In his 1980 book The Restaurant At the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams imagined a torture device called the Total Perspective Vortex that would subject its victims to 鈥渏ust one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation鈥�. The result? Instant death.
His invention was a send-up of the idea that contemplating the staggering vastness of the universe inevitably induces existential dread. But as we discover in our special issue, which celebrates the centennial of Edwin Hubble鈥檚 discovery that ours is not the only galaxy, there is no need to fear the cosmic perspective. In fact, there are good reasons to reckon with our place in the grandest scheme of things.
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The first is that getting to grips with the scale of the universe (see, How big is the universe? The shape of space-time could tell us) and the mysteries it contains 鈥� from the origins of space and time (see, Are space and time illusions? The answer could lie in black holes) to the prospects for life elsewhere and multiple universes (see, and We are closer than ever to finally proving the multiverse exists) 鈥� is awe-inspiring. Like any epic vista, it offers a way to transcend the self, which has been shown to reduce stress and enhance our sense of connection with others. Besides, confronting our cosmic insignificance is arguably a source of comfort anyway, since it reminds us that nothing we do really matters much at all (see, Why you should feel comforted, not scared, by the vastness of space).
There are good reasons to reckon with our place in the grandest scheme of things
Above all, though, to take the cosmic perspective is to marvel at the fact that we can. Observable matter makes up just 5 per cent of the universe, of which our eyes can only perceive a small fraction. And yet, thanks to our intelligence and ingenuity, we have been able to fathom so much about the cosmos, from the epic tale of its origins and evolution over 13.8 billion years to the often-strange properties of the particles and forces that comprise it.
Now we are beginning to reckon with the things we do not and cannot know, not least with the realisation that there is no objective view of the universe. As a result, we are reimagining our place yet again by rethinking the relationship between mind and matter (see pages 37 and 38). If this is what a Total Perspective Vortex really looks like, it is anything but torturous.