Books of Distinction

Will our universe continue to expand 100 billion years from now? Does human life and all intelligence inevitably come to an end as the universe evolves? Could our present space be converted catastrophically into a new kind of space governed by different physical laws? Can we construct a theology of the future universe? Would the continuation of the universe for eternity be a good thing?

Nearly 400 years ago, Galileo ground the Dutch “spyglass” and looked to the stars. His discoveries raised questions about the origin of the universe—questions that today, with our high-powered optical instruments, have become even more audacious. In Rome, at the Casina Pio IV, once a summer residence of Pope Pius IV and with links to Galileo, a group of scientists and theologians recently gathered to exchange research-in-progress, ideas, and opinions about the far future.

The Far-Future Universe presents eighteen provocative essays offering speculations on various scenarios for the future, from the perspectives of cosmology, physics, biology, humanity, and theology, including:

John D. Barrow, research professor of mathematical science, who notes: “When there is an infinite time to wait then anything that can happen, eventually will happen. Worse (or better) than that, it will happen infinitely often.”
Paul Davies, British theoretical physicist, who addresses the question: “Eternity: who needs it?,” poses six cosmological models, and examines the implications of each for the ultimate fate of the universe.
A. Graham Cairns-Smith, honorary senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow, who considers exotic genetic materials and distinguishes between “life as we know it” and “life in general.”

Other contributors consider global time, artificial intelligence, religious ideas about the end of the world, and the nature of existence. Stimulating, challenging, and exciting, these visions of the far future are a starting point for further reflection and speculation.

Book of Distinction: 2005
Publication Date: November 2002
ISBN: 9781890151904 (1890151904), $39.95, Hardcover
Illustrations: no
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press

Author Info

Editor George F. R. Ellis is as widely respected for his anti-apartheid Quaker activism as for his contributions to cosmology. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and educated in Natal and cape Town, he recieved his Ph.D. in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Cambridge University in 1964 and has taught in both fields on three continents. For the past decade, he has been a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Townwhile lecturing throughout the world.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and among the prizes he has won are the Herschel Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa, the Claude Harris Leon Foundation Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Star of South Africa Medal, which was presented to him in 1999 by President Nelson Mandela. Co-author with Stephen W. Hawking of The Large Scale Structureof SpaceTime (1973), he has also written more than 200scientific papers and eight books.

Editorial Reviews



	Far-Future Universe, The Eschatology from a Cosmic Perspective Ellis, George F.R. List Price: $39.95 Available at the Publisher's website Book Information / Details Author Info Editorial Reviews Press Release Will our universe continue to expand 100 billion years from now? Does human life and all intelligence inevitably come to an end as the universe evolves? Could our present space be converted catastrophically into a new kind of space governed by different physical laws? Can we construct a theology of the future universe? Would the continuation of the universe for eternity be a good thing? Nearly 400 years ago, Galileo ground the Dutch “spyglass” and looked to the stars. His discoveries raised questions about the origin of the universe—questions that today, with our high-powered optical instruments, have become even more audacious. In Rome, at the Casina Pio IV, once a summer residence of Pope Pius IV and with links to Galileo, a group of scientists and theologians recently gathered to exchange research-in-progress, ideas, and opinions about the far future. The Far-Future Universe presents eighteen provocative essays offering speculations on various scenarios for the future, from the perspectives of cosmology, physics, biology, humanity, and theology, including: John D. Barrow, research professor of mathematical science, who notes: “When there is an infinite time to wait then anything that can happen, eventually will happen. Worse (or better) than that, it will happen infinitely often.” Paul Davies, British theoretical physicist, who addresses the question: “Eternity: who needs it?,” poses six cosmological models, and examines the implications of each for the ultimate fate of the universe. A. Graham Cairns-Smith, honorary senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow, who considers exotic genetic materials and distinguishes between “life as we know it” and “life in general.” Other contributors consider global time, artificial intelligence, religious ideas about the end of the world, and the nature of existence. Stimulating, challenging, and exciting, these visions of the far future are a starting point for further reflection and speculation. Book of Distinction: 2005 Publication Date: November 2002 ISBN: 9781890151904 (1890151904), $39.95, Hardcover Illustrations: no Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press Author Info Editor George F. R. Ellis is as widely respected for his anti-apartheid Quaker activism as for his contributions to cosmology. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and educated in Natal and cape Town, he recieved his Ph.D. in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Cambridge University in 1964 and has taught in both fields on three continents. For the past decade, he has been a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Townwhile lecturing throughout the world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and among the prizes he has won are the Herschel Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa, the Claude Harris Leon Foundation Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Star of South Africa Medal, which was presented to him in 1999 by President Nelson Mandela. Co-author with Stephen W. Hawking of The Large Scale Structureof SpaceTime (1973), he has also written more than 200scientific papers and eight books. Editorial Reviews Choice Publishers Weekly Press Release no press releases for this title
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