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The Talk

Note: you do not need to attend Part 1 to follow Part 2 . . . . it will cover 3 new assumptions

Early civilizations always depended on their view and understanding of the Universe around them. This was used for planning and reaping harvests, navigation, religious events and wars. The motions of the planets, the sun, the moon and the stars were used for that and were hence well known to them.

However, due to the lack of accurate measuring instruments and mathematical methods, most civilizations used the patterns properly but did not understand the scientific basis of the Universe which presented such heavenly objects.

This is fine as far as science goes, (it always corrects itself). Yet, civilizations were often at fault for holding on to mistaken views of the Universe. This insistence was often due to reigning ideologies such as famous philosophers, religious dogma or politics.

These two talks cover 5 main faulty cosmological assumptions that took a while to correct. Each assumption will be presented in its faulty state. The talk will then show how great thinkers corrected these assumptions (often at severe danger to their lives or careers).

The 5 assumptions are the following:

1) The Earth is at the center of the Universe: geo-centrism
2) The Sun and the Solar System are at the center of the Universe
3) The Milky Way, our galaxy, is at the Center of the Universe and is the Only Galaxy in the Universe
4) Our life as we know it is unique in the Universe and we are alone (Anthropism)
5) The Universe is specifically designed to host humanity (and life as we know it)

Part 1 will cover Assumptions 1 and 2 while Part 2 will present the rest.

A graduate of AUB in Physics and Mathematics (1966). By 1969, he completed a degree in Electronic Engineering in University of Hertfordshire, UK. His professional life was spent in Information Technology and organizational management. He spent a lot of time on reengineering business and public sector processes.

When Akram was 11, he had a problem with his knee which necessitated his staying in bed for 6 months. To keep him busy, his mother moved their record player to his room and that is when he fell in love with classical music. Akram never studied music, academically. However, it interested him so much that he took an analytic view of classical music always insisting that works must be understood to be really appreciated.