The Concept of Fractal Cosmos: III. Present State

This is the sequel to the previous accounts on the rise and development of the concept of fractal cosmos, up to year 2001 (Grujic 2001, 2002). Here we give an overview of the present-day state of art, with the emphasis on the latest developments and controversies concerning the model of hierarchical universe. We describe both the theoretical advances and the latest empirical evidence concerning the observation of the large-scale structure of the observable universe. Finally we address a number of epistemological points, putting the fractal paradigm into a broader cosmological frame.