Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2024 ARABIC VERSION

T From how far can we be observed? by Michele Ferrara revised by Damian G. Allis NASA Solar System Ambassador he possible existence of life on other planets is a topic that has intrigued humans for mil- lennia. The first writings in this sense were attributed to the two pre-Socratic philosophers of Ancient Greece Leucippus and Democritus in the fifth century BC, who both sup- ported the existence of other inhab- ited worlds. This view was chal- lenged in the fourth century BC by Plato and Aristotle, supporters of the idea that if the Demiurge had created the world in his image, being only one, he would have only created a single world. The au- thority of Plato and Aristotle was enough to crystallize that belief for several centuries, although from time to time, the antagonistic idea resurfaced thanks to other philoso- phers and theologians. This is the case for the Alexandrian Origen, who in the third century AD sup- ported the principle of the succes- sion of worlds in time, where at the end of one world another began in the same space. In a certain sense, Origen was a forerunner of the Sil- urian hypothesis and of those who consider the contemporaneity of different civilizations on different planets almost impossible. About a century later, another reli- gious man (rather famous in the Western world), Augustine of Hippo, returned to discuss the plu- rality of worlds. Unlike many other thinkers of his era, Augustine be- lieved in the infinity of time and space, and in the possibility that the Creator had not limited himself to generating a single world. Throughout the Middle Ages, other thinkers countered the worldview of Plato and Aristotle. Among them, Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, Richard of Middleton and Nicole Oresme (just to name a few) stated that from the theological point of view the plurality of inhabited worlds was not impossible, although in those times any position was still heavily conditioned by Aristotelian ﻟﻘـﺪ أﺛﺎر اﺣﺘﻤﺎل وﺟﻮد ﺣﻴﺎة أﺧﺮى اﻫﺘﻤﺎم اﻟﺒـ ـ و ﴩ ﻵﻻف اﻟﺴـﻨ ﺗُﻨﺴـﺐ اﻟﻜﺘﺎﺑـﺎت اﻷوﱃ ﺑﻬـﺬا