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Weaving the universe : is modern cosmology discovered or invented? / Paul S. Wesson.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Wesson, Paul S.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Cosmology--History.
- Cosmology.
- History.
- Physical Description:
- x, 204 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Place of Publication:
- New Jersey ; London ; Singapore : World Scientific, [2011]
- Summary:
- The great astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington believed that much of cosmology is not merely discovered through telescopes but partly invented in the human mind. This unusual opinion has recently become more popular with advances in quantum mechanics and relativity. Einstein, who formulated general relativity, hoped that one day we could dispense with the "base wood" of matter and regard the theory as a construction of fine intellectual "marble". Where, today, is the line between discovery and invention? To answer this, we look at puzzles in physics, the number of dimensions of space, the reality of time, and the nature of matter. The treatment is accurate but nontechnical. The theme is mind-weaving, or how the brain stitches together various ideas to form a whole account of the universe. The reader can decide if Eddington was right or not when he said, "The stuff of the world is mind-stuff." Book jacket.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.
- ISBN:
- 9789814313940
- 9814313947
- OCLC:
- 607977638
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