COSMIC IMAGES are the foundation of our world
From the very first moment man first looked up at the sky, he has always tried to explain why the sun, moon and stars behave in the manner they do. These explanations were invariably turned into more or less simple diagrams, purporting to show how the cosmos works and our place in the wider scheme of things.
Down the centuries, different ideas about the nature of the cosmos have reflected and dictated the way we think and the way we build society. Every religious, political and social system in the past has rested on an image of the cosmos. This image is used to support and validate the system. It makes it possible to claim that the current way society is organised is based on universal values, rooted in the laws of nature.
Even we carry around an inner picture of the cosmos in our heads, in particular an image of the solar system. This picture, taught in schools and available everywhere in books and on the Internet, is the common property of our generation. Ask anyone today to describe their idea of the solar system and you will get the same answer.
This popular image does not fully represent the current way science perceives the workings of the solar system. It is strongly coloured by earlier, erroneous ideas. But it is vitally important in a cultural sense. The idea we have of the solar system is such a fundamental part of our cultural mind-set that we usually give it no thought. Nevertheless, it affects our attitudes in ways we can hardly begin to imagine. It provides the common ground of society, a mental infrastructure upon which is hung the entire edifice of our system of cultural values.
That is, until new information changes the view of the cosmos. After which, even though it may take a painfully long time, the earthly system gradually changes to suit this new vision of our home in the stars.
