Project Worldview founder, astronomer, and global education pioneer Stephen Cook recently had the honor of being the opening speaker at the four-day long "Astronomy and Civilization" conference in Budapest, Hungary beginning August 10th.  Hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the conference was part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first telescopic observations and Johannes Kepler's publication of his first two Laws of Planetary Motion. 

Cook joined a distinguished group of invited speakers composed of astronomers, physicists, philosophers, and educators from universities and think tanks throughout the world.  His one hour presentation "The Importance of Astronomy in Shaping Worldviews: Coming of Age Under the Night Sky" began by recognizing that while telescopes and spacecraft dramatically expand worldviews in space and time, astronomy began shaping them long ago.  Those who watched carefully with unaided eyes saw the universe as predictable and orderly rather than magical and chaotic--a conclusion which increased psychological security in individuals and desire for order in society.  In an astronomical context, Cook's talk explored several of the eighty worldview themes he uses in conjunction with Project Worldview, which he founded in 2006, and in his recently published The Worldview Literacy Book.

For more on this conference, click here. 

For information on the IYA,  click here.