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Reality Is Not What It Seems
- The Journey to Quantum Gravity
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
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Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli
- Narrated by: Carlo Rovelli
- Length: 1 hr and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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This playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics briskly explains Einstein's general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the Universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world. Carlo Rovelli, a renowned theoretical physicist, is a delightfully poetic and philosophical scientific guide. He takes us to the frontiers of our knowledge: To the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, back to the origins of the cosmos, and into the workings of our minds.
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Good information but did not enjoy the presentatio
- By UB on 2020-11-07
Written by: Carlo Rovelli
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The Order of Time
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
- Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most listeners, this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it appears. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where, at the most fundamental level, time disappears.
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More like this please
- By Jihane Mriouah on 2019-04-19
Written by: Carlo Rovelli
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Helgoland
- Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli, Erica Segre - translator, Simon Carnell - translator
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the 23-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution.
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understandable, thought-provoking
- By Allen on 2022-02-03
Written by: Carlo Rovelli, and others
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Your Brain Is a Time Machine
- The Neuroscience and Physics of Time
- Written by: Dean Buonomano
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Your Brain Is a Time Machine, brain researcher and best-selling author Dean Buonomano draws on evolutionary biology, physics, and philosophy to present his influential theory of how we tell and perceive time. The human brain, he argues, is a complex system that not only tells time but creates it; it constructs our sense of chronological flow and enables "mental time travel" - simulations of future and past events.
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Ok
- By Mark on 2021-07-25
Written by: Dean Buonomano
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Einstein's Unfinished Revolution
- The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum
- Written by: Lee Smolin
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A daring new vision of quantum theory from one of the leading minds of contemporary physics. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems that have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved and unsolvable, for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete.
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Fantastic, interesting, inspiring.
- By Anonymous User on 2019-07-09
Written by: Lee Smolin
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Lost in Math
- How Beauty Leads Physics Astray
- Written by: Sabine Hossenfelder
- Narrated by: Laura Jennings
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: Observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria.
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Good Public Wake-up Call
- By Shesophist on 2019-05-01
Written by: Sabine Hossenfelder
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Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli
- Narrated by: Carlo Rovelli
- Length: 1 hr and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics briskly explains Einstein's general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the Universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world. Carlo Rovelli, a renowned theoretical physicist, is a delightfully poetic and philosophical scientific guide. He takes us to the frontiers of our knowledge: To the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, back to the origins of the cosmos, and into the workings of our minds.
-
-
Good information but did not enjoy the presentatio
- By UB on 2020-11-07
Written by: Carlo Rovelli
-
The Order of Time
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
- Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most listeners, this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it appears. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where, at the most fundamental level, time disappears.
-
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More like this please
- By Jihane Mriouah on 2019-04-19
Written by: Carlo Rovelli
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Helgoland
- Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli, Erica Segre - translator, Simon Carnell - translator
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the 23-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution.
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understandable, thought-provoking
- By Allen on 2022-02-03
Written by: Carlo Rovelli, and others
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Your Brain Is a Time Machine
- The Neuroscience and Physics of Time
- Written by: Dean Buonomano
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Your Brain Is a Time Machine, brain researcher and best-selling author Dean Buonomano draws on evolutionary biology, physics, and philosophy to present his influential theory of how we tell and perceive time. The human brain, he argues, is a complex system that not only tells time but creates it; it constructs our sense of chronological flow and enables "mental time travel" - simulations of future and past events.
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Ok
- By Mark on 2021-07-25
Written by: Dean Buonomano
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Einstein's Unfinished Revolution
- The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum
- Written by: Lee Smolin
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
A daring new vision of quantum theory from one of the leading minds of contemporary physics. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems that have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved and unsolvable, for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete.
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Fantastic, interesting, inspiring.
- By Anonymous User on 2019-07-09
Written by: Lee Smolin
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Lost in Math
- How Beauty Leads Physics Astray
- Written by: Sabine Hossenfelder
- Narrated by: Laura Jennings
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: Observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria.
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Good Public Wake-up Call
- By Shesophist on 2019-05-01
Written by: Sabine Hossenfelder
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Brief Answers to the Big Questions
- Written by: Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne - foreword
- Narrated by: Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking, Ben Whishaw
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Stephen Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet - including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence - he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.
