A series of fortunate events : chance and the making of the planet, life, and you / Sean B. Carroll.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Carroll, Sean B., author.

Carroll, Sean B., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biology--History.

Biology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (224 pages : illustrations)

Place of Publication:

Princeton ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, [2020]

Summary:

From acclaimed writer and biologist Sean Carroll, a rollicking, awe-inspiring story of the surprising power of chance in our lives and the worldWhy is the world the way it is? How did we get here? Does everything happen for a reason or are some things left to chance? Philosophers and theologians have pondered these questions for millennia, but startling scientific discoveries over the past half century are revealing that we live in a world driven by chance. A Series of Fortunate Events tells the story of the awesome power of chance and how it is the surprising source of all the beauty and diversity in the living world.Like every other species, we humans are here by accident. But it is shocking just how many things--any of which might never have occurred--had to happen in certain ways for any of us to exist. From an extremely improbable asteroid impact, to the wild gyrations of the Ice Age, to invisible accidents in our parents' gonads, we are all here through an astonishing series of fortunate events. And chance continues to reign every day over the razor-thin line between our life and death.This is a relatively small book about a really big idea. It is also a spirited tale. Drawing inspiration from Monty Python, Kurt Vonnegut, and other great thinkers, and crafted by one of today's most accomplished science storytellers, A Series of Fortunate Events is an irresistibly entertaining and thought-provoking account of one of the most important but least appreciated facts of life.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: THE TROUBLE WITH CHANCE

PART I STUFF HAPPENS

PART II A WORLD OF MISTAKES

PART III. 23 AND YOU

AFTERWORD. A CONVERSATION ABOUT CHANCE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING

INDEX

A NOTE ON THE TYPE

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691212098

0691212090

9780691209548

0691209545

OCLC:

1193121721