A Glorious Accident: Understanding Our Place in the Cosmic Puzzle

"Through no fault of our own, and by dint of no cosmic plan or conscious purpose, we have become, by the power of a glorious evolutionary accident called intelligence, the stewards of life's continuity on earth. We did not ask for this role, but we cannot abjure it. We may not be suited to such responsibility, but here we are."-Stephen Jay Gould, The Flamingo's Smile

At the close of the 20th century, what do we know about why we are here, on this planet, in this universe? To address this and other big questions, journalist Wim Kayzer invited a diverse cast of six of today's great scientific thinkers to discuss, debate, and argue their points. The result was the acclaimed public television series, A Glorious Accident, now edited and available in paperback.

Kayzer interviewed Oliver Sacks, Daniel C. Dennett, Stephen Jay Gould, Rupert Sheldrake, Freeman Dyson, and Stephen Toulmin individually before bringing them together for a roundtable discussion to consider a variety of broad questions, including:
* What is the nature of our consciousness?
* What concepts has our consciousness developed about our temporal existence?
* What will we derive most from our consciousness: knowledge or understanding?
* What were the questinos that fascinated you when you were growing up?
* What questions keep you spellbound today?

Stemming from actual conversations, A Glorious Accident is high-spirited and heady, as well as being an important chronicle of what we know and, more important, what we do not.

Wim Kayzer is a popular Dutch journalist, specializing in cultural and scientific topics. A Glorious Accident, the series comprising the interviews and discussion in this book, was shown in 1993 on Dutch television and in the United States on WNET TV in 1994.