Cosmic Proportions and Human Significance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21245005 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jim Slagle (0000-0003-1511-795X, University of Portland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 263-278 |
| Publication date | 2022-03-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scientia et Fides (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2353-5636 • E-ISSN: 2300-7648 |
| Publisher | Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika/Nicolaus Copernicus University (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.12775/setf.2022.013 |
| OpenAlex | W4220867036 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 2 |
A common misperception, both within academia and without, is that the premodern, Judeo-Christian picture of the universe was of a small, cramped one. This allowed people to believe that the Earth and its inhabitants were the most important thing in it. But this misfires in several ways: First, the premodern cosmos is only small in comparison to what contemporary science has discovered, not absolutely. Second, the premoderns felt just as insignificant as we do in light of the universe’s size, but we cannot translate this into a scientific or philosophical argument. Third, it assumes that the Judeo-Christian view is that humanity is the most important thing (rather than God) and that God created the universe for us (rather than himself). Fourth, whatever value human beings have in the Judeo-Christian tradition is derivative, based on being created in God’s image, and the size of the universe has no bearing on it
Aesthetics · Art history · Astronomy · Epistemology · Humanity · Image of God · Nothing · Physics · Theology · Universe · Evolution and Science Education · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2023 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |