查看文章

The first photographs of the Earth to be taken from outer space are said to have had a profound influence on how humanity perceives its place in the Universe. They provided a true visual representation of the broad sweep of the planet we inhabit and how little of it each of us has explored, and, perhaps more importantly, set against the vastness of the cosmos they gave a sense of the vulnerability of this tiny spherical piece of rock. The significance of these images results above all else from the difficulty which humans have in comprehending phenomena at large spatial scales. It is now possible to traverse thousands of kilometres in a few hours, but most people live out their day-to-day existence in thousands of metres. In this sense our lives are perhaps little changed from those of our prehistoric ancestors. Almost inevitably, in consequence we are best adapted to detecting and responding to patterns and processes …