What Is Humanity’s Place in the Cosmos?

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For all of history, humans have been fascinated by the heavens above us. We’ve used the stars to navigate Earth, to predict the future, and to understand our place in the larger scheme of things. Changes in our view of the cosmos—from the Copernican revolution that “uncentered” the Earth to the discovery of the Big Bang and the recognition that the universe is expanding—have invariably changed our view of ourselves. In this episode of The Permanent Questions, David Brooks speaks with the astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan about the latest scientific view of the universe and what it says about humanity’s place in the order of things. Natarajan is a world-renowned theoretical physicist who has made important breakthroughs in the study of black holes and dark matter; she is also a scholar of the history and philosophy of science and the author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos. Along the way, David and Natarajan discuss the place of emotion in scientific research, why science alone can’t solve human problems, and the greatest space movie ever made. - - - Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. “The Permanent Questions” is produced by The Atlantic with support from Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices