Technology is an integral part our world. But how does inter-human technology affect our ability to be present to one another, to God, to ourselves, and to the world around us? Modern technologies are reshaping human relationships. While they offer new possibilities for presence across time and space, they also function as either a substitute for human relationships or as a filter that mediates relationships between ourselves and others. In our technologically saturated world, it is vital that we become aware of how these technologies alter our perceptions, our actions, and our relationships. Religious and Cultural Implications of Technology-Mediated Relationships in a Post Pandemic World offers a variety of positions on how technology is influencing religious communal and cultural life. There is no doubt that our interaction with technology will shape the human community up ahead. These essays provide a basis for thoughtful choice and action.

The development of physical theory is one of our greatest intellectual achievements. Its products--the currently prevailing theories of physics, astronomy, and cosmology--have proved themselves to possess intrinsic beauty and to have enormous explanatory and predictive power. This anthology of primary readings chronicles the birth and maturation of five such theories (the heliocentric theory, the electromagnetic field theory, special and general relativity, quantum theory, and the big bang theory) in the words of the scientists who brought them to life. It is the first historical account that captures the rich substance of these theories, each of which represents a fascinating story of the interplay of evidence and insight--and of dialogue among great minds.

Readers sit in with Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo as they overturn the geocentric universe; observe the genius of Faraday and Maxwell as they "discover" the electromagnetic field; look over Einstein's shoulder as he works out the details of relativity; listen in as Einstein and Bohr argue for the soul of quantum mechanics in the Completeness Debate; and watch as Hubble and others reveal the history of the universe.

The editors' approach highlights the moments of discovery that rise from scientific creativity, and the presentation humanizes the scientific process, revealing the extent to which great scientists were the first to consider the philosophical implications of their work. But, most significantly, the editors offer this as their central thesis: although each was ushered in by a revolution, and each contains counterintuitive elements that delayed its acceptance, these five theories exhibit a continuous rational development that has led them to a permanent place in the worldview of science.

Accessible to the general reader yet sufficiently substantive that working scientists will find value in it, "The Tests of Time" offers an intimate look into how physical theory has been developed, by the brilliant people who have developed it.