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As a boy, Brian Greene read Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus and was transformed. Camus, in Greene's paraphrase, insisted that the hero triumphs "by relinquishing everything beyond immediate experience." After wrestling with this idea, however, Greene rejected Camus and realized that his true idols were physicists; scientists who struggled "to assess life and to experience the universe at all possible levels, not just those that happened to be accessible to our frail human senses." His driving question in The Fabric of the Cosmos, then, is fundamental: "What is reality?" Over sixteen chapters, he traces the evolving human understanding of the substrate of the universe, from classical physics to ten-dimensional M-Theory.
Assuming an audience of non-specialists, Greene has set himself a daunting task: to explain non-intuitive, mathematical concepts like String Theory, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and Inflationary Cosmology with analogies drawn from common experience. For the most part, he succeeds. His language reflects a deep passion for science and a gift for translating concepts into poetic images. When explaining, for example, the inability to see the higher dimensions inherent in string theory, Greene writes: "We don't see them because of the way we see…like an ant walking along a lily pad…we could be floating within a grand, expansive, higher-dimensional space."
For Greene, Rhodes Scholar and professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, speculative science is not always as thorough and successful. His discussion of teleportation, for example, introduces and then quickly tables a valuable philosophical probing of identity. The paradoxes of time travel, however, are treated with greater depth, and his vision of life in a three-brane universe is compelling and--to use his description for quantum reality--"weird."
In the final pages Greene turns from science fiction back to the fringes of science fact, and he returns with rigor to frame discoveries likely to be made in the coming decades. "We are, most definitely, still wandering in the jungle," he concludes. Thanks to Greene, though, some of the underbrush has been cleared. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists and author the Pulitzer Prize finalist
The Elegant Universe, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way.
Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? From Newton’s unchanging realm in which space and time are absolute, to Einstein’s fluid conception of spacetime, to quantum mechanics’ entangled arena where vastly distant objects can instantaneously coordinate their behavior, Greene takes us all, regardless of our scientific backgrounds, on an irresistible and revelatory journey to the new layers of reality that modern physics has discovered lying just beneath the surface of our everyday world.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful piece of scientific literature for the rest of us.......2007-10-25
If you are a 2nd year undergraduate or beyond majoring in physics then you should not read this book. If you are anything but a amature physicist yet yern to excite your curiosity of how the universe ticks then you should buy this book. This piece is very well written which makes it easily understandable.
I highly recommend this book!
Enough with the stupid pop-culture references.......2007-10-01
As other reviewers have pointed out, the book tends to unnecessarily incorporate stupid pop-culture references to make the material seem more accessible to the layperson. Instead of making the material more accessible it seems extremely contrived and insults the intelligence of the reader. References to the Kwik-E-Mart, Mulder and Scully, and all of the other hoohah this book contains obscure the reader from what is essentially a fine work. Brian Greene's writing and explanatory power is unbelievable and it is a shame that the publisher probably insisted on the pop-culture references.
The book was definitely worth the purchase for its clear explanations of extra dimensions and the arrow of time. However, I did feel the portions dealing with time travel and black holes to be of lesser quality than writings by other authors like Michio Kaku. I recently read Kaku's "Parallel Worlds," and this book back to back and would say that if you're purchasing one book I would side with Kaku. This book contains much more on time than "Parallel Worlds" but the other topics covered are pretty much identical.
Excellent book!! not written like an encyclopedia.......2007-08-16
I found this book to be excellent. The author really understands how to take a complex subject like this and not make it read like a tedious textbook, also without dumbing it down to the point you feel like a 2 year old.. excellent read. Fascinating. Highly reccomend
This book is great.......2007-08-11
This book is great but I do not know if audio version is the best choice.
I would like to re-read some parts and see the releated illustrations. I believe it makes it easier to understand.
einstein for dummies.......2007-07-12
makes a very complicated subject readable for the layman.
it seemsthat the more science advances the more mysterious the
world becomes.
for me it reveals Gods creation as even more amazing as time
goes by
h.g.
Product Description
From Brian Greene, one of the worlds leading physicists, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way. Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? Greene uses these questions to guide us toward modern sciences new and deeper understanding of the universe. From Newtons unchanging realm in which space and time are absolute, to Einsteins fluid conception of spacetime, to quantum mechanics entangled arena where vastly different objects can bridge their spatial separation to instantaneously coordinate their behavior or even undergo teleportation, Greene reveals our world to be very different from what common experience leads us to believe. Focusing on the enigma of time, Greene establishes that nothing in the laws of physics insists that it run in any particular direction and that times arrow is a relic of the universes condition at the moment of the big bang. And in explaining the big bang itself, Greene shows how recent cutting-edge developments in superstring and M-theory may reconcile the behavior of everything from the smallest particle to the largest black hole. This startling vision culminates in a vibrant eleven-dimensional multiverse, pulsating with ever-changing textures, where space and time themselves may dissolve into subtler, more fundamental entities. Sparked by the trademark wit, humor, and brilliant use of analogy that have made The Elegant Universe a modern classic, Brian Greene takes us all, regardless of our scientific backgrounds, on an irresistible and revelatory journey to the new layers of reality that modern physics has discovered lying just beneath the surface of our everyday world.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating vision of the Universe.......2005-10-30
This thought-provoking book has a wider perspective than Greene's Elegant Universe, in which he expounded on String Theory. Fabric Of The Cosmos discusses the latest findings in theoretical physics in a style accessible to the ordinary reader.
The book contains a short summary of string theory. In brief, this theory proposes that particles like quarks, electrons et al. are not dots but minute filaments of vibrating energy that produce various particle properties. Superstring Theory reconciles general relativity with quantum mechanics in a single theory, making it a strong candidate for Einstein's elusive Unified Theory.
