The Janus Point

Julian Barbour has no peer when it comes to explaining scientific ideas in a way that is accessible without being simplistic -- Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash The origin of the arrow of time is arguably the most important conceptual problem in cosmology, and the prospect that it can be solved in a universe where time flows backward in the far past is as exciting as it is provocative. In this engaging book, Julian Barbour conveys this excitement admirably -- Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here With a rare humanity and a perspective based on a lifetime of study, Barbour writes a book that is both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought -- Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics Julian Barbour is a profound and original thinker with the boldness to tackle some of nature's deepest problems. He is also a fine writer, and this renders his book - despite its conceptual depth - accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time -- Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and former President of the Royal Society The Janus Point shows history-in-the-making: a project to recast the foundations of all of cosmology, gravity, thermodynamics and the arrow of time. The book has given me a lot to ponder. As Gauss said of Riemann's habilitation lecture, '[it] exceeded my expectations' -- Bill Unruh, Professor of Physics at University of British Columbia