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Simply amazing
- By Andrea Whiting on 2018-11-12
Written by: Stephen Hawking, and others
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The Emperor's New Mind
- Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics
- Written by: Roger Penrose
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In this absorbing and frequently contentious book, Roger Penrose puts forward his view that there are some facets of human thinking that can never be emulated by a machine. The book's central concern is what philosophers call the "mind-body problem". Penrose examines what physics and mathematics can tell us about how the mind works, what they can't, and what we need to know to understand the physical processes of consciousness.
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quite an adventure !
- By Michel Chehata on 2020-06-30
Written by: Roger Penrose
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Fundamentals
- Ten Keys to Reality
- Written by: Frank Wilczek
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins, Frank Wilczek
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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One of our great contemporary scientists reveals the 10 profound insights that illuminate what everyone should know about the physical world.
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Loved this book
- By Randy Holmes on 2021-11-27
Written by: Frank Wilczek
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The Quantum Revelation
- A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality
- Written by: Paul Levy, Jean Houston - foreword
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Written for those with no physics background, Paul Levy's latest book, The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality, is for those who have heard that quantum physics is a fascinating subject but don't quite understand how or why.
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Great Insight but Poorly Written
- By Rob on 2021-09-28
Written by: Paul Levy, and others
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Until the End of Time
- Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
- Written by: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Brian Greene
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal.
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Stunning and beautiful! Best physics book!
- By Luc on 2020-03-11
Written by: Brian Greene
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The Big Picture
- On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
- Written by: Sean Carroll
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on the Higgs boson and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void?
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Maybe angels are transgender...
- By Count Erklock on 2019-10-12
Written by: Sean Carroll
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Something Deeply Hidden
- Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
- Written by: Sean Carroll
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science, rewrites the history of 20th-century physics. Already hailed as a masterpiece, Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time. His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes, well, everything. Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: Physics has been in crisis since 1927.
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In another world, this review is much better.
- By Brad Mills on 2019-11-26
Written by: Sean Carroll
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The Hidden Reality
- Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
- Written by: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Brian Greene
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space.
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Intriguing
- By Under Ether on 2020-02-02
Written by: Brian Greene
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What Is Life?
- With Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches
- Written by: Erwin Schrödinger, Roger Penrose - foreword
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the 20th century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular biology and the subsequent discovery of the structure of DNA. It appears here together with "Mind and Matter", his essay investigating a relationship which has eluded and puzzled philosophers since the earliest times.
Written by: Erwin Schrödinger, and others
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The Case Against Reality
- Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes
- Written by: Donald Hoffman
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Challenging leading scientific theories that claim that our senses report back objective reality, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that while we should take our perceptions seriously, we should not take them literally. How can it be possible that the world we see is not objective reality? And how can our senses be useful if they are not communicating the truth? Hoffman grapples with these questions and more over the course of this eye-opening work.
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Accompanying PDF?
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-12-27
Written by: Donald Hoffman
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Our Mathematical Universe
- My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality
- Written by: Max Tegmark
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy, and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist.
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A deeply engaging look at our universe(s).
- By Allan on 2018-07-01
Written by: Max Tegmark
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Three Roads to Quantum Gravity
- Written by: Lee Smolin
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, Lee Smolin provides an accessible overview of the attempts to build a final "theory of everything." He explains in simple terms what scientists are talking about when they say the world is made from exotic entities such as loops, strings, and black holes and tells the fascinating stories behind these discoveries: the rivalries, epiphanies, and intrigues he witnessed firsthand.
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Thank you for this book
- By jason027 on 2019-08-30
Written by: Lee Smolin
Publisher's Summary
From the New York Times best-selling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Helgoland, a closer look at the mind-bending nature of the Universe.
What are the elementary ingredients of the world? Do time and space exist? And what exactly is reality? Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli has spent his life exploring these questions. He tells us how our understanding of reality has changed over the centuries and how physicists think about the structure of the Universe today.
In elegant and accessible prose, Rovelli takes us on a wondrous journey from Democritus to Albert Einstein, from Michael Faraday to gravitational waves, and from classical physics to his own work in quantum gravity. As he shows us how the idea of reality has evolved over time, Rovelli offers deeper explanations of the theories he introduced so concisely in Seven Brief Lessons on Physics.
This audiobook culminates in a lucid overview of quantum gravity, the field of research that explores the quantum nature of space and time, seeking to unify quantum mechanics, and general relativity. Rovelli invites us to imagine a marvelous world where space breaks up into tiny grains, time disappears at the smallest scales, and black holes are waiting to explode - a vast universe still largely undiscovered.
