Cosmology,creation, and the force of history

Abstract

At first sight, any attempt to understand the cosmos may seem overambitious. Cosmologists would claim, nonetheless, to have transformed their subject into a genuine empirical science, especially in the last three decades. This progress has proved possible because the universe possesses a surprising degree of overall symmetry and uniformity. It is complexity, and not sheer size, that makes a phenomenon baffling. In the fierce heat of a star and (even more surely) in the early universe, everything is broken down into its simplest constituents. So cosmology need not be the most intractable science. Our biological colleagues – studying the intricate multilayered structures of trees, butterflies, and brains – face challenges that may be even tougher.