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 Privileged
Planet--New science documentary explores Earth’s extraordinary place
in the cosmos
By: Staff
Discovery Institute
August 20, 2004
SEATTLE, AUG. 20 – The late astronomer Carl Sagan spoke for many
when he said: “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping
cosmic dark.” The new science documentary “The Privileged Planet,”
produced by Illustra Media, challenges this long-standing assumption,
boldly argues that Earth is anything but an ordinary planet in an insignificant
part of the Milky Way, adrift in a vast and meaningless universe.
Based on the book, “The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the
Cosmos is Designed for Discovery” by Discovery Institute senior fellows
Jay Richards and Guillermo Gonzalez, the film explores the many ways in
which Earth is ideally suited, not only for complex life, but also for
observing the universe around us.
According to Richards and Gonzalez, modern scientific evidence indicates
that the many factors that make Earth suitable for complex life also provide
the best conditions for astronomical discovery. “The Privileged Planet”
explores this intriguing correlation and its implications on our understanding
of the origin and purpose of the cosmos.
Utilizing stunning computer animation and the visual archives of NASA,
the Hubble Space Telescope Institute, the European Space Agency, and leading
observatories throughout the world, this 58-minute film presents a spectacular
and uplifting view of our planet, galaxy, and the entire cosmos. The film
is narrated by Lord of the Rings actor John Rhys-Davies and features interviews
with noted astronomers Robert Jastrow and David Brownlee, and physicist
Paul Davies.
“The Privileged Planet” will be prominently featured at premieres
in Southern California and Washington state in the fall.
Visit http://www.privilegedplanet.com
to see the film’s trailer, order the DVD or book, read an excerpt
from it, read reviews and endorsements, and find out more about the authors
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ENDORCEMENTS
Is our universe a blind concatenation of atoms, evolution a random walk
across a meaningless landscape, and our sense of purpose a pathetic shield
against a supremely indifferent world? Or does the universe and our place
within it click into place, repeatedly? These starkly different views
open up immense metaphysical and theological questions, and at least part
of the answer must come from science and the unfolding triumphs of cosmology,
astronomy, and evolution.
In a book of magnificent sweep and daring Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay
Richards drive home the arguments that the old cliché of no place
like home is eerily true of Earth. Not only that, but if the scientific
method was to emerge anywhere, the Earth is about as suitable as you can
get. Gonzalez and Richards have flung down the gauntlet. Let the debate
begin; it is a question that involves us all.
Simon Conway Morris
Professor of Evolutionary Paleobiology, University of Cambridge
Author of Life’s Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe
This thoughtful, delightfully contrarian book will rile up those who believe
the ‘Copernican principle’ is an essential philosophical component
of modern science. Is our universe designedly congenial to intelligent,
observing life? Passionate advocates of the search for extraterrestrial
intelligence (SETI) will find much to ponder in this carefully documented
analysis.
Owen Gingerich
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Author of The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Not only have Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards written a book with a
remarkable thesis, they have constructed their argument on an abundance
of evidence and with a cautiousness of statement that make their volume
even more remarkable. In my opinion, their Privileged Planet deserves very
careful attention.
Michael J. Crowe
Cavanaugh Professor Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame
Author of The Extraterrestrial Life Debate 1750-1900
Impressively researched and lucidly written, The Privileged Planet will
surely rattle if not finally dislodge a pet assumption held by many interpreters
of modern science: the so-called Copernican Principle (which isn’t
actually very Copernican!). But Gonzalez and Richards’ argument,
though controversial, is so carefully and moderately presented that any
reasonable critique of it must itself address the astonishing evidence
which has for so long somehow escaped our notice. I therefore expect this
book to renew—and to raise to a new level—the whole scientific
and philosophic debate about earth’s cosmic significance. It is a
high class piece of work that deserves the widest possible audience.
Dennis Danielson
Professor of English, University of British Columbia
Editor, The Book of the Cosmos: Imagining the Universe from Heraclitus
to Hawking
Gonzalez and Richards have written a book that is at once inspiring, illuminating,
and beautiful. Although the 20th century insights in quantum physics should
long ago have dispelled the simplistic idea that nature is nothing more
than matter in motion, The Privileged Planet suggests that scientific discovery
is embedded in the very structure of the cosmos. With uncommonly engaging
prose, they offer a virtual tour of the marvels of modern science and the
discoveries science has brought to light, from geology to cosmology. The
authors also suggest intriguing answers to ubiquitous “cosmic questions”:
Why have we been able to discover so much about the world around us in such
a short time? Is extraterrestrial life common, or is it quite rare? What
is Earth’s place in the cosmos? Does the universe exist for a purpose?
Only those interested in these questions—but who isn’t?—should
read this book.
George Gilder
Author of the bestselling book Telecosm
Founder, Gilder Technology Report
In this fascinating and highly original book, Guillermo Gonzalez and
Jay Richards advance a persuasive argument, and marshal a wealth of diverse
scientific evidence to justify that argument. In the process, they effectively
challenge several popular assumptions, not only about the nature and history
of science, but also about the nature and origin of the cosmos. The Privileged
Planet will be impossible to ignore. It is likely to change the way we
view both the scientific enterprise and the world around us. I recommend
it highly.
Philip Skell
Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Physics, Pennsylvania State University
Member, National Academy of Sciences
This new book is an excellent and timely contribution to the broadening
and increasingly important discussion of origins.
Henry F. Schaefer III
Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry
Director, Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, University of Georgia
Five-Time Nobel Prize Nominee
Privileged Planet is simply a beautifully written piece of work: so lucid
and compelling in its presentation that even the most lay of laypersons
will fly through its pages, barely able to put the book down. And when is
the last time that hard science has delivered such an optimistic, even joyful
message? For Gonzalez and Richards have made the incontrovertible case that
this earth of ours is not just some flyspeck of inconsequentiality in a
meaningless universe, but holds a rare, even honored place, and that we,
its inhabitants, are especially privileged to be here.
Joshua Gilder
Former White House speech writer
Author of Heavenly Intrigue: Brahe, Kepler and the Birth of Modern Science
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