What the critics say
“The man who makes physics sexy...the scientist they’re calling the next Stephen Hawking.” (The Times Magazine)
“[Reality Is Not What It Seems] is simultaneously aimed at the curious layperson while also useful to the modern scientist.... Rovelli lets us nibble or gorge ourselves, depending on our appetites, on several scrumptious equations. He doesn’t expect everyone to be a master of the equations or even possess much mathematical acumen, but the equations serve as appetizers for those inclined to get their fill, so to speak.” (Raleigh News & Observer)
“[Reality Is Not What It Seems] is simultaneously aimed at the curious layperson while also useful to the modern scientist.... Rovelli lets us nibble or gorge ourselves, depending on our appetites, on several scrumptious equations. He doesn’t expect everyone to be a master of the equations or even possess much mathematical acumen, but the equations serve as appetizers for those inclined to get their fill, so to speak.” (Raleigh News & Observer)
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What listeners say about Reality Is Not What It Seems
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 2018-07-20
Amazing!!!
probably the easiest to understand book on quantum physics that I've seen. The history of scientific discovery in physics is laid out in a straightforward and clear manner. excellent work!!!
4 people found this helpful
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- KR
- 2018-11-25
Loved it!
Beautifully written! The narrator was fantastic, he brought so much energy and really made the content engaging.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-04-27
Bringing Quantum Physics to the Layman Beautifully
If you don’t know anything about physics or the universe, this is the perfect place to start! What a beautiful mind opening book. Be patient while reading and take your time to get the most out of this amazing book.
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-03-31
Absolutely immaculate voice performance!
This book is fascinating and approachable. Told with eloquence and coherence, it presents an extremely complicated subject in an ‘average reader’ friendly way. The voiceover artist reading this book is nothing short of spectacular. His voice is a combination of perfect clarity in storytelling, and sounds like a warm hug feels.
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- jason027
- 2019-03-01
Very enjoyable and left me wanting more
As the title suggests, this is more about the journey to Quantum physics, than about Quantum gravity itself. Luckily, Carlo is a fantastic story teller, and has a way of making sense of things that were previously a little blurry for me. Only complaint is that I personally was hoping for a little deeper dive into the theory of quantum gravity itself. It wrapped up before I was ready for it to.
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- Kyle
- 2017-02-03
Most compelling physics book in at least 10 years!
Rovelli is terrific. At one point he laments that poetry and science have become exclusive domains. Throughout the book he proves that loss to the reader. The last chapter is simply masterful!
The science of loop quantum gravity is fascinating and Rovelli makes it relatively easy to understand. I am much more convinced that I was after either of Brian Greene's books on string theory.
I should also add that the narrator Roy McMillan did wonderful job with a very difficult piece. I had to re listen to probably half of this book just to get the concepts, so I know what I'm talking about!
52 people found this helpful
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- C
- 2017-02-17
Worth a read
Even if you are not a science person like myself it is a manageable oppty to better understand the magic and wonder of the world.
24 people found this helpful
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- Allon Sorensen
- 2019-12-10
Well written but disappointing covering of subject
This book is really not what it claims to be. It is certainly well written, but disappointing, if you were expecting an introduction to quantum loop gravity.
The first 70% covers (quite well) the history of physics, centered primarily on relativity and quantum physics, at what I would say is an average level, understandable to most laypersons.
Then comes the next meager 10%, which is on the actual subject of quantum loop theory, but it is made way more complex and hard to grasp than needed, poorly explained, and only a rudimentary explanation of the subject is really covered, packed into mathematical formulas and other hard to understand tech babble.
The remaining 20% is almost pure philosophy, with little relevance to quantum loop gravity or even physics at all, almost as if the author needed to fill out a bunch of pages, merely to make the book thick enough for people to buy.
18 people found this helpful
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- BigLagoonBill
- 2017-02-10
Excellent contemporary history of the continuing evolution of the human understanding of the real world . . .
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject matter with the hope that if anyone understands it will call me to explain it. The narrator, Roy McMillan, is excellent, as is the production of this audio book.
12 people found this helpful
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- Mike
- 2017-05-04
Loop Theory + Philosophy + Poetry
Any additional comments?
Carlo Rovelli is a loop theorist by trade, a bit of a philosopher by nature, and not a little poetic about either.
Let me tell you why these three things make this book very special.
Loop Theory (aka Loop Quantum Gravity) is less popular than its main competitor String Theory. This gives Rovelli a unique perspective, and explains why you probably haven't heard it. For example, Rovelli is certain that spacetime - like all of reality - is granular, and not only that, but it embodies the "relational" aspect of quantum mechanics, ie it is a manifestation of field interactions, not a backdrop for other granular particles to manifest in. As Rovelli puts it 'all of reality is covariant quantum fields'. At its root then: no waves, no particles, only fields. "Space" is no longer different from "matter" at this level.
