Journey of the Universe [Hardcover]

Brian Thomas Swimme (Author), Mary Evelyn Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2011

Today we know what no previous generation knew: the history of the universe and of the unfolding of life on Earth. Through the astonishing combined achievements of natural scientists worldwide, we now have a detailed account of how galaxies and stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and human consciousness came to be. And yet . . . we thirst for answers to questions that have haunted humanity from the very beginning. What is our place in the 14-billion-year history of the universe? What roles do we play in Earth's history? How do we connect with the intricate web of life on Earth?

In Journey of the Universe Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker tell the epic story of the universe from an inspired new perspective, weaving the findings of modern science together with enduring wisdom found in the humanistic traditions of the West, China, India, and indigenous peoples. The authors explore cosmic evolution as a profoundly wondrous process based on creativity, connection, and interdependence, and they envision an unprecedented opportunity for the world's people to address the daunting ecological and social challenges of our times.

Journey of the Universe transforms how we understand our origins and envision our future. Though a little book, it tells a big story—one that inspires hope for a way in which Earth and its human civilizations could flourish together.

This book is part of a larger project that includes a documentary film, an educational DVD series, and a website. The film and the DVD series will be released in 2011. For more information, please consult the website, journeyoftheuniverse.org.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“What’s most striking about Swimme and Tucker’s work is a simple but beautiful assumption: a cosmological orientation opens the human mind to wonder, gratitude, humility, and creativity."—Mitchell Thomashow, Orion

(Mitchell Thomashow Orion )

“The book remains true to its task of telling a wonderful story and writing it well. It can and should be simultaneously scanned and savored. However, to gain the greatest learning, read it as a supplement to the film. Then share it widely”—Mitchell Thomashow, Orion

(Mitchell Thomashow Orion )

“In their new book, Journey of the Universe, Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker invite us into the scientific story of the Universe, imbuing it with all the passion and purpose of a great religious myth. Their “invitation into grandeur” carries us into the heart of a story that Homer would have loved to tell—the story of how life began, evolved, and turned into you and me”—Carter Phipps, EnlightenNext

(Carter Phipps EnlightenNext )

“The book is simply written and easy to read—more like Kipling's Just So Stories than Being and Time—and you may or may not be convinced by Swimme and Tucker's interpretations of modern cosmology and evolutionary history. But it's a fascinating game to play. More theology of physics, please!”—Josh Rothman, Boston Globe Brainiac blog

(Josh Rothman Boston Globe )

“This highly descriptive text is a poetic expression of the authors’ view of biological and physical sciences.”—CHOICE

(CHOICE )

"Strikingly, . . . the co-authors managed to fit 14 billion years of grandeur along with humanity’s most fundamental questions into small spaces. . . . [The film and book] are both perfectly tailored for classroom use and various communal venues—offering a common ground for discussion among people of myriad points of view."—Julianne Lutz Warren, Journal of Environmental Studies and Science (Julianne Lutz Warren Journal of Environmental Studies and Science )

Journey of the Universe (the film) has been nominated for an Emmy for the West Coast (winner will be announced 9 June)

(Northern California Emmy Nomination 20120608)

“The sense of deep time and space that Journey of the Universe establishes is the greatly needed context for students, who do not always appreciate the present predicament and the role of humanity in the world. It puts us in perspective—and conveys wonder that Earth and life are here in the first place and how amazing it is to be in what is apparently one of the most creative nooks in the universe. Also wonderful is the scientific narrative spine and to ask over and over--ok, what does it mean for us?”—Julianne Lutz Warren, author of Aldo Leopold’s Odyssey

(Julianne Lutz Warren 20121011)

About the Author

Brian Thomas Swimme is a professor on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where he teaches courses on evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He is author, with Thomas Berry, of The Universe Story. Mary Evelyn Tucker is senior lecturer and research scholar, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Yale Divinity School. She is co-founder and co-director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale and author of Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter Their Ecological Phase.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300171900
• ISBN-13: 978-0300171907
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Astronomy
  • #68 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Science & Religion
  • #70 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology

More About the Author

Brian Swimme is a professor of cosmology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco. His department, "Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness" (PCC), is the only graduate program in the western world that places equal emphasis on contemporary science, indigenous spirituality, classical philosophy, and feminist thought for its masters and doctoral programs. He and his colleagues at CIIS have created this program in order to re-imagine the human species as a mutually enhancing member of the Earth community.

