“Grasp the Universe Viscerally” at Crossroads Lecture on Sunday

With stunning astronomical videos (on the new screen at Orcas Center, September 18 at 2 p.m.) Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack explain the new picture in cosmology — “The New Universe and the Human Future”at the first Crossroads Lecture of the 2011-12 season. The authors relate the new data to life on Earth, suggesting ways of understanding the global issues of our time in their cosmic context.

Have you ever wondered what “the universe” really is, or longed to hear a creation story that may actually be true, or asked yourself how we humans fit into the cosmos or whether we are insignificant or alone? Today a deluge of data from the distant never-before-seen universe is making it possible to answer these deep questions scientifically. Cosmology – the study of the universe as a whole – is in the midst of a scientific revolution, and what is emerging is humanity’s first understanding of the universe that might actually be true.”

Abrams, cultural philosopher and writer, and Joel R. Primack, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading cosmologists have recently released a new book, The View from the Center of the Universe:Discovering our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos. In this groundbreaking new book, Primack and Abrams use recent advances in astronomy, physics, and cosmology to frame an exciting new way to understand the universe as a whole and our role in it.

There will be public book signings at Darvill’s Bookstore on Saturday, September 17, 3-4 pm and after Sunday’s Crossroads Lecture at Orcas Center.

According to Abrams and Primack, “The book helps launch what will be a great cultural task: developing language and imagery that we can all use to grasp our universe viscerally, to talk about it accurately, and to appreciate what a new universe may mean for our personal lives and for our planet. Please join the conversation!” Further information is available at www.viewfromthecenter.com.

The purchase of tickets, at the Orcas Island Library, Darvill’s Bookstore or online at www.orcascrossroads.org, helps to fund the series.  Remaining tickets, if available, can be obtained at the door. Complimentary tickets are also available in advance at the Library and the Senior Center.

The Orcas Crossroads Lecture Series is supported by the Crossroads Associates Circle (now accepting new members,) the Orcas Island Public Library, the Friends of Orcas Island Library, the Daniel and Margaret Carper Foundation and individual contributors.  For further information, visit www.orcascrossroads.org