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tanzim's review against another edition
Good intro and primer to explain previous theories, why they are not meshing, and a proposed theory to bring them together.
The beginning is part history of thought, and by the end it is more forward looking and introduces some revolutionary ideas around information
The beginning is part history of thought, and by the end it is more forward looking and introduces some revolutionary ideas around information
daphnesayshi's review against another edition
4.0
Not an indication of how great this book is, or how much I enjoyed it, but it felt like I took forever to finish this. Fresh off completing this book I reckon it had to do with a combination of the density of ideas, but also the steady repetition of keystone theories, the latter of which I suspect was done deliberately to help extremely helpless readers like myself keep up, so to speak. But all in all, extremely enlightening, which unfortunately was not a sentiment I could share with an elective module on beginner quantum physics I had to take back in uni.
toc's review
4.0
Oh gee whiz. Goodreads lost my review. Maybe I'll type it in again another time.
For now just believe me that Dr. Rovelli is a phenomenal science writer. I've read two of his books on physics and I feel I now have a deeper understanding of just how weird reality is than I've ever had before from any other writer. Read his stuff.
For now just believe me that Dr. Rovelli is a phenomenal science writer. I've read two of his books on physics and I feel I now have a deeper understanding of just how weird reality is than I've ever had before from any other writer. Read his stuff.
madfil's review against another edition
4.0
(7 May, 2022)
Beautifully written (although, as a translated work, I always wonder if it's the author or the translator[s] who should get most of the credit). Rovelli makes difficult concepts and ideas understandable and, often, quite fun to read.
This is half history of science and half science itself, held together by a delightful style of writing and charming historical tidbits. The author's sparse use of formulae is a plus for the layman I am. The ones he did add are well explained though. I did learn a few things previously unintelligible and loop quantum gravity is no longer the mystery it used to be.
The last chapter, with its 'science good, dogma bad' message, should be required reading for all those who think they have found 'The Truth' but that's never going to happen or, if it ever did, they wouldn't get it anyway.
Non-fiction books seldom get 4 star ratings from me but this one deserved it.
Beautifully written (although, as a translated work, I always wonder if it's the author or the translator[s] who should get most of the credit). Rovelli makes difficult concepts and ideas understandable and, often, quite fun to read.
This is half history of science and half science itself, held together by a delightful style of writing and charming historical tidbits. The author's sparse use of formulae is a plus for the layman I am. The ones he did add are well explained though. I did learn a few things previously unintelligible and loop quantum gravity is no longer the mystery it used to be.
The last chapter, with its 'science good, dogma bad' message, should be required reading for all those who think they have found 'The Truth' but that's never going to happen or, if it ever did, they wouldn't get it anyway.
Non-fiction books seldom get 4 star ratings from me but this one deserved it.
rafasaur's review
5.0
despite leaning heavily on talking about dead greek philosophers and italian poets, this book had some huge ideas and different ways of thinking about the way the universe works. being a physicist, i'm not sure if i can truly say if this is accessible to someone outside the profession, but it seems like it could be, if you're willing to give it the attention it'd require.
some takeaways for me:
- general relativity implies that spacetime is the gravitational field itself, not a medium through which gravity acts. whoa.
- relational quantum mechanics. this is the first time i'd heard or read qm described in this way, and it's seriously cool.
- time is an illusion (literally), and understanding the nature of entropy more could/will provide clues to what it actually is. something i had heard before, but the way rovelli put it made it more meaningful and connect on a deeper level. but it raises the question, how can it also be a dimension? more reading is required (rovelli himself says he does not understand it)
recommended to both those naive in physics and those versed in its ways. i'll definitely be rereading this in a few months.
some takeaways for me:
- general relativity implies that spacetime is the gravitational field itself, not a medium through which gravity acts. whoa.
- relational quantum mechanics. this is the first time i'd heard or read qm described in this way, and it's seriously cool.
- time is an illusion (literally), and understanding the nature of entropy more could/will provide clues to what it actually is. something i had heard before, but the way rovelli put it made it more meaningful and connect on a deeper level. but it raises the question, how can it also be a dimension? more reading is required (rovelli himself says he does not understand it)
recommended to both those naive in physics and those versed in its ways. i'll definitely be rereading this in a few months.