There is a deep sense of curiosity in most of us on how the universe came to be. If we manage to determine that, it would be the pinnacle of human intellect & achievement, I think. Lawrence argues in the book how science has progressed enough to explain how the universe grew from ‘Nothing’. A note of warning though – this ‘Nothing’ assumes the existence of space and the laws of physics already being in place. This (as the author notes as well), is not the ‘Nothing’ many of us will assume this to be. The absolute ‘Nothing’ which some or many of us understand differently also finds some limited discussion towards the end of the book. The book traces the progress we have made in uncovering the mysteries of the universe – and with each new discovery, the role of God diminishes. Through the book, Lawrence expectedly takes several digs at theology. He states that scientific facts should not be ignored, and a ‘God of the gaps’ (attributing what science is yet to explain to God) is a poor concept as it in any case diminishes the role of God as understood by religion. I agree and think most people do accept this, but still find meaning in religion for personal growth and treat (or should as Joseph Campbell advises) a lot of what is stated in religious texts metaphorically (also Advaita Vedanta treats the concept of God very differently). Scientific evidence is very strong (such as with the cosmic microwave background radiation) that there was a big bang, the universe went through a period of rapid expansion, and matter was created leading to what we see today. I found the concepts of the flat, closed and open universe to be fascinating. The discussion around this and the implications for the future of the universe makes for very engrossing reading. We are most likely in a flat universe (though this is not conclusive) – light does not curve and the universe may not roll back onto itself. The author mentions that we are at the best possible time to determine the secrets of the universe, since as we go on – the expansion would tear apart galaxies and greatly diminish the remnants of the big bang. This is interesting – indicating we should be investing more in cosmology now. As one would expect, it is not that the book has all the answers – after all science itself does not yet. The creation of the universe from nothing or the possibility of a multiverse finds some discussion towards the end of the book. There is some barely disguised disdain for string theory – which I share as well since it comes as force fitted, excessively complex and detached from reality to me. I found parts of the book to be a bit dense / less readable, nor did I find much of the humor the synopsis of the book mentions. The book is intellectually stimulating and does well to bring advances in cosmology together in a crisp narrative.

Hiç Yoktan Bir EvrenLawrence M. Krauss · Aylak Kitap · 2013432 okunma

·

3 artı 1'leme

·

41 görüntüleme

Yorum yapabilmeniz için giriş yapmanız gerekmektedir.