# Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017 > [!cite] > Campion, Nicholas. ‘The Importance of Cosmology in Culture: Contexts and Consequences’. In *Trends in Modern Cosmology*. Edited by Abraao Jesse Capistrano De Souza. InTech, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5772/67976. > [!abstract] > Scientific cosmology is the study of the universe through astronomy and physics. However, cosmology also has a significant cultural impact. People construct anthropological cosmologies (notions about the way the world works), drawing in scientific theories in order to construct models for activities in disciplines, such as politics and psychology. In addition, the arts (literature, film and painting, for example) comment on cosmological ideas and use them to develop plot lines and content. This chapter illustrates examples of such work, arguing that scientific cosmology should be understood as a significant cultural influence. --- ‘Scientific cosmology is the study of the universe through astronomy and physics. However, cosmology also has a significant cultural impact. People construct anthropological cosmologies (notions about the way the world works), drawing in scientific theories in order to construct models for activities in disciplines, such as politics and psychology.’ [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 3)]] ^58144c Early societies used the stars or planets to represent their rulers or guide their actions. [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 4)]] ^4c6a8a ‘The *logos* of cosmology means “an account”; *cosmology* is therefore “an account of the cosmos”.’ [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 4)]] ^35479f ‘Scientific definitions \[of cosmology] range from the narrow, such as “the study of the universe”, to the broad (“the science, theory or study of the universe as an orderly system, and of the laws that govern it; in particular, a branch of astronomy that deals with the structure and evolution of the universe”).’ [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 5–6)]] ^461a29 ‘Heisenberg \[…] argued that science and art are parallel attempts to describe the world, and may both be part of a wider cultural history.’ [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 5)]] ^55cdb6 ‘… to truly comprehend a culture we must have some sense of its cosmology – the group’s conception of themselves in relation to the heavens.’ — George Gumerman & Miranda Warburton, ‘The Universe in a Cultural Context: An Essay’, 2005. [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Campion 2017, 5)]] ^f95b67 ‘The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.’ [[Campion, ‘Importance of Cosmology in Culture’, 2017|(Rukeyser in Campion 2017, 3)]] ^c6d9c7