The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace by Margaret Wertheim

The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace by Margaret Wertheim

Regular price
Checking stock...
Regular price
Checking stock...
Summary

A study of the emergence of modern physics with its emphasis on physical space, which develops into a thesis on the nature of cyberspace as a site to return to medieval, spiritual concerns. The author recognizes cyberspace as a genuine, yet immaterial world in which people commune in a non-bodily fashion.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free US shipping over $15
  • Buying preloved emits 41% less CO2 than new
  • Millions of affordable books
  • Give your books a new home - sell them back to us!

The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace by Margaret Wertheim

Arguing that one way of understanding cyberspace is as an attempt to realize an electronic version of heaven, this book begins with the medieval definition of the world as spiritual space. The author traces the emergence of modern physics with its emphasis on physical space, and then presents her thesis: that cyberspace, an outgrowth of modern science, nevertheless represents a return to medieval, spiritual concerns. Cyberspace posits the existence of a genuine yet immaterial world in which people are invited to commune in a non-bodily fashion, just as medieval theology brought intangible souls together in heaven. How did we get from seeing ourselves in soul-space (the world of Dante and the late-medievals) to seeing ourselves purely in body-space (the world of Newton and Einstein)? Margaret Wertheim offers a description of this transition and the new shift propelled by the Internet.
Born in 1959, Margaret Wertheim grew up in Australia but is now based in California. Her science writing is published by many magazines across the world.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781860497902
ISBN 10 186049790X
Title The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace
Author Margaret Wertheim
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Year published 2000-04-06
Number of pages 320
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.