Dr. Aris Thorne, a freelance astrophysicist, stared out at the star-strewn canvas of the night sky. His observatory, a modest dome perched atop a remote mountain, was his sanctuary, a place where the vastness of the cosmos dwarfed his own mortality. He wasn't driven by the pursuit of fame or fortune; his life's work was a solitary exploration of the universe, a quest fueled by an insatiable curiosity. Aris had always been an outsider. He eschewed the academic rat race, preferring the freedom of freelance research, even if it meant financial instability. The constraints of grant applications and departmental politics stifled his creativity. He believed that true scientific discovery blossomed in solitude, unburdened by the demands of institutional hierarchies. His unconventional approach, however, often led to misunderstandings and skepticism from his peers, some of whom considered him eccentric or, worse, a dilettante. But Aris held a deeply personal perspective on life, death, and the universe. He didn't believe in a traditional afterlife, not in the sense of a heaven or hell. Instead, he envisioned a cosmic consciousness, an interconnectedness of all things that transcended physical existence. He saw the universe as a vast, interconnected network of energy and information, and our consciousness as a temporary node within that network. Death, to Aris, was not an ending, but a transition—a return to the cosmic flow, a merging with the universe itself. His recent research focused on the faint signals emanating from the edge of the observable universe, signals that he suspected might hold clues to the very nature of reality. Some dismissed his theories as speculative, yet he persevered, driven by his conviction that the answers lay not in earthly dogma, but in the silent symphony of the cosmos. His freelance lifestyle, while financially challenging, granted him the flexibility to pursue these unorthodox avenues of inquiry without the constraints of conventional research funding. One night, as he meticulously analyzed the data, he felt an odd sense of peace. He wasn't afraid of death; instead, he felt a deep connection to the universe, a sense of belonging that transcended his physical being. Looking up at the infinite expanse above, he found solace and a profound sense of purpose in his lonely quest to unravel the universe's most enigmatic secrets.
1. What is the primary reason Aris Thorne chose a freelance career path?
2. According to the passage, how does Aris Thorne view death?
3. What is the central theme of Aris Thorne's research?
4. Which word best describes Aris Thorne's approach to his research?