A History of the Heavens - Part IV, When We Leave Here

Dr. Richard Berendzen is Professor of Physics at American University.

No other science has had the effect on art and literature that astronomy has had. No other field of scientific endeavor has had such a tense dialogue with theology. The recent advances in biology may be altering this unique status somewhat, given the anguished ethical questions now being posed by techniques like cloning. But, given that astronomy, cosmology, and space exploration all deal with ultimate questions of creation, the science of the heavens will always have a special place in human regard. Richard Berendzen describes how science, science fiction, religion, and philosophy all influence our thoughts about an eventual human migration to another world.