Share <Embed>

Buy Used

$5.00

+ $3.98 shipping

Deliver to Finland

Used: Good | Details

Sold by glenthebookseller

28 used & new from $9.97

Deliver to Finland

See All Buying Options

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Robert Shapiro

Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth Paperback – May 18, 2001

by Robert Shapiro (Author)

6 customer reviews

See all 8 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$18.69

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$23.26

$4.99

$4.50

Paperback

"Please retry"

—

$2.40

$5.00

The Quest To Discover Life Beyond Earth.

""The 'dreams' that I write of are not the usual ones, the images that come up in our minds involuntarily during certain stages of sleep, but rather the hopes and expectations that we have lavished upon other worlds around us.""-from the Preface.

The surprisingly long history of debate over extraterrestrial life is full of marvelous visions of what life ""out there"" might be like, as well as remarkable stories of alleged sightings and heated disputes about the probability that life might actually have arisen more than once. In Planetary Dreams, acclaimed author Robert Shapiro explores this rich history of dreams and debates in search of the best current answers to the most elusive and compelling of all questions: Are we alone?

In his pursuit, he presents three contrasting views regarding how life might have started: through Divine Creation, by a highly unlikely stroke of luck, or by the inevitable process of a natural law that he terms the Life Principle. We are treated to a lively fictional dinner debate among the leading proponents of these schools of thought-with the last named group arguing that life has almost surely formed in many places throughout the universe, and the others that life may well be entirely unique to our own blue planet. To set the stage for a deep exploration of the question, the author then leads us on a fantastic journey through the museum of the cosmos, an imagined building that holds models of the universe at different degrees of magnification. We then journey deep into inner space to view the astonishingly intricate life of a single cell, and learn why the origin of such a complex object from simple chemical mixtures poses one of the most profound enigmas known to science.

Writing in a wonderfully entertaining style, Shapiro then reviews the competing theories about the start of life on Earth, and suggests the debate may best be settled by finding signs of life on the other worlds of our solar system. He takes us on a guided tour of the most likely sites, from the underground hot springs of Mars to the ice-covered oceans of Jupiter's airless moons.

Along the way, he shares a wealth of fascinating stories about the ways in which our views of the heavens have changed, from the theories of ancient philosphers, who argued that the Moon was inhabited, to the current Origins and Astrobiology initiatives of NASA. He describes the probes that will be sent out in the near future in pursuit of the first compelling physical evidence of life beyond Earth, and concludes with a radical suggestion about how this quest might be supported through the next millennium. As we launch into an exciting new era of space exploration, Planetary Dreams offers a thoughtful and entertaining exploration of both the history of our hopes and expectations and a vision of a possible future in which the discovery of life elsewhere will provide a new view of our place in the universe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

* ""A book for everyone who has the slightest curiousity about our role in the cosmos.""--Hugh Downs, ABC News, 20/20

""The broadest and, in a philosophical sense, the deepest book to examine the question of the origins of life in the universe... A wise, kindly, and beautifully written book, PLANETARY DREAMS sets forth a vision of a truly human and humane future and a hope for a richly inhabited universe.""--Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award-winner and past president of the National Space Society

""If you are interested in the search for extraterrestrial life...then PLANETARY DREAMS is a must read. Delightfully written.""--Louis D. Friedman, executive Director, The Planetary Society.

""Combining many narrative elements, including a description of his fanciful institution, the Museum of the Cosmos, Shapiro's imaginative, multifaceted work should meet the yearnings of space enthusiasts and of the wider public, as Carl Sagan's books did.""--Booklist

From the Back Cover

Critical Acclaim for
PLANETARY DREAMS
The Quest To Discover Life Beyond Earth

"The stunning insights provided in Planetary Dreams make it a book for everyone who has the slightest curiosity about our role in the cosmos."——Hugh Downs, ABC News, 20/20

"The broadest and, in a philosophical sense, the deepest book to examine the question of the origins of life in the universe. . . . A wise, kindly, and beautifully written book, Planetary Dreams sets forth a vision of a truly human and humane future and a hope for a richly inhabited universe."——Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award winner and past president of the National Space Society

