COSMOGENESIS

An evolutionary cosmologist analyzes the profound entanglements between the history of the universe and our understanding of that history.

Blending autobiography and science writing, Swimme, a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies and co-creator and host of the PBS series Journey of the Universe, explores the concept of cosmogenesis, which describes the origin and evolution of the universe from primordial soup to human intelligence. The author’s breakthrough came when he realized that “I was evolving, that I was as much a development of the universe as were stars and galaxies. If I wanted to tell the story of the expanding universe and how it developed through time, I needed to include the story of my long struggle out of the structures of existence I had been born into.” Taking this idea further, he ponders a statement famously uttered by Freeman Dyson, repeated in conversation with the author: “The universe—in some sense—must have known we were coming….The universe knew.” Swimme likens this idea to a human embryo “knowing” how to create a human nervous system endowed with an intelligence capable of performing incredible feats. In writing that is clear and free from complex jargon, the author argues that this integrated cosmological self is an overlooked aspect in scientific communities and that a “radically new vision of the universe” is needed to account for the fact that “we ourselves are constructions of the universe’s process.” While the concepts he explores are fascinating, his reliance on the minute details of his life—what he calls “time-developmental experiences”—at times bogs down the trajectory of his argument even as he invites readers to participate in a mutual "transformation" as part of the "living universe.” Yet the overall message of the power of storytelling leaves readers with a new appreciation for how we view the universe's history and ourselves within it.

An invigorating perspective on how science and spirituality inform the history of human experience.