Cosmic Understanding: Philosophy and Science of the Universe

By Milton K. Munitz

Book Overview

RGtitl=Cosmic UnderstandingRGep= RGSUbt=Philosophy and Science of the UniverseRGep= RGauth=Milton K. MunitzRGep= RGdn5=RGem=This is a book to be argued with, ar~gued from, listened to, objected to, learned from, respected, agreed with, and disagreed with.RGth=.RGth=.RGth=. Munitz, far from proposing all the answers in ei~ther the philosophical or the physical discus~- sions, poses the questions and provides tantalizing directions of in~quiry for the reader.''RGep= RGm-=RGMDUL=Paul A. Robinson, Jr., The Christian Sci~ence MonitorRGMDNM=RGep= RGdn5=RGem=For those who live with complete faith in the power of reason and who be~- lieve that the observable cosmos is all there is or was or ever will be, Munitz's RGMDUL=Cosmic UnderstandingRGMDNM= should be a pro~- foundly disturbing book. In a thought~ful and closely structured account, Mu~nitz defends two intertwined concepts. First, reality, often depicted solely as a simple physical process, albeit won~drous and in~- finite, is actually some~thing mysteri~ously deeper. In particu~lar, he argues that the evolutionary na~ture of the uni~verse points to some larger transcenden~tal quality. Secondly, he reasons that the perceptual world is a human construct, always only incom~pletely knowable.RGth=.RGth=.RGth=. he has argued bril~liantly for the depth and thickness of re~ality.''RGep= RGm-=RGMDUL=Owen Gingerich, NatureRGMDNM=RGep= RGdn5=RGem=RGMDBO=Milton K. MunitzRGMDNM= is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the City University of New York. Among his numerous works on the philosophi~- cal ramifications of cosmology is RGMDUL=The Question of RealityRGMDNM= (Princeton). (See page 46 of this catalog.)RGep= RGdn5=RGPRice=February. 296 pages. 5 8

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691073120
• ISBN13: 9780691073125
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

This May Be What You're Looking For

It is evident from your investigation of this title that you are curious about the universe and human understanding. I have personally endured all of the confusion that results from reading the other books on cosmology and philosophy. This one is different. Prof. Munitz is a consumate teacher. He is clear and is not concerned to show how smart he is (although no one I know of is smarter). If you want to make sense of the universe and understand how humans are situated in it, then this is the only place to start. If you are a professional cosmologist who has spent a lifetime immersed in the details of astronomy, then this book will expand your horizons and satisfy a deep need that cannot be met elsewhere.