More Things in Heaven and Earth: Art Meets Science

More Things in Heaven and Earth A presentation of: Gloria McMillan, Co-PI and Co-scriptwriter, Research Associate, Department of English, University of Arizona

More Things in Heaven and Earth Co-PI: Christopher Impey, Deputy Dir., Department of Astronomy, Univ. of Arizona Co-scriptwriter and Director of Production: Howard Allen With Coyote Moon Films, Ltd.

How We Started Relations between science and the humanities have not been as friendly as they might have been...

How We Started The humanities has had its doubts about science since the ancient Greeks—maybe before. Yuck! Techné—the work of slaves! TECHNÉ is the Greek root of “technology.”

How We Started And we knew that this nastiness between the humanities and sciences was holding up solutions to many pressing global problems.

How We Started This was in part because humanities scholars have always viewed scientists as . . .well. . .

How We Started Or perhaps more like. . .you get the picture. Dr. Strangelove

How We Started Of course, scientists thought humanities writers and teachers were just. . .fuzzy. (And not in a good way.)

How We Started An impressive group of scholars rallied to this idea. The time had come to seek common ground!

Our Next Moves We sought that bridge of mutual understanding. Common ground. A truce. But where? Our mentor at the Jet Propulsion Lab, Bill Whitney, said to look for a project…We came up with promising “seeds of future collaboration” and a starting point.

Our Next Moves We thought hard. . .Galileo and Shakespeare were born in the same year: 1564! They could have met (although chances are, they did not.) 1564

Our Next Moves How would I have related to…? Me? Galileo Galilei

Our Next Moves A script! A script! My kingdom for a script…

The Script Our experts and script writers knew that they needed to find both conflict and harmony. They hit on the fact that telescopes were on London docks by 1609 and Shakespeare could have used one.

The Script So this “bard” was on my astronomical turf, but I, Galileo, was a great writer, as well! You? A writer? A founder of Italian literature! Galileo Galilei

You, Sirrah! What did you ever write? The Script Our script goes on in much this way with—hopefully—growing mutual appreciation. You, Sirrah! What did you ever write? Actually. . .no. Actually. . .no. And you call yourself civilized? The impudence! Have you not heard of Dialogues on the Two Chief World Systems? Galileo Galilei

The Goal We will grow to appreciate each other. The Humanities NEED the Sciences, And vice versa. More than just coexist: we need each other in order to grow and flourish! Galileo Galilei

The Play Books Our script writing team will make good use of this historic volume in the University of Arizona’s Special Collections. Our noble friend need not fear.

That IS The Question I ask you, Signore, what ever have you done in astronomy? Galileo Galilei

Hamlet’s Chums My friends the astronomical Digges family of Stratford had this book—Epistolae—by the famed Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Note those ancestors’ names?

Will’s Friends the Digges Family There is new evidence that I not only knew this astronomical family but that I knew their work. The “perspective glass” invented by Leonard Digges, for instance.

What’s in a name? A mere toy, that “perspective glass!” Galileo Galilei

Stay tuned for more… We shall leave you now and prepare for our meeting. I assure my friend Galileo that there are more things in heaven and earth than even he has dreamt! Toy? We shall see…

Seeds of the future: Sci-HumanitiesCollaborative Projects Projects we highlight in our film: NSF-funded BEACON PROJECT to link biological systems to literature and the humanities. Read literature through “evolution lens.” Examples: Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, and William Faulkner’s “Red Leaves.” SCI-ETHICS INTERACTIVE: This NSF project is making progress working with science faculty to develop virtual reality scientific ethics training modules. Led by Seth Kahn, an English professor, and his colleagues.

Our Consultants David Levy, chief consultant, Comet Discoverer and Pres. of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation. Frederick Kiefer, Prof. of English, Shakespearean Expert, Univ. of Arizona. Stephen Greenblatt, Prof. of English, Shakespearean Expert, Harvard University. Richard Poss, Prof. of Astronomy & Culture, Univ. of Arizona. Ewen Whitaker, co-founder Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona.

Our Consultants Maurice Finocchiaro, Distinguished professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. R. D. (Bob) Joseph, astronomer in the Institute for Astronomy (IfA), the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Nick Campion, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, University of Wales, Lampeter . Frederick Kellogg, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Arizona.

NEW to Our Consultants Stephen Greenblatt, Prof. of English, Shakespearean Expert, Harvard University. One of the top Shakespearean scholars in the world. His Will in the World won Time Magazine’s best non-fiction book for 2004. He was Modern Language Association President in 2002. Maurice Finocchiaro, Distinguished professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. One of the top Galileo experts in the world. Author of Galileo on the Two World Systems, the abridged Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, with Finocchiaro’s own translation from Italian.

More Things in Heaven and Earth: Art meets Science Stay tuned for more from our starry messengers.

How to Support this Project Make checks payable to “The University of Arizona Foundation.” University of Arizona Foundation Steward Observatory c/o U of AZ Astronomy Dept. Business Office 933 N. Cherry Ave. Tucson, AZ 85721 Earmark lower left: “Heaven and Earth Film Project.” We won’t get it without that earmark!