tanya_the_spack's review against another edition
Didn’t finish. I put forth a valiant effort, but life is too short to waste on terrible books. I give it two stars instead of one because a few of the entries are so poorly thought out that the resultant eye rolling offers some entertainment. (They’re mostly just boring since the premise is to throw out partially described ideas with little support or deep thought because the format is too short for that.)
bookmoon's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fascinating read. It was interesting to learn not just many new theories, but also the backgrounds and histories of many familiar ones.
bakudreamer's review against another edition
3.0
This one is very good, ( I would have said ' reaction diffusion equations ' just like Arbesman guy said. ( First found out about those in ' The Self Made Tapestry ' P. Ball , but it turns out it was the Turing who wrote the original paper about it in 1952 )
lagobond's review against another edition
2.0
This Explains Nothing.
This book is literally the opposite of what its title would lead you to believe it is. It doesn't explain anything, or not much at all. It merely scratches the surface, or more precisely, it scratches 150 different surfaces. It reads like a series of aha moments, but they're the "hey look what I just saw in this pop-sci magazine" type of aha moments.
No real, meaningful learning experience will come of this, unless you take an idea and delve way, way deeper into books that actually have some information on whatever topic sparked your interest.
This is the science equivalent of Readers' Digest.
This book is literally the opposite of what its title would lead you to believe it is. It doesn't explain anything, or not much at all. It merely scratches the surface, or more precisely, it scratches 150 different surfaces. It reads like a series of aha moments, but they're the "hey look what I just saw in this pop-sci magazine" type of aha moments.
No real, meaningful learning experience will come of this, unless you take an idea and delve way, way deeper into books that actually have some information on whatever topic sparked your interest.
This is the science equivalent of Readers' Digest.
lovelyjanelle13's review against another edition
2.0
I’m smart enough to realize and acknowledge that most of what was in this book went completely over my head, except that I got the general concept that everything we know we owe to those before us for either giving us a jumping off point or something to prove wrong. Almost every entry read as a short excerpt from a textbook, which is fine, but if I wanted to read a textbook, I’d read a textbook. I was expecting a bit more flare to the writing in order to draw in more readers.
reigna's review against another edition
2.0
either way too technical or way too facile and not much in the way of new insights, personally
ababoglo's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent idea, amazing ensemble of thinkers... very unfortunate format. All essays are way to short to be captivating or to have a sufficient depth. Left me flicking through pages without much satisfaction
luna0730's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
ravenousbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
In 1997, John Brockman and friends launched 'Edge', an online magazine/blog for collating and showcasing the most radical and perhaps the most fascinating questions/theories in the fields of science, mathematics, philosophy, technology etc. Every year, on the anniversary of Edge, John and his friends decide put forth the 'Edge Question'. The answers to this question are then published on the website.
In 2012, the Edge Question that was asked to these intellectual stalwarts was "What is your favorite Deep, Elegant or Beautiful explanation?". The answers (in some cases essays and in some cases a small paragraph) are what form this book.
Like many other works of a cerebral nature, this book is difficult to read in a single sitting. However, it does make for an intellectually stimulating (and sometimes hilarious) read, if tackled peace-meal. The question as you may have noticed, is rather vague. But when you ask some of the brightest minds in the world a question like that, the answers are extremely thought-provoking. The content is mostly related to the field that each contributor represents, but in some cases, the answers are simply a different way of looking at everyday occurrences. This blend of intelligence and common-sense is what makes this book (in my opinion) the intellectual equivalent of the Promethean fire.
In 2012, the Edge Question that was asked to these intellectual stalwarts was "What is your favorite Deep, Elegant or Beautiful explanation?". The answers (in some cases essays and in some cases a small paragraph) are what form this book.
Like many other works of a cerebral nature, this book is difficult to read in a single sitting. However, it does make for an intellectually stimulating (and sometimes hilarious) read, if tackled peace-meal. The question as you may have noticed, is rather vague. But when you ask some of the brightest minds in the world a question like that, the answers are extremely thought-provoking. The content is mostly related to the field that each contributor represents, but in some cases, the answers are simply a different way of looking at everyday occurrences. This blend of intelligence and common-sense is what makes this book (in my opinion) the intellectual equivalent of the Promethean fire.