Existential Physics
A Scientist's Guide to Life's Biggest Questions
Published on 6. July 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-83895-038-5 (ISBN)
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
'Hossenfelder stands between us and incomprehension' Daily Mail
'Informative and engaging' TLS
Do we have free will? Is the universe compatible with God? Do we live in a computer simulation? Does the universe think?
Physicists are great at complicated research, but they are less good at telling us why it matters. In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder breaks down why we should care. Drawing on the latest research in quantum mechanics, black holes, string theory and particle physics, Existential Physics explains what modern physics can tell us about the big questions.
Filled with counterintuitive insights and including interviews with other leading scientists, this clear and yet profound book will reshape your understanding of science and the limits of what we can know.
'Hossenfelder stands between us and incomprehension' Daily Mail
'Informative and engaging' TLS
Do we have free will? Is the universe compatible with God? Do we live in a computer simulation? Does the universe think?
Physicists are great at complicated research, but they are less good at telling us why it matters. In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder breaks down why we should care. Drawing on the latest research in quantum mechanics, black holes, string theory and particle physics, Existential Physics explains what modern physics can tell us about the big questions.
Filled with counterintuitive insights and including interviews with other leading scientists, this clear and yet profound book will reshape your understanding of science and the limits of what we can know.
Reviews / Votes
Hossenfelder may popularise science but she doesn't dumb it down... she stands between us and total incomprehension... That's my kind of science writer * Daily Mail * Hossenfelder is a unique writing talent and a unique science popularizer. You will come away from this book enriched, and will think about the world differently than you did before. * Lawrence Krauss, theoretical physicist and bestselling author * It is hard not to enjoy the bold and easy spirit with which Hossenfelder begins her book... informative and engaging * Times Literary Supplement * [Existential Physics] takes you on a thought provoking, tantalising and illuminating journey. It clearly delineates what physics can tell us about ourselves and the universe we inhabit, and thus what it cannot. * Physics Education * Hossenfelder rightly believes that a better understanding of the limitations of science will benefit society. This comes across loud and clear in her book, which I found fun to read and really made me think about the scientific method and the big questions in life * Physics World * If I had six stars to give this book, I'd do it... Highly recommended' * Popular Science (5* review) *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
240 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83895-038-5 (9781838950385)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2022
Atlantic Books
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Sabine Hossenfelder is a Research Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, where she leads a group studying quantum gravity. She is a leading science communicator and has written for the New Scientist, the New York Times, Aeon, and others. Her YouTube Channel, 'Science Without the Gobbledygook' has over 300,000 subscribers.
Content
1: DOES THE PAST STILL EXIST? 2: HOW DID THE UNIVERSE BEGIN? HOW WILL IT END? 2.1: IS MATH ALL THERE IS? An Interview with Tim Palmer 3: WHY DOESN'T ANYONE EVER GET YOUNGER? 4: ARE YOU JUST A BAG OF ATOMS? 4.1: IS KNOWLEDGE PREDICTABLE? An Interview with David Deutsch 5: DO COPIES OF US EXIST? 6: HAS PHYSICS RULED OUT FREE WILL? 6.1: IS CONSCIOUSNESS COMPUTABLE? An Interview with Roger Penrose 7: WAS THE UNIVERSE MADE FOR US? 8: DOES THE UNIVERSE THINK? 8.1: CAN WE CREATE A UNIVERSE? An Interview with Zeeya Merali 9: ARE HUMANS PREDICTABLE?