The author explores the two most prominent concerns of modern physics: The historical development from Galileo and Newton to Einstein and Hawking, and the very latest theories that arose from this development.
Chapter 12 is basically a summary of The Elegant Universe, whilst the following two chapters explore the possibilities of experimentally testing the string theory.
The irreconcilable gap between the theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics is a central theme of the book. General relativity is valid only for large objects, whilst quantum mechanics explains the subatomic activity of matter/energy. Since the two are incompatible, Greene maintains that a theory of quantum gravity must be developed, one that holds true for both small and large objects.
In the chapters Time And The Quantum and Entangling Space, the author looks at quantum mechanics and the strange phenomena of entanglement. He rejects Niels Bohr's dualistic interpretation of the world of facts and the world of probabilities, postulating a hidden reality composed of 9 spatial dimensions and 1 of time.
Fabric Of The Cosmos is a most engaging investigation of cutting edge ideas in physics and cosmology. It is highly stimulating and far more readable than Elegant Universe. I highly recommend this brilliant work.
Product Description
From the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE comes the widely anticipated new book that unearths the strange and startling layers lying beneath the everyday world - and reality as we know it. In his characteristically witty and accessible prose, Greene explores the nature of space - from Newton's static realm, through Einstein's fusion of space and time, to recent breakthroughs suggesting that ours may be one of many island universes moving through the multi-dimensional fabric of space. We are introduced to the volatile world of quantum physics, paradoxical nature of time - which, according to the laws of physics, does not necessarily need to run in any one particular direction - and made to wonder: is there a unified theory of the universe?
Customer Reviews:
Nothing short of amazing!.......2005-06-18
Having to split my time between college and work doesn't give much opportunity to read for luxury and I'm very glad I purchased this book on CD. Green manages to explain everything in a very redundant, but extremely entertaining manner. He will repeat an explanation of a concept two or three times, each time using a different and unique comparison to common, every day events. This way, even a listener who doesn't have a degree in Physics can still feel like they have a confident grasp on the subjects contained in the book.
Most of all, Greene explains concepts, ideas and theories in a way that excites the listener. Probably because when Greene narrates, he is truly excited himself.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Kliatt, published by Kliatt on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 417 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality.(Audiobook Review)
Author: Sunnie Grant
Publication:
Kliatt (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: Kliatt
Volume: 38
Issue: 6
Page: 55(1)
Article Type: Audiobook Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Association for Evolutionary Economics on September 1, 1998. The length of the article is 5234 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: The administration of Pres Bill Clinton strived to cut the budget deficit in 1996 by lessening its allocation for public welfare. This move, however, was largely criticized by analysts who pointed out the comparatively larger budget allocated for corporate welfare. It seems that while the administration was supposedly committed to helping the poor, it had no reservations regarding helping large companies. The government justified their policies in the name of economic incentives. The support given to the companies would lead to the eventual steady generation of employment.
Citation Details
Title: Ending corporate welfare as we know it: an institutional analysis of the dual structure of welfare.
Author: Paulette Olson
Publication:
Journal of Economic Issues (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1998
Publisher: Association for Evolutionary Economics
Volume: v32
Issue: n3
Page: p759(13)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
In 1996, the sixty-year old Aid to Families with Dependent Children program was replaced by a new, and dramatically different, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. President Clinton had promised in his 1992 presidential campaign to "end welfare as we know it," but the legislation he signed in 1996 was far closer to positions favored by congressional Republicans. It was one of the few major domestic policy initiatives of the new Republican congressional majority to make it into law--a marked contrast to the failures of a long list of welfare reform initiatives dating back to President Nixon's Family Assistance Plan of 1969. How did this extraordinary legislative change come about? In this definitive political history of the 1996 welfare reform legislation, R. Kent Weaver argues that broad contextual factors-such as public opinion, policy research on poverty and welfare, and interest group pressures-contributed to the new welfare law, but did not make it inevitable. Both broad strategic choices and short-term calculations made in the political competition between President Clinton and congressional Republicans played critical roles in driving the debate over welfare in a more conservative direction and in producing a legislative agreement. They reflect, Weaver contends, a broader process of "relational bargaining" that is a central feature of American policymaking.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from City Limits, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 4052 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Ending workfare as we know it? After eight years on welfare, Benita Andrews doubts she'll leave anytime soon. The city says it can provide enough help to prove her wrong.(THE PEOPLE'S MAYOR?)
Author: Tracie McMillan
Publication:
City Limits (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 30
Issue: 4
Page: 24(6)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Ending welfare as we know it
Charles E Greenawalt
Manufacturer: The Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0006QAWG0 |
Customer Reviews:
Disjointed City.......2000-05-26
This book is very hard to follow in the pre - episode portion of it.I could hardly understand it.
Gilligan's Island deconstruction.......2000-02-06
I bought this book when it was first published because Gilligan's Island is my all time favorite wacky sit-com. Its wackiness has always inspired questions and debates about the nature of reality on the deserted island such as the reasons for each castaway being on the 3-hour tour or why the Howells brought all those clothes. This book takes a stab at answering many of those questions in an irreverent yet respectful manner as well as providing things that are expected in books about TV shows (episode guides, behind the scenes information, cast biographies). I own almost every book published on Gilligan's Island, this book has remained my favorite
Books:
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- The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History
- The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging
- The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- The Island of Mending Hearts
- The New Yorker 75th Anniversary Cartoon Collection
- The Official Pokémon Handbook
- The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition
- The Politics of Automobile Insurance Reform: Ideas, Institutions, and Public Policy in North America (American Governance and Public Policy)
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Books Index
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