The heart of Brian Swimme's work is his focus on knowledge that is transformative--of ourselves and of our civilization. His graduate program attracts intellectually engaged women and men who are in varying degrees dismayed by what they see happening in industrial societies and who are striving to find meaningful ways to develop their gifts to serve the future of the world. Keeping in mind Alfred North Whitehead's view that the function of the university is to enable the future to appear, first in conceptual thought, the PCC faculty and graduate students hold in mind three fundamental goals:

1. To open our consciousness, through learning and imagination, to those creative and evolutionary energies suffusing the Earth, the universe, and the deep psyche that will enable us to participate fully in the regeneration of human communities and their enveloping life systems.

2. To analyze the current devastation of planetary life and to strive to liberate ourselves and our communities from the underlying causes of alienation, consumerism, militarism, androcentrism, and unsustainable modes of life.

3. To draw from the deep wells of philosophical and religious wisdom together with other scholarly and scientific insights in order to bring forth a profound vision of a vibrant planetary era.

Brian Swimme's work joins with those scientists, scholars, and visionaries who recognize that the Earth community is facing an unprecedented evolutionary challenge, the most severe degradation of life in the last 65 million years. This multifaceted crisis requires a fundamental reorientation of our civilization, one in which a compassionate humanity becomes a mutually enhancing presence within Earth's complex systems of life. Cultural historian Thomas Berry, who is co-author of "The Universe Story", has called this task "the Great Work."

Brian Swimme's work, both as a writer and a professor in the PCC program, is committed to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individual consciousness. Drawing upon some of the most powerful ideas of Western intellectual and spiritual traditions, together with insights from Asian spiritual philosophies and indigenous world views, Swimme and the faculty of PCC have constructed a multidisciplinary course of study to help accelerate each student's journey into his or her particular leadership role within this work.

Brian Swimme was born in Seattle, Washington, earned his Bachelor's degree in California, his doctoral degree in mathematics at the University of Oregon, and now teaches in San Francisco.

Photo Credit: Caroline Webb.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Book - Big Story - Even Bigger Message! June 15, 2011

By Don Smith

Format:Hardcover

Having just completed this wonderful short (117 pages) book, I am awestruck at the ability of the authors to tell "The Journey of the Universe" in so few pages and yet evoke a deep new awareness of what it means to be human within the Earth Community and Universe today.

I have read Swimme's previous books and much of Thomas Berry's writings and perhaps the best way to describe this book is as a distillation and re-focusing of the best of this previous work. Although not as involved as "The Universe Story" by Berry/Swimme, it brilliantly captures its essence and expounds insights without bogging down in detail. I was amazed at the writing style which is so concise and informative and packs deep and thought-provoking insights into every paragraph. Yet it is a joy to read and what I would call an "easy read" probably requiring not much more than 2-3 hours! The collaboration of Mary Evelyn Tucker (editor of Thomas Berry's later books of essays) and Brian Swimme has created a book which could (and should!) well become one of the most widely read in the English-speaking world.

Although the authors outline the cosmological history of our Universe it never bogs down in scientific jargon and always keeps the reader firmly focused on what this all means for us today. They do, however, paint an awe-inspiring picture of the Universe out of which we have emerged and the cosmological forces which have shaped this emergence.

The essential focus of the book is not at all scientific in nature - most of it is concerned with subtly raising our awareness of the human species' place or role within Earth Community now that we understand all that modern cosmology has revealed. Note that this is subtle. Nowhere do the authors present a dogmatic or ideological agenda for what humans should now do. The book is first and foremost an awareness-raising exercise using only the most established mainstream science and cultural history.

Yet, once you read the book, if you are like me, you will be stunned with the breadth and depth of what this awareness means for our personal, national and cultural lives. It is indeed quite brilliant that the authors leave so much to our own conscience and discernment without beating us over the head with their own conclusions. The wisdom contained in this book needs to be disseminated and discussed much like the sacred scriptures of the world's religions.

This book is written at a level which kids in their early teens could easily assimilate. It would be my hope the "Journey of the Universe" would become a standard part of school curriculum across the globe. Everyone should read this amazing book.

Highly recommended.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Uhl, Professor of Biology, Penn State University June 17, 2011

By Chris Uhl

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a stunning book. It is both prose and poetry. Reading it slowly, savoring it, I have the sense that every sentence has been crafted from the heart. There is not a word that is unnecessary. It is a labor of love, a truly sacred text. I offer my profound thanks to the authors.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Science, Art and Imagination = stunning read July 13, 2011

By Leslie

Format:Hardcover

I couldn't read this book in one sitting because each paragraph is so thought provoking. It's magically, mystical and based in solid science. My eyes, mind and heart are opened. This book should be required reading.