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“Engrossing…Theoretical physicist and novelist Lightman offers insight into the ways that recent scientific discoveries shape our understanding of ourselves and our world…A thoughtful, straightforward collection of essays that invite readers to think deeply about the world around them.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Bronson Pinchot brings his clear, commanding voice
to this book and sounds suitably authoritative. He reads slowly enough to allow
listeners to follow the author’s argument and pauses effectively to let it sink
in.”
— AudioFile
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“Theoretical physicist and novelist Lightman presents seven elegantly provocative ‘universe’ essays that elucidate complex scientific thought in the context of everyday experiences and concerns…Ranging from ancient intuitions and calculations to today’s high-tech inquiries, Lightman celebrates our grand quest for knowledge and takes measure of the challenges our discoveries deliver.”
— Booklist
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“As both a novelist and an astrophysicist, the author bridges the cultural divide made famous by C. P. Snow in his iconic 1959 Cambridge lecture, “The Two Cultures”…He suggests that the mysteries of quantum physics (e.g., the particle/wave duality) become more explainable when we consider the increasing disembodiment of our social world, where virtual reality has become commonplace. A scientific and philosophical gem.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“This essay collection could have only been
penned by Lightman, that rare hybrid of physicist and storyteller. By
shining the beam of his intellect on the cosmos, he illuminates our
personal lives in the reflections.”
— David Eagleman, neuroscientist, author of Sum and Incognito
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“Is our universe merely a statistical fluke, a
rare accident that we happen to be able to observe? In The Accidental
Universe, Alan Lightman introduces readers to physicists’ latest grapplings
with the vastness of space, the ineluctable march of time, and the origin of
mass. Vivid, personal, and often moving, Lightman’s reflections illuminate
scientists’ zeal for lawfulness, symmetry, and order, as well as their
arresting sense of wonder.”
— David Kaiser, author of How the Hippies Saved Physics
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“A sublime reminder of the mysteries behind
and beyond the familiar—a call to wonder.”
— Brian Christian, author of The Most Human Human
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“Alan Lightman is not only a graceful writer, he
is a juggler of scales and perspectives, an informed questioner who works his
way in deeper with each exertion. The Accidental Universe disassembles
our theoretical surround, cleans and tests all arguments and assumptions, and
then, dexterously, puts it all back together. Voila! A book
born of stimulating discussions, it will now provoke them.”
— Sven Birkerts, author of The Gutenberg Elegies
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“Alan Lightman deftly weaves the contradictions
and mystery of our experience with the awe of exploring the vast physical
universe. His graceful book inspires conversation about the wonder of our
existence. It invites us to look up at the sky and see a grander, more comprehensible
universe.”
— Margaret Geller, professor of astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
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“Alan Lightman possesses the mind of a theoretical physicist
and the soul of an artist. Those qualities animate each of the seven elegant
essays of The Accidental Universe, as he enlightens us about the ‘many
universes within our one universe, some visible and some not.’”
— Shelf Awareness