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Notes Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 8 Index Prologue : Genesis -- Orbit -- Ground (why Earth?) -- Scale (barriers To Understanding) -- Radiance (earth's Beauty) -- Gravity (earth's Pull) -- Interlude : A Hike Around Piestewa Peak -- Imagination. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Linda T. Elkins-tanton. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 127-128) And Index.