"If you are interested in the search for extraterrestrial life. . .then Planetary Dreams is a must read. Delightfully written."——Louis D. Friedman, Executive Director, The Planetary Society

"Combining many narrative elements, including a description of his fanciful institution, the Museum of the Cosmos, Shapiro’s imaginative, multifaceted work should meet the yearnings of space enthusiasts and of the wider public, as Carl Sagan’s books did."——Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 18, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0471407356
ISBN-13: 978-0471407355
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 6 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,623,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5029 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)
- #15835 in History & Philosophy of Science
- #3131 in Cosmology (Books)

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

6 customer reviews

Review this product

Write a customer review

Showing 1-6 of 6 reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Frank Paris

Reliable science on the probability of life evolving

January 6, 2000

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is the best book I've read on the "problem" of the evolution of life and its probability throughout the universe. He reviews all of the major theories and gives up-to-date critiques. I concluded that at bottom the only reason for not believing that life is common in the universe is the argument of incredulity: "I can't imagine how life could have evolved, so therefore it must either be exceedingly rare or miraculous." In fact, there's no reason for believing that there is anything especially unusual about our solar system or our planet Earth, so, following the Copernican Principle, life is probably everywhere.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Dr No denounces defeatism

August 4, 2004

Format: Hardcover

In science, scepticism comes easily - it's part of the job. If you are fluent with metaphor, as Shapiro certainly is, analyses of others' work can be scathing. In this book he surveys many ideas and thoughts on life's origins. Nearly all are lacking some facet or poorly conceived in his view. His ire is fiercely aroused over laboratory attempts to duplicate life's beginnings. Our understanding of prebiotic conditions is clearly too limited. He insisted the answer lies in Nature's processes. We don't know enough to duplicate them. Since our laboratory research has failed, he argues, we must seek answers elsewhere - off our home world.

As he develops his theme, Shapiro spares no effort in deriding what he deems inadequate. The prominence of any figure or idea simply crumbles under his penetrating gaze. If the work meet his qualification of "extraordinary proof", he demolishes it with scornful imagery. His critiques have led his colleagues to deem him "Dr No" - an appellation he relishes.

Nor does he fail to adapt any mechanism to further his position. He even enlists biblical allegory - albeit rather twisted in his hand. Knowing the biblical myth of a "creation week" is outdated, he simply changes the metaphor. He crams the 12 billion year history of the Cosmos into a seven day framework. In this structure he also places two "schools" of ideas about life - the Christian Fundamentalists and the followers of the Anthropic Principle. The former relies on one of the multitude of "Bibles". The latter accepts scientific observations of Nature, but deems the whole Cosmos is in place just for humanity. Countering this unusual mix is Shapiro's "Sour Lemon School" which sees life's origins as a fluke. We are likely alone in the universe, they claim, since conditions for life are too critical.

Understanding how life originates and evolves, he stresses, is too important to our future. Since he dismisses laboratory attempts to resolve the issue, he uses past space exploration as a foundation for a new programme. Deeming his own philosophy "Cosmic Evolution", asking that a "new story" of life be written. The elements of the story are difficult to perceive because they're distant. Some hints are visible, which he presents in some detail. As an introduction, he describes the "replication learned from clay crystals" proposal of Graham Cairns Smith with slight nod of approval. Gunther Wachtershauser's life formation on pyrite crystals receives a bit more approbation. Shapiro considers it worth further investigation. Developing his plot, he then turns to meteoritic evidence for possible life, but it's Mars that seizes his attention. NASA, he argues, dismissed too readily the data indicating organic material on "the Big Orange". To help him finish his "new story" further effort must follow. He also entertains the possibility of life on satellites of the "gas giant" planets. Even, he suggests, in the atmospheres of those planets.

