I don't know if I should be posting this to /his/ or /sci/

>>9534653
astronomy***

Sorry about the typo

Ask your professor

>>9534653
While I can't recommend any books on cosmology for the layman that isn't egregious pop-science, I would recommend getting into the burgeoning field of the philosophy of cosmology. Try John Barrow's "The Anthropic Cosmological Principle" and the upcoming "Philosophy of Cosmology" anthology from Cambridge.

>>9534865
Sounds interesting. But isn't Barrow's idea, more or less, Christian teleology revamped?

>>9534828
>classical studies major

>>9534977
>But isn't Barrow's idea, more or less, Christian teleology revamped?

There is certainly a teleological element to the consideration that the universe must be compatible with the life that observes it and the AP has historical antecedents in some religious ideas. But I think that understanding belies the complex nuances in our modern understanding of the principle and how it is applied to contemporary physical cosmology. Barrow goes into different formulations of the principle and draws on some interesting examples in physics and cosmology over the past century to point out just where the AP is thought to have some strange impact. Barrow is a cosmologist after all.

I would recommend it on historical value alone, since it essentially introduced the term into the modern lexicon, but it is now seeing renewed interest with the emergence of cosmology as a distinct discipline of both physical and philosophical study.

b-bump

Any good books on the history of the universe?

Read Lee Smolin's "Life of the Cosmos." It is a weird book with a whacky thesis but it has tons of information about modern cosmology and where we are at. He also quotes from Leibniz and other philosophers.

>>9534653
>I'm looking for works about astronomy and physical cosmology, which would be available to the layman. I'm a classical studies major,

You'll probably have zero idea what's going on. This shit can't be learned in a fucking single book. STEM is well-paid and respected for a reason.

If you still want to try, just look at references for Wikipedia articles you want to learn about. Good luck.

>>9536853
I'm looking for a work for example that presents something without giving the mathematical proof. Ie. something introducing to the history of the universe or the standard model.

The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg