Eric J. Chaisson

p. 220 :
“Humanity now faces the greatest challenge that any neophyte technical civilization could possibly encounter on any planet in the Universe. We have virtually and simultaneously gained the ability to unlock the secrets of the Universe as well as to destroy ourselves, ironically in each case by means of the same technology. This is the dawn of the Life Era. This is also why we need to create a scientific philosophy. With it will emerge a comprehensive understanding of who we are, where we came from, and how we fit into the cosmic scheme of things.

“Stated in the most dynamic terms I know, cosmic evolution empowers us to think big, to recognize our planetary citizenship, to help us realize the need for more benevolent understanding while progressing along the arrow of time. Knowledge and compassion—these are the twin guides to the future of our species. To express it grandly but no less truly: Cosmic evolution is the scaffolding for a modern humanism, an evolutionary humanism.”

p. XII: "A book for anyone having a panoramic, persistent curiosity about the nature of the Universe and our existence in it."
Traduction : "Un livre pour toute personne dotée d'une curiosité vraie et englobante de la nature de l'univers et de notre existence en son sein."