Bukunema from Home: On Cosmos & Popular Science

Juli 11, 2020April 19, 2024 jakartacinemaclub Bukunema, Carl Sagan, Cosmos, Event Jakarta, Popular Science

Bukunema is back! During this WFH season, we are going to host this program virtually. Since no movies will be present as those in the past, we will focus on a book discussion. The theme for our next program is Popular Science. Life is incomplete without science. We have been exposed to this subject ever since we entered an educational system. How different is our perception of science now and then? Thanks to our past school teachers for their efforts throughout those pre-internet uniform days. Readers, let’s talk.

Carl Sagan, one of the most celebrated scientists, presenting his critically acclaimed work, *Cosmos* (credit: CBS)

Though science is always considered a heavy topic to discuss, countless scientists and writers have published books that make such theme even friendlier. Familiar names such as Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Dava Sobel, Stephen Hawking, Rachel Carson, Yuval Noah Harari, and Stephen Jay Gould may ring the bell and have developed a well-earned reputation for their contribution on popular science. These people do not only pave accessible ways for us to discover new phenomenon, but also reshape how society think about past and future. Please note that this literary format is different with text books you used to read in classes. We will talk about this at Bukunema.

Bukunema Popular Science — A shortlist of critically acclaimed science books that have earned multiple honors won awards (various source)

We will use Pulitzer Prize-winner Carl Sagan’s notable work Cosmos (1980) as a foundation for the discussion. The book covers a story of fifteen billion years of cosmic evolution transforming matter and life into consciousness.

We learn how science and civilization grew up together, and of the forces and individuals who helped shape modern science. Carl Sagan has such a remarkable ability to make scientific ideas both comprehensible and exciting through his light and conversational narration throughout the book. If you are also interested to read the book, please find the physical copy at your local book stores or purchase the ebook on Google Play Books/Amazon.

Both hosts and participants are also going to share reading habits and what we usually expect from literature in general. Feel free to prepare your favorite Popular Science books to share. Bukunema is a series of programs created by Jakarta Cinema Club to challenge people to dive deeper into literature and cinema. We talked about books and topics we love. No matter if you are an avid or casual reader, this program is designed to spread reading culture everywhere.