Watching the Heavens: Astronomy and the Meaning of Life

What did the sky-watchers of the ancient world think about the night sky, and its implications for human existence? Moving on to the great discoveries of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo, we will consider the basic science and ask about the deeper significance of these discoveries - for God, and the meaning of life. Looking at important recent scholarly interpretations, we will discuss the religious issues at stake. What does this tell us about human beings? Or about the authority of science? This lecture is part of the Being Human Festival 2017 which runs from 17th - 25th November. More information on the festival can be found here: Being Human Festival 2017 The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/watching-the-heavens-astronomy-and-the-meaning-of-life Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website. Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege Support the show