RobertLanzaisoneofthemostrespectedscientistsintheworld--aUSNews&WorldReportcoverstorycalledhima“genius“anda“renegadethinker,“evenlikeninghimtoEinstein.LanzahasteamedwithBobBerman,themostwidelyreadastronomerintheworld,toproduceBiocentrism,arevolutionarynewviewoftheuniverse.Everynowandthenasimpleyetradicalideashakestheveryfoundationsofknowledge.Thestartlingdiscoverythattheworldwasnotflatchallengedandultimatelychangedthewaypeopleperceivedthemselvesandtheirrelationshipwiththeworld.Formosthumansofthe15thcentury,thenotionofEarthasballofrockwasnonsense.ThewholeofWestern,naturalphilosophyisundergoingaseachangeagain,increasinglybeingforceduponusbytheexperimentalfindingsofquantumtheory,andatthesametime,towardsdoubtanduncertaintyinthephysicalexplanationsoftheuniverse’sgenesisandstructure.Biocentrismcompletesthisshiftinworldview,turningtheplanetupsidedownagainwiththerevolutionaryviewthatlifecreatestheuniverseinsteadoftheotherwayaround.Inthisparadigm,lifeisnotanaccidentalbyproductofthelawsofphysics.Biocetnrismtakesthereaderonaseeminglyimprobablebutultimatelyinescapablejourneythroughaforeignuniverse--ourown--fromtheviewpointsofanacclaimedbiologistandaleadingastronomer.SwitchingperspectivefromphysicstobiologyunlocksthecagesinwhichWesternsciencehasunwittinglymanagedtoconfineitself.Biocentrismwillshatterthereader’sideasoflife--timeandspace,andevendeath.Atthesametimeitwillreleaseusfromthedullworldviewoflifebeingmerelytheactivityofanadmixtureofcarbonandafewotherelements;itsuggeststheexhilaratingpossibilitythatlifeisfundamentallyimmortal.The21stcenturyispredictedtobetheCenturyofBiology,ashiftfromthepreviouscenturydominatedbyphysics.Itseemsfitting,then,tobeginthecenturybyturningtheuniverseoutside-inandunifyingthefoundationsofsciencewithasimpleideadiscoveredbyoneoftheleadinglife-scientistsofourage.Biocentrismawakensinreadersanewsenseofpossibility,andisfullofsomanyshockingnewperspectivesthatthereaderwillneverseerealitythesamewayagain.
