The Secret Of Our Success On Planet

We Might Expect Intelligent Life And Technological Communities To Have Emerged In The Universe Billions Of Years Ago. Given That Human Society Is Only A Few Thousand Years Old, And That Human Technological Society Is Mere Centuries Old, The Nature Of A Community With Millions Or Even Billions Of Years Of Technological And Social Progress Cannot Even Be Imagined. ... What Would We Make Of A Billion-year-old Technological Community?

Mathematics Is Not Something That You Find Lying Around In Your Back Yard. It's Produced By The Human Mind. Yet If We Ask Where Mathematics Works Best, It Is In Areas Like Particle Physics And Astrophysics, Areas Of Fundamental Science That Are Very, Very Far Removed From Everyday Affairs.

The Secret Of Our Success On Planet Earth Is Space. Lots Of It. Our Solar System Is A Tiny Island Of Activity In An Ocean Of Emptiness.

In Spite Of The Fact That Religion Looks Backward To Revealed Truth While Science Looks Forward To New Vistas And Discoveries, Both Activities Produce A Sense Of Awe And A Curious Mixture Of Humility And Arrogance In Their Practitioners. All Great Scientists Are Inspired By The Subtlety And Beauty Of The Natural World That They Are Seeking To Understand. Each New Subatomic Particle, Every Unexpected Object, Produces Delight And Wonderment. In Constructing Their Theories, Physicists Are Frequently Guided By Arcane Concepts Of Elegance In The Belief That The Universe Is Intrinsically Beautiful.

Astronauts Have Been Stuck In Low-earth Orbit, Boldly Going Nowhere. American Attempts To Kick-start A New Phase Of Lunar Exploration Have Stalled Amid The Realisation That Nasa's Budget Is Too Small For The Job.