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From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Audiobook
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(3.02) - 933 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Time moves forward, not backward—everyone knows you can't unscramble an egg. In the hands of one of today's hottest young physicists, that simple fact of breakfast becomes a doorway to understanding the Big Bang, the universe, and other universes, too. In From Eternity to Here, Sean Carroll argues that the arrow of time, pointing resolutely from the past to the future, owes its existence to conditions before the Big Bang itself—a period of modern cosmology of which Einstein never dreamed. Increasingly, though, physicists are going out into realms that make the theory of relativity seem like child's play. Carroll's scenario is not only elegant, it's laid out in the same easy-to-understand language that has made his group blog, Cosmic Variance, the most popular physics blog on the Net. From Eternity to Here uses ideas at the cutting edge of theoretical physics to explore how properties of space-time before the Big Bang can explain the flow of time we experience in our everyday lives. Carroll suggests that we live in a baby universe, part of a large family of universes in which many of our siblings experience an arrow of time running in the opposite direction. It's an ambitious, fascinating picture of the universe on an ultra-large scale, one that will captivate fans of popular physics blockbusters like Elegant Universe and A Brief History of Time.
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"Surprisingly accessible and entertaining. This book, believe it or not, became quite a page turner for me. It was one of those " just one more chapter" kind of books, not just because the subject matter is fascinating but also due to Carrol's engaging writing style."
— Ruck (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Carroll employs an easygoing, colloquial style of explanation to explore challenging issues of cosmology.
— Library Journal
From Eternity to Here Listener Reviews
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" Thank you Professor. please share more science with us. "
— Burak, 2/22/2023 -
" I always liked and supported the position: "Because before the BigBang there was no 'time' the question, what was before the BigBang didn't need to be answered because the is no before" After reading this book, I'm open to new suggestions. "
— Alain, 2/20/2014 -
" Utterly fascinating. A superbly well written book with careful and detailed explanations. Accessible to the lay reader and truly mind bending! "
— Adam, 2/3/2014 -
" This book is a through and frequently tedious exploration for a theory of time. Pay close attention to the word "Quest" in the subtitle. This books poses many questions that don't have answers yet and instead focuses on the various theories that currently exist. The book starts with an introduction to possible definitions of what time is, the role of entropy, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. With that foundation it dives into microscopic constituents, macroscopic systems, and quantum mechanics before finishing off with inflation, the reversibility of time, and multiverses. I found as I went along the tractability became further removed from everyday life and ended up almost entirely in the realm of theoretical physics and dare I say philosophy. If you are interested in understanding the current state of thinking about what time is, the origins of the universe, and similar topics the author's writing is excellent and the copious footnotes helpful. It just felt like it took an eternity to read. "
— Daniel, 1/24/2014 -
" I saw Sean Carroll give a talk about this book in Melbourne and it was a virtuoso performance. I really enjoyed the first chapters -- they blew my mind -- but my interest flagged a bit towards the end. I must add that having studied physics for many years, I have learned that when I find something dull, it is usually because I don't understand it. What I got from this book is that comparison between what we think time is and what general relativity says it is is food for much satisfying thought. "
— Peter, 1/22/2014 -
" By far one of the BEST science books I have EVER read. Perhaps one of the best of all time... (I know, cheap pun... I couldn't help myself). "
— James, 12/17/2013 -
" As one holding a doctorate in physical chemistry I find things like the concept of time interesting. It is not as simple as one might think. "
— Bill, 12/14/2013 -
" Awesome... learned a lot about Entropy and the 2nd law of Thermodynamics. "
— Darren, 9/30/2013 -
" Tough to read as an audiobook. That being said I think I understand relativity and entropy better. "
— Prasanth, 9/20/2013 -
" Not for the faint of heart. This MIT professor is definitely guarding the tower. I made it through about 70% of the book before my brain exploded. I'm still picking up the pieces. "
— Nelson, 7/1/2013 -
" The type is so small and the writing is so dense that this just isn't a good bus read for me right now. "
— Anne, 3/14/2012 -
" This book is so astounding in its breadth that understanding its contents is enough for any reader to develop both a liking and a comprehension of all key themes that influence the elusive nature of what can be referred to as 'time'. "
— Usman, 11/3/2011 -
" Not clear enough for me... Need a bit more knowledge in science, physics and post modern philosophy than the average vulgarisation book on the question "
— Julie, 8/1/2011 -
" This book could not be more clearly written, and yet I understood almost none of it. If I were reading it as part of a class discussion, I might have understood some of it. I did manage to get barbecue sauce all over the black holes chapter. Oh, me. "
— Sarah, 7/4/2011 -
" Sean Carroll really bugs me. There are a few of his conclusions that I really don't like, but I don't know why. This is a great book for anyone interested in time. I think it is really accessible too. "
— Michalis, 5/18/2011 -
" It is all about the entropy. But so many endnotes... "
— John, 3/29/2011 -
" The type is so small and the writing is so dense that this just isn't a good bus read for me right now. "
— Anne, 1/29/2011 -
" Probably the best book I've read, ever. "
— Eric, 9/1/2010 -
" Not for the faint of heart. This MIT professor is definitely guarding the tower. I made it through about 70% of the book before my brain exploded. I'm still picking up the pieces. "
— Nelson, 7/29/2010
About Sean Carroll
Sean Carroll is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including From Eternity to Here, The Particle at the End of the Universe, The Big Picture, and Something Deeply Hidden. He has been awarded prizes and fellowships by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of London, and many others. He is host of the Mindscape podcast. He is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute.
About Erik Synnestvedt
Erik Synnestvedt has recorded nearly two hundred audiobooks for trade publishers as well as for the Library of Congress Talking Books for the Blind program. They include The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak, A Game as Old as Empire edited by Steven Hiatt, and Twitter Power by Joel Comm.