The philosopher in Rovelli rephrases this: 'We inhabit not a world of things, but a world of events.'
And therein lies the poetry.
Any differentiation among spacetime and matter comes in the "covariant" of "covariant quantum fields". This is the way in which information correlates among things which hold information.
Herein is also how our concept of time emerges from a world in which there really is no time. The world is only these very very very many interactions and information correlations. If we comprehended all this information as it interacted, we would know the totality of the future microstates - ie there would be no need to establish a concept of time. As Rovelli poetically puts it, 'however, had we perceived time in nanoseconds...' we would not have evolved the notion of time. Again, Rovelli: 'Time, then, is our ignorance.'
I LOVE this. It squares so well with my interpretation of the Mary's Room thought experiment (in the Mind-Body Problem of consciousness): either Mary attains color vision (and so much more) from her complete knowledge of all microstates while inside the room, or her books never contained such complete information in the first place.
Anyway, this is a fantastic book. Read it for the science. Read it for the philosophy. Read it for the poetry.
28 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2017-02-19
The Timeline of Human Curiosity and Ignorance
Inspirational. Poetic. Scientific. Historic in Nature. Purely Humbling, Relieving, and Full of Wonder. I wish for every parent to give the gift of this book to their children, every teacher their pupils, every friend their friends.
17 people found this helpful
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- Lawrence F. Gambino
- 2017-03-02
Science is about uncertainty
There was little to dislike about this book. If you want a lucid explanation of what science is and of the nature of the universe read this book.
24 people found this helpful
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- Twin
- 2017-02-14
Best Physics Book of Last 5 Years
Great book, presented in very simplified understandable terms of complex subjects. Really liked his humble dialog, and suggestion that merging of quantum mechanics, relativity, and entropy will be needed to make a complete model of the nature of the universe and matter.
11 people found this helpful
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- Katelyn
- 2017-02-28
WOAH! mind blown.
The theories were broken down very well but at times I still felt very lost. I think this is one I'll have to re-listen to but it all is so fascinating!!
9 people found this helpful
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- Darwin8u
- 2017-08-25
Before being technical, science is visionary
"Before being technical, science is visionary."
- Carlo Rovelli, Reality is Not What it Seems
(5 stars for poetry; 3 stars for precision)
When one discusses matters celestial or theoretical or cosmological it best translates when done in math or poetry. Rovelli has an amazing talent for singing the esoteric, theoretical language of Quantum Gravity. He finds meter with its loops and rhyme in the paradoxes. He is able to fluidly convert the edges of theoretical physics into a language that amateur scientists, the untrained, or even the casually curious can enjoy.
I'd write more today, but I'm heading tomorrow to a land where I can observe better the eclipse next week. May the sun shine, the clouds part, and the predictive abilities of cosmologists continue, at least for another week. I'll pick this review up again in a week+ with some notes and comments about the eclipse and the non-infinite universe.
**** (x) ****
Post eclipse Baily's beads. So, one of the people I met at the eclipse totality (she stayed at my sister-in-law's house in Rigby, Idaho) was Lisa Randall, Harvard professor of particle physics and dark matter expert. I teased her about how it must be tough to hear an Italian physicist proclaim the death of String Theory and that Loop Theory is where it is at. She sniffed and said he was a great writer, but she couldn't take seriously someone who got the basics of quantum mechanics and the date of the discovery of the Higgs particle wrong*. The many errors, and general sloppiness of physics in the book drove her nuts.
I can see Randall's point, but also still love the way that Rovelli translates, even with a certain looseness, Quantum Gravity and the history of physics for layman like myself. It highlights one of the tensions that have existed for years in science. Often, fame follows not just who is RIGHT, but who WRITES well.
As my NOW favorite LIVING theoretical physicist Lisa Randall suggests in her New York Times review :
"The beauty of physics lies in its precise statements, and that is what is essential to convey. Many readers won’t have the background required to distinguish fact from speculation. Words can turn equations into poetry, but elegant language shouldn’t come at the expense of understanding."
* On page 129 Rovelli says "A recent confirmation was the discovery of the Higgs particle, which caused a sensation in 2013." (4 July 2012 was the date of discovery; on December 10, 2013, Peter Higgs and François Englert were awarded Nobel prizes for predicting this discovery). Randall also told me she had an issue with the metaphors Rovelli used. "Metaphors are supposed to make things more clear, not more confusing."
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