The Fabric Of The Cosmos (PBS/DVD/2011)
Physics – the rules that govern the universe – is mostly a mystery to the vast majority of human beings. Those who are really good at understanding quarks, quantum mechanics, bosons, quasars, etc. must look down in pity or contempt at the rest of we civilians who get blank looks on our faces and twitch occasionally when confronted with bald facts and oddball speculations of this science. But just as we insist other people respect that we know more than they about our own jobs or hobbies, so must we, the illiterati of science and the heavens, must listen to the experts.
This is why this glorious four-part documentary is so necessary for us scientifically-unwashed. While it is true that most of us could get on just as well not knowing as knowing, life is much more comprehensible when we know even a fraction of what is knowable about how the universe – and thus our very lives – works. And physicist Dr. Brian Greene explains it well. Based on his 2004 book of the same name (published by Knopf), Dr. Greene manages explanations of the “unexplainable” in laymen’s terms, thus increasing our ability to understand these oddball concepts.
Take “space/time” for instance: when Albert Einstein postulated his theory of relativity, he came to the realization that “space” and “time” were often one and the same, hence the collision of words into one: “spacetime.” Dr. Greene explains it, along with “gravity,” an actual illusion of time. Now, this particular scientific novice will not even attempt to illustrate it, and Greene’s idea that there maybe there are multiple universes (“multiverse”) is still screwy in my mind, but now that we have adapted “quantum leap” as an explanation for “advance thinking,” you begin to get the drift of the value of this four-hour show.
It is my belief that every household should have a copy of this on their shelves, not just in school or public libraries, because knowledge is power, as the cliché goes, and a deeper understanding of science, even at the expense of the superstitions we label Religion, give us the basis for all life, and thus all of our being.
Besides which, we will need to re-view it again and again until we understand the complexity of the thinking, imagining and exploration demanded of us. Quite a brilliant undertaking, but oh, so rewarding.