Download or read book Existential Physics written by Sabine Hossenfelder and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An informed and entertaining guide to what science can and cannot tell us.” —The Wall Street Journal “Stimulating . . . encourage[s] readers to push past well-trod assumptions […] and have fun doing so.” —Science Magazine From renowned physicist and creator of the YouTube series “Science without the Gobbledygook,” a book that takes a no-nonsense approach to life’s biggest questions, and wrestles with what physics really says about the human condition Not only can we not currently explain the origin of the universe, it is questionable we will ever be able to explain it. The notion that there are universes within particles, or that particles are conscious, is ascientific, as is the hypothesis that our universe is a computer simulation. On the other hand, the idea that the universe itself is conscious is difficult to rule out entirely. According to Sabine Hossenfelder, it is not a coincidence that quantum entanglement and vacuum energy have become the go-to explanations of alternative healers, or that people believe their deceased grandmother is still alive because of quantum mechanics. Science and religion have the same roots, and they still tackle some of the same questions: Where do we come from? Where do we go to? How much can we know? The area of science that is closest to answering these questions is physics. Over the last century, physicists have learned a lot about which spiritual ideas are still compatible with the laws of nature. Not always, though, have they stayed on the scientific side of the debate. In this lively, thought-provoking book, Hossenfelder takes on the biggest questions in physics: Does the past still exist? Do particles think? Was the universe made for us? Has physics ruled out free will? Will we ever have a theory of everything? She lays out how far physicists are on the way to answering these questions, where the current limits are, and what questions might well remain unanswerable forever. Her book offers a no-nonsense yet entertaining take on some of the toughest riddles in existence, and will give the reader a solid grasp on what we know—and what we don’t know.
Download or read book Lost in Math written by Sabine Hossenfelder and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this "provocative" book (New York Times), a contrarian physicist argues that her field's modern obsession with beauty has given us wonderful math but bad science. Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria. Worse, these "too good to not be true" theories are actually untestable and they have left the field in a cul-de-sac. To escape, physicists must rethink their methods. Only by embracing reality as it is can science discover the truth.
Download or read book Existential Physics written by Sabine Hossenfelder and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An informed and entertaining guide to what science can and cannot tell us.” —The Wall Street Journal “Stimulating . . . encourage[s] readers to push past well-trod assumptions […] and have fun doing so.” —Science Magazine From renowned physicist and creator of the YouTube series “Science without the Gobbledygook,” a book that takes a no-nonsense approach to life’s biggest questions, and wrestles with what physics really says about the human condition Not only can we not currently explain the origin of the universe, it is questionable we will ever be able to explain it. The notion that there are universes within particles, or that particles are conscious, is ascientific, as is the hypothesis that our universe is a computer simulation. On the other hand, the idea that the universe itself is conscious is difficult to rule out entirely. According to Sabine Hossenfelder, it is not a coincidence that quantum entanglement and vacuum energy have become the go-to explanations of alternative healers, or that people believe their deceased grandmother is still alive because of quantum mechanics. Science and religion have the same roots, and they still tackle some of the same questions: Where do we come from? Where do we go to? How much can we know? The area of science that is closest to answering these questions is physics. Over the last century, physicists have learned a lot about which spiritual ideas are still compatible with the laws of nature. Not always, though, have they stayed on the scientific side of the debate. In this lively, thought-provoking book, Hossenfelder takes on the biggest questions in physics: Does the past still exist? Do particles think? Was the universe made for us? Has physics ruled out free will? Will we ever have a theory of everything? She lays out how far physicists are on the way to answering these questions, where the current limits are, and what questions might well remain unanswerable forever. Her book offers a no-nonsense yet entertaining take on some of the toughest riddles in existence, and will give the reader a solid grasp on what we know—and what we don’t know.
Download or read book Why Does the World Exist written by Jim Holt and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-07-17 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddleof existence from the ancient world to modern times.
Download or read book God and the New Physics written by P. C. W. Davies and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1984-10-16 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that the discoveries of twentieth-century physics--relativity and the quantum theory--demand a radical reformulation of the fundamentals of reality and a way of thinking, that is closer to mysticism than materialism.
Download or read book The World According to Physics written by Jim Al-Khalili and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scale -- Space and time -- Energy and matter -- The quantum world -- Thermodynamics and the arrow of time -- Unification -- The future of physics -- The usefulness of physics -- Thinking like a physicist.
Download or read book Advanced Quantum Mechanics written by Rainer Dick and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-01-11 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Materials and Photons is a textbook which emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. The textbook can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible, Appendices A and B also provide introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics. Other special features include an introduction to Lagrangian field theory and an integrated discussion of transition amplitudes with discrete or continuous initial or final states. Once students have acquired an understanding of basic quantum mechanics and classical field theory, canonical field quantization is easy. Furthermore, the integrated discussion of transition amplitudes naturally leads to the notions of transition probabilities, decay rates, absorption cross sections and scattering cross sections, which are important for all experimental techniques that use photon probes. Quantization is first discussed for the Schrödinger field before the relativistic Maxwell, Klein-Gordon and Dirac fields are quantized. Quantized Schrödinger field theory is not only important for condensed matter physics and materials science, but also provides the easiest avenue to general field quantization and is therefore also useful for students with an interest in nuclear and particle physics. The quantization of the Maxwell field is performed in Coulomb gauge. This is the appropriate and practically most useful quantization procedure in condensed matter physics, chemistry, and materials science because it naturally separates the effects of Coulomb interactions, exchange interactions, and photon scattering. The appendices contain additional material that is usually not found in standard quantum mechanics textbooks, including a completeness proof of eigenfunctions of one-dimensional Sturm-Liouville problems, logarithms of matrices, and Green's functions in different dimensions.
