Existential physics : a scientist's guide to life's biggest questions / Sabine Hossenfelder.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hossenfelder, Sabine, 1976- author.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physics--Philosophy.

Physics.

Cosmology.

Quantum theory.

Meaning (Philosophy).

Quantum Theory.

cosmology.

Medical Subjects:

Quantum Theory.

Physical Description:

xviii, 248 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

[New York, NY] : Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2022]

Summary:

"A contrarian scientist wrestles with the big questions that modern physics raises, and what physics says about the human condition Not only can we not currently explain the origin of the universe, it is questionable we will ever be able to explain it. The notion that there are universes within particles, or that particles are conscious, is ascientific, as is the hypothesis that our universe is a computer simulation. On the other hand, the idea that the universe itself is conscious is difficult to rule out entirely. According to Sabine Hossenfelder, it is not a coincidence that quantum entanglement and vacuum energy have become the go-to explanations of alternative healers, or that people believe their deceased grandmother is still alive because of quantum mechanics. Science and religion have the same roots, and they still tackle some of the same questions: Where do we come from? Where do we go to? How much can we know? The area of science that is closest to answering these questions is physics. Over the last century, physicists have learned a lot about which spiritual ideas are still compatible with the laws of nature. Not always, though, have they stayed on the scientific side of the debate. In this lively, thought-provoking book, Hossenfelder takes on the biggest questions in physics: Does the past still exist? Do particles think? Was the universe made for us? Has physics ruled out free will? Will we ever have a theory of everything? She lays out how far physicists are on the way to answering these questions, where the current limits are, and what questions might well remain unanswerable forever. Her book offers a no-nonsense yet entertaining take on some of the toughest riddles in existence, and will give the reader a solid grasp on what we know-and what we don't know"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: One. Does The Past Still Exist?

Two. How Did The Universe Begin? How Will It End?

Other Voices #1 Is Math All There Is? An Interview With Tim Palmer

Three. Why Doesn't Anyone Ever Get Younger?

Four. Are You Just A Bag Of Atoms?

Other Voices #2 Is Knowledge Predictable? An Interview With David Deutsch

Five. Do Copies Of Us Exist?

Six. Has Physics Ruled Out Free Will?

Other Voices #3 Is Consciousness Computable? An Interview With Roger Penrose

Seven. Was The Universe Made For Us?

Eight. Does The Universe Think?

Other Voices #4 Can We Create A Universe? An Interview With Zeeya Merali

Nine. Are Humans Predictable?.

Notes:

Pre pub title: More than this : what modern physics says about our existence.

Place of publication from publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Hossenfelder, Sabine, 1976- More than this

ISBN:

9781984879455

1984879456

OCLC:

1300756356

Publisher Number:

99991413343