ا ﻌﻨ ـﻰ إﱃ ﻓﻼﺳـﻔﺔ ﻣـﺎ ﻗﺒ ـﻞ ﺳﻘﺮاط ﰲ اﻟﻴﻮﻧـﺎن اﻟﻘﺪﻳﻤـﺔ، ﻟﻴﻮﻛﻴﺒـﻮس ودﻳﻤﻮﻗﺮﻳ ﻄﻮس ﰲ اﻟﻘـﺮن اﻟﺨـﺎﻣﺲ ﻗﺒـﻞ ا ﻴﻼد وﻛﻼﻫﻤـﺎ أﻳـﺪ وﺟـﻮد ﻋـﻮاﻟﻢ أﺧـﺮى . ﻣﺄﻫﻮﻟﺔ ﺗﻢ ﺗﺤﺪي ﻫﺬا اﻟﺮأي ﰲ اﻟﻘـﺮن اﻟﺮاﺑـﻊ ﻗﺒـ ﻞ ا ﻴﻼد ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ أﻓﻼﻃﻮن وأرﺳﻄﻮ ا ﺆﻳـﺪﻳﻦ ﻟﻔﻜﺮة أﻧﻪ ﻟﻮ ﻛﺎن اﻟﺪﻳ ﻤﻴﻮرﻏﻮس ﻗـﺪ ﺧﻠـﻖ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﻋﲆ ﺻﻮرﺗﻪ ﻛﻮﻧﻪ واﺣﺪ اً ﻓﻘﻂ ﻟﻜـﺎن ﻗﺪ ﺧﻠﻖ ﻋﺎ ﺎً اً واﺣﺪ ﻓﻘـﻂ وﻛﺎﻧـﺖ ﺳـﻠﻄﺔ أﻓﻼﻃـﻮن وأرﺳـﻄﻮ ﻛﺎﻓﻴـ ﺔ ﻟﺒﻠـﻮرة ﻫـﺬا اﻻﻋﺘﻘﺎد ﻟﻌـﺪة ﻗـﺮون ﻋـﲆ اﻟـﺮﻏﻢ ﻣـﻦ أن اﻟﻔﻜﺮة اﻟﻌﺪاﺋﻴﺔ ﻋﺎدت إﱃ اﻟﻈﻬﻮر ﻣﻦ وﻗﺖ ﻵﺧﺮ ﺑﻔﻀﻞ ﻓﻼﺳﻔﺔ وﻋﻠﻤﺎء ﻻﻫﻮت آﺧﺮﻳﻦ وﻫﺬا ﻫـﻮ اﻟﺤـﺎل ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴـﺒﺔ ﻟﻸورﻳﺠـﺎﻧﻮس اﻟﺴﻜﻨﺪري اﻟﺬي أﻳﺪ ﰲ اﻟﻘﺮن اﻟﺜﺎﻟﺚ ا ﻴﻼ دي ﻣﺒﺪأ ﺗﻌﺎﻗﺐ اﻟﻌﻮاﻟﻢ ﰲ اﻟﺰﻣﻦ ﺣﻴﺚ أﻧﻪ ﻋﻨـﺪ ﻧﻬﺎﻳﺔ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ ﻳﺒﺪأ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ آﺧﺮ ﰲ ﻧﻔﺲ اﻟﻔﻀﺎء . ﺑﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﻣﺎ، ﻛﺎن أورﻳﺠﺎﻧﻮس راﺋﺪ اً ﻟﻠﻔﺮﺿﻴﺔ اﻟﺴــﻴﻠﻮرﻳﺔ وأوﻟﺌــﻚ اﻟــﺬﻳﻦ ﻳﻌﺘــﱪون أن ﻣﻌﺎﴏة اﻟﺤﻀﺎرات ا ﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﻋﲆ ﻛﻮاﻛـﺐ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﻳﻜﺎد ﻳﻜﻮن ﻣﺴﺘﺤﻴﻼً . وﺑﻌﺪ ﺣـﻮاﱄ ﻗـﺮن ﻣـﻦ اﻟﺰﻣـﺎن ﻋـﺎد رﺟـﻞ دﻳـﻦ آﺧـﺮ ) ﻣﺸﻬﻮر إﱃ ﺣﺪ ﻣﺎ ﰲ اﻟﻌﺎﻟ ﻢ اﻟﻐﺮﺑـﻲ ﻫـﻮ ( أوﻏﺴـﻄﻴﻨﻮس ﻣـﻦ ﻫﻴﺒـﻮ ﻨﺎﻗﺸـﺔ ﺗﻌـﺪد اﻟﻌﻮاﻟﻢ . ﻋﲆ ﻋﻜﺲ اﻟﻌﺪﻳـﺪ ﻣـﻦ ا ﻔﻜـﺮﻳﻦ اﻵﺧـﺮﻳﻦ ﰲ ﻋـ ـ ﴫه، آﻣـﻦ أوﻏ ﺴـﻄﻴﻨﻮس ﺑﻼﻧﻬﺎﺋﻴـﺔ اﻟﺰﻣــﺎن وا ﻜـﺎن وﺑﺈﻣﻜﺎﻧﻴـﺔ أن اﻟﺨﺎﻟﻖ ﻟﻢ ﻳﻘﺘﴫ ﻋﲆ ﺧﻠـﻖ ﻋـﺎﻟﻢ واﺣـﺪ . ﻃﻮال اﻟﻌﺼﻮر اﻟﻮﺳﻄﻰ ﻋﺎرض ﻣﻔﻜـﺮو ن آﺧﺮون وﺟﻬﺔ ﻧﻈﺮ أﻓﻼﻃﻮن وأرﺳﻄ . ﻮ وﻣﻦ ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ، ذﻛﺮ ﺗﻮﻣﺎ اﻷﻛﻮﻳﻨﻲ وﻫﻨـﺮي ﻏﻴﻨـﺖ ورﻳﺘﺸﺎرد ﻣﻴﺪﻟﺘﻮن وﻧﻴﻜﻮل أورﺳﻤﻲ ﻋﲆ ) ( ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ا ﺜﺎل أﻧﻪ ﻣﻦ وﺟﻬﺔ اﻟﻨﻈﺮ اﻟﻼﻫﻮﺗﻴﺔ ﻟـﻢ ﺗﻜـﻦ ﻓﻜــﺮة ﺗﻌـﺪد اﻟﻌـﻮاﻟﻢ ا ﺄﻫﻮﻟ ـﺔ ﻣﺴﺘﺤﻴﻠﺔ، ﻋﲆ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣـﻦ أن أي ﻣﻮﻗـﻒ ﰲ ﺗﻠﻚ اﻷوﻗﺎت ﻛﺎن ﻻ ﻳﺰال ﻣـ ﺎ ﺑﺸـﺪة ﴩوﻃ ـ ﺑﻮاﺳﻄﺔ اﻟﻔﻜﺮ اﻷرﺳﻄﻲ وا ﻌﺘﻘﺪ اﻟﺪﻳﻨﻲ . ﻤﻜﻦ ﻣﺎ اﻟﻤﺴﺎﻓﺔ اﻟ ﻟﻠـﺤﻀﺎرات اﻟ ﻮﻧ ﺔ اﻷﺧﺮىأن ﺗﺮﺻﺪﻧﺎ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ؟ ﻣ: ﻘﻠﻢ ﺸﻴﻞ ﻓ ارا ﺔ ﻣﺮاﺟﻌ داﻣ ﺎن ﺟﻲ أﻟ ﺲ ﺑﺮ ﺎﻣﺞ ﺳﻔ اﻟﻨﻈﺎم اﻟﺸﻤﺴﻲ ﺑﻮ ﺎﻟﺔ ﻧﺎﺳﺎ ﻣﺠﻠﺔ FreeAstronomy ﺎﻟﻌﺮ ﺔ 8 ﺃﺑﺮﻳﻞ - ﻣﺎﺭﺱ 2 0 2 4