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Time Reborn

From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe

Lee Smolin

$24.99

Paperback

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English
Penguin
10 July 2014
Nothing seems more real than time passing. We experience life itself as a succession of moments. Yet throughout history, the idea that time is an illusion has been a religious and philosophical commonplace. We identify certain truths as 'eternal' constants, from moral principles to the laws of mathematics and nature: these are laws that exist not inside time, but outside it.
 
Many  physicists, therefore, don't believe in time. From Newton and Einstein to today's string theorists and quantum physicists, the widest consensus is that the universe is governed by absolute, timeless laws. In this view, everything that happens, has happened or will happen is set by these laws: in such a determined future, there is no such thing as uncertainty.

In Time Reborn, Lee Smolin argues that this denial of time is holding back both physics, and our understanding of the universe. We need a major revolution in scientific thought: one that embraces the reality of time and places it at the centre of our thinking. E may equal mc squared now, but that wasn't always the case. Similarly, as our understanding of the universe develops, Newton's fundamental laws might not remain so fundamental. Time, Smolin concludes, is not an illusion: it is the best clue we have to fundamental reality. Time Reborn explains how the true nature of time impacts on us, our world, and our universe.

By:  
Imprint:   Penguin
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 20mm
Weight:   258g
ISBN:   9780141046525
ISBN 10:   014104652X
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Lee Smolin is a theoretical physicist who has made important contributions to the search for quantum gravity. Born in New York City, he was educated at Hampshire College and Harvard University. Since 2001 he is a founding faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His three earlier books explore philosophical issues raised by contemporary physics and cosmology. They are Life of the Cosmos (1997), Three Roads to Quantum Gravity (2001) and The Trouble with Physics (2006). He lives in Toronto.

Reviews for Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe

One of the most original living theorists ... He challenges not only Einstein's relativity, but also the very notion of natural laws as immutable truths * Economist * Brilliant and persuasive -- Ray Monk * Guardian * Provocative and stimulating ... Smolin reconceives the universe -- Christopher Potter * Sunday Times *


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