None of this exploration will take place, he recognises, unless clear goals are developed. His countrymen a reluctant to part with tax dollars for such programmes. They see little result from planetary exploration. This is the chief obstacle, but he knows how to overcome it. Space exploration needs more and better publicity. Improved public knowledge is essential if the species expects to survive. Shapiro aknowledges that too many people retain adherence to old myths - a situation only better education can overcome. He even alludes to similar attitudes in China's Ming dynasty. An educated outlook then, he argues, might have changed the course of European history. We face a bigger challenge. The stars may hold answers to life's beginnings. They might also become refuges for future life here. A start must be made. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

R. Zubrin

A Rather Good Book

November 29, 2001

Format: Hardcover

I had this book on my shelf for over a year before I took it down for a read. I thought I might be bored by it, since it is a popular treatment of a subject I know pretty well. But Shapiro brought the subject to life in a rather interesting way, dealing not only with the particular issues asociated with the chemistry of life's origin, but with the deeper philosophical issues that lie behind the debate. I especially liked his illuminating flight of fancy entitled "A Dinner Out of time," which features Frederich Engels, Herbert Spencer, and Teilhard De Chardin (Marxist, libertarian, and Christian exponents of the idea of progress in nature, respectively) at one table, and Jacques Monod, Steven Jay Gould, Fred Hoyle, and William Jennings Bryan (all opposed to the idea) at the other. Shapiro is right on the mark when he asserts that the philosophical bias of the opposing camps has a strong role in directing their interpretations of the data, whether of Earth's history, the Viking results, of the Alan Hills meteorite. He is also right in his thesis stating what the stakes in this apparently abstract controversary actually are. All in all, a fine book.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Harry Jones (hjones@mail.arc.nasa.gov)

A wonderful discusion of searching for life in the universe.

May 27, 1999

Format: Hardcover

Reading Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth was an exquisite pleasure for me. I couldn't skip forward to the chapters on solar system exploration because I wanted to enjoy every last single word. I have always believed that it was possible to express important scientific ideas so they could be easily understood, but Bob Shapiro has shown how really well it can be done. The different technical areas involved in exploring the planets for life are well explained for the non-specialist. Professor Shapiro has reviewed all the pertinent scientific areas, astronomy, chemistry, biology, computational complexity, and more. And he includes the ideas of an amazing number of authors - Aristotle and Asimov, Bradbury and von Braun, Clarke and Copernicus, Dante and Darwin, and on and on.
My initial interest in the book Planetary Dreams was professional. I work at NASA and am involved in Astrobiology, the search for life in the universe. Dr. Robert Shapiro is well known in this area because of his work on understanding the origins of life and developing methods to search for nonterrestrial life. Exotic life in our solar system may not be based on carbon or use water as a solvent.
By reading Planetary Dreams, I have gained a better, firmer, clearer, wider understanding of the scientific world view. I can easily imagine a reader having his or her life changed by reading this book. I was so interested in Planetary Dreams that I postponed seeing the new Star Wars movie until after I finished the book. And Planetary Dreams is better entertainment and much better philosophy than the movie, and it indicates a worthy future quest for the human race. I loved every word. Everyone interested in life and the universe should read this book.

Helpful

Comment

Allen Tough

Fresh and inspiring ideas!

January 7, 2000

Format: Hardcover

Planetary Dreams is a superb book full of interesting information and ideas. I particularly liked the fresh and inspiring ideas in the last two chapters. Robert Shapiro, a well regarded scientist, is not afraid to express his visions of the future of space exploration along with his solid science.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy

Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account	Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Handpicked Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources

Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics

CreateSpace Indie Print Publishing Made Easy	DPReview Digital Photography	East Dane Designer Men's Fashion	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities

IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital Publishing Made Easy	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing

Ring Smart Home Security Systems	eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Subscribe with Amazon Discover & try subscription services	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Second Chance Pass it on, trade it in, give it a second life

Buy Used

$5.00

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth Paperback – May 18, 2001

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Back Cover

Product details

Related video shorts (0)

Be the first video

6 customer reviews

Review this product

Showing 1-6 of 6 reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Buy Used $5.00

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth Paperback – May 18, 2001

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Back Cover

Product details

Related video shorts (0)

Be the first video

6 customer reviews

Review this product

Showing 1-6 of 6 reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Buy Used

$5.00