To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery

Before the advent of modern science and technology, humans relied on myths to explain the world beyond the terrestrial. The night sky was filled with stars and omens, and appeals to gods were directed toward the heavens. As The Confluence of Science, Myth, and Pop Culture explores, these myths were supplanted—though not entirely—by science as more concrete facts about the universe were uncovered. However, science itself cannot explain certain mysteries of the universe, and it relies on its own slow process of discovery and hypothesis to uncover the reality (or rather, the various realities that exist on different planes). As the authors put it, “Slowly but surely, a new universe emerged—one roiling with molecules, lurking with monstrous black holes, snaking with voids and galaxies of every size and shape, and hinting at untold mysteries yet to explore” (9). In many cases, the irony is that these “untold mysteries” are not so different from the myths that ancient civilizations invented.

The authors use words like “tale” and “stories” to describe the book, which emphasizes the ways that humans understand and describe the world around them. Storytelling serves a purpose, one that illuminates understanding through metaphors, and such storytelling elements are used throughout the book to help explain complicated concepts. The Introduction also hints at another thematic concern: the simple fact that Earth is not the center of the solar system, galaxy, or larger universe. As such, the journey undertaken in To Infinity and Beyond balances the “thrill” of intergalactic exploration with the “humbling” reality of our small place in the universe.