Download or read book Symmetries in Physics written by Katherine Brading and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-12-04 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together philosophical discussions of symmetry in physics, highlighting the main issues and controversies. It covers all the fundamental symmetries of modern physics, as well as discussing symmetry-breaking and general interpretational issues. For each topic, classic texts are followed by review articles and short commentaries.
Download or read book Fashion Faith and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe written by Roger Penrose and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2024-10-22 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nobel Prize–winning physicist Roger Penrose questions some of the most fashionable ideas in physics today, including string theory What can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and bestselling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme frontiers of physics are just as susceptible to these forces as anyone else. In this provocative book, he argues that fashion, faith, and fantasy, while sometimes productive and even essential in physics, may be leading today's researchers astray in three of the field's most important areas—string theory, quantum mechanics, and cosmology. Arguing that string theory has veered away from physical reality by positing six extra hidden dimensions, Penrose cautions that the fashionable nature of a theory can cloud our judgment of its plausibility. In the case of quantum mechanics, its stunning success in explaining the atomic universe has led to an uncritical faith that it must also apply to reasonably massive objects, and Penrose responds by suggesting possible changes in quantum theory. Turning to cosmology, he argues that most of the current fantastical ideas about the origins of the universe cannot be true, but that an even wilder reality may lie behind them. Finally, Penrose describes how fashion, faith, and fantasy have ironically also shaped his own work, from twistor theory, a possible alternative to string theory that is beginning to acquire a fashionable status, to "conformal cyclic cosmology," an idea so fantastic that it could be called "conformal crazy cosmology." The result is an important critique of some of the most significant developments in physics today from one of its most eminent figures.
Download or read book The Physics of Christianity written by Frank J. Tipler and published by Image. This book was released on 2008-08-19 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A highly respected physicist demonstrates that the essential beliefs of Christianity are wholly consistent with the laws of physics. Frank Tipler takes an exciting new approach to the age-old dispute about the relationship between science and religion in The Physics of Christianity. In reviewing centuries of writings and discussions, Tipler realized that in all the debate about science versus religion, there was no serious scientific research into central Christian claims and beliefs. So Tipler embarked on just such a scientific inquiry. The Physics of Christianity presents the fascinating results of his pioneering study. Tipler begins by outlining the basic concepts of physics for the lay reader and brings to light the underlying connections between physics and theology. In a compelling example, he illustrates how the God depicted by Jews and Christians, the Uncaused First Cause, is completely consistent with the Cosmological Singularity, an entity whose existence is required by physical law. His discussion of the scientific possibility of miracles provides an impressive, credible scientific foundation for many of Christianity’s most astonishing claims, including the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, and the Incarnation. He even includes specific outlines for practical experiments that can help prove the validity of the “miracles” at the heart of Christianity. Tipler’s thoroughly rational approach and fully accessible style sets The Physics of Christianity apart from other books dealing with conflicts between science and religion. It will appeal not only to Christian readers, but also to anyone interested in an issue that triggers heated and divisive intellectual and cultural debates.
Download or read book Mind Body Problems written by John Horgan and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-01-16 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science journalist John Horgan presents a radical new perspective on the mind-body problem and related issues such as consciousness, free will, morality and the meaning of life. Horgan argues that science will never discover an objectively true solution to the mind-body problem because such a solution does not exist. Horgan explores his thesis by delving into the professional and personal lives of nine mind-body experts, including neuroscientist Christof Koch, cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter, child psychologist Alison Gopnik, complexologist Stuart Kauffman, legal scholar and psychoanalyst Elyn Saks, philosopher Owen Flanagan, novelist Rebecca Goldstein, evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, and economist Deirdre McCloskey.
Download or read book Philosophical Foundations of Physics written by Rudolf Carnap and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Diaphysics written by Troy Earl Camplin and published by Rlpg/Galleys. This book was released on 2009 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diaphysics sets forth a theory that there are physical laws running through the different levels of reality, and which cause new levels of complexity to emerge. These laws are present in atoms, molecules, cells, and brains. They created the universe as we know it: a world that is self-organizing, paradoxical, evolving, emerging, and beautiful. Diaphysics begins with the simplest form of knowledge--mathematics--and ends with speculation on where emergence is taking us or, perhaps, has already taken us. Interdisciplinary in scope, topics as diverse as physics, chemistry, biology, sociology, culture, philosophy, as well as the arts and literature, are shown to have a deep universality in their expression of diaphysical laws.
Download or read book Philosophy of Physics written by Juan Ferret and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philosophy of Physics: 5+1 Questions is a collection of short interviews based on 5 questions presented to some of the most influential and prominent scholars in the field