The Accidental Universe
- Author Alan Lightman
- Narrator Bronson Pinchot
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 14 January 2014
- Run Time 3 hours and 51 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Astrophysics, Cosmology and the universe, Space science.
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What to expect
From the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams and Mr. g comes a meditation on the unexpected ways in which recent scientific findings have shaped our understanding of ourselves and our place in the cosmos.
With all the passion, curiosity, and precise yet lyrical prose that have marked his previous books, Alan Lightman here explores the emotional and philosophical questions raised by discoveries in science, focusing most intently on the human condition and the needs of humankind. He looks at the difficult dialogue between science and religion, the conflict between our human desire for permanence and the impermanence of nature, the possibility that our universe is simply an accident, the manner in which modern technology has separated us from direct experience of the world, and our resistance to the view that our bodies and minds can be explained by scientific logic and laws. And behind all of these considerations is the suggestion—at once haunting and exhilarating—that what we see and understand of the world is only a tiny piece of the extraordinary, perhaps unfathomable whole.
Critics Review
u201cEngrossingu2026Theoretical physicist and novelist Lightman offers insight into the ways that recent scientific discoveries shape our understanding of ourselves and our worldu2026A thoughtful, straightforward collection of essays that invite readers to think deeply about the world around them.u201d
nu201cBronson Pinchot brings his clear, commanding voicento this book and sounds suitably authoritative. He reads slowly enough to allownlisteners to follow the authoru2019s argument and pauses effectively to let it sinknin.u201d
u201cTheoretical physicist and novelist Lightman presents seven elegantly provocative u2018universeu2019 essays that elucidate complex scientific thought in the context of everyday experiences and concernsu2026Ranging from ancient intuitions and calculations to todayu2019s high-tech inquiries, Lightman celebrates our grand quest for knowledge and takes measure of the challenges our discoveries deliver.u201d
u201cAs both a novelist and an astrophysicist, the author bridges the cultural divide made famous by C. P. Snow in his iconic 1959 Cambridge lecture, u201cThe Two Culturesu201du2026He suggests that the mysteries of quantum physics (e.g., the particle/wave duality) become more explainable when we consider the increasing disembodiment of our social world, where virtual reality has become commonplace. A scientific and philosophical gem.u201d
u201cThis essay collection could have only beennpenned by Lightman, that rare hybrid of physicist and storyteller. Bynshining the beam of his intellect on the cosmos, he illuminates ournpersonal lives in the reflections.u201d
nu201cIs our universe merely a statistical fluke, anrare accident that we happen to be able to observe? In The AccidentalnUniverse, Alan Lightman introduces readers to physicistsu2019 latest grapplingsnwith the vastness of space, the ineluctable march of time, and the origin ofnmass. Vivid, personal, and often moving, Lightmanu2019s reflections illuminatenscientistsu2019 zeal for lawfulness, symmetry, and order, as well as theirnarresting sense of wonder.u201d
nu201cA sublime reminder of the mysteries behindnand beyond the familiaru2014a call to wonder.u201d
nu201cAlan Lightman is not only a graceful writer, henis a juggler of scales and perspectives, an informed questioner who works hisnway in deeper with each exertion. The Accidental Universe disassemblesnour theoretical surround, cleans and tests all arguments and assumptions, andnthen, dexterously, puts it all back together. Voila! A booknborn of stimulating discussions, it will now provoke them.u201d
nu201cAlan Lightman deftly weaves the contradictionsnand mystery of our experience with the awe of exploring the vast physicalnuniverse. His graceful book inspires conversation about the wonder of ournexistence. It invites us to look up at the sky and see a grander, more comprehensiblenuniverse.u201d
nu201cScience is changing the way we think, especially aboutnourselves. As a guide to the multiple identities that science now offers, youu2019llnwant this beautiful booku2014poetic, humanistic, personal, inspiring. As anphysicist, novelist, observer of coastal birds and the stars, Alan Lightmanncovers a lot of ground. Among so many other things, Lightman asks his reader tonconsider immortality, multiple universes, the possibility of a cyborg world,nand those who might resist its seductions. I couldnu2019t put it down; a thrillingnread.u201d
nu201cAlan Lightman possesses the mind of a theoretical physicistnand the soul of an artist. Those qualities animate each of the seven elegantnessays of The Accidental Universe, as he enlightens us about the u2018manynuniverses within our one universe, some visible and some not.u2019u201d
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