Cosmology
The study of the universe is not something new though the word cosmology was coined only in the 1730s in Christopher Wolff’s Cosmologia Generalis. Cosmology has been used for religion, philosophy, astronomy and astrology too. The various sub fields that have been identified under cosmology are physical cosmology, metaphysical cosmology, esoteric cosmology and religious cosmology.
In physical cosmology, physics and mainly astrophysics are used to observe the details in the universe and mathematical tools are used to analyze the observations. It starts to analyze the universe from its very onset- say from the Big Bang theory that says that the universe originated some 13.7 billion years ago.
Metaphysical cosmology deals with the human nature or happenings around the globe in context with some observed set of cosmological findings. The concept of religious astrology is useful in identifying legends and religious mythological tales. The newer concept combining both religious and metaphysical cosmology falls under the purview of esoteric cosmology. However, it is distinctly different from religious cosmology in the nature that it is less bound by traditions and relies more on understanding through one’s intellect rather than blind faith.
The various historical names in the field of physical cosmology are the likes of Ptolemy, Aristotle, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler and so on. The Principles of Mathametica by Newton was instrumental in proving Kepler’s planetary laws and his own theory of universal gravitation.
The metaphysical cosmology addresses questions as the necessity of the universe to exist, its actual material components and so on. The field of religious cosmology is addressed by faiths of various religions. These include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. The various legends and theories of the formation of the universe are rather interesting. Ecoteric cosmology addresses the same questions as religious of philosophical cosmology. Only, the base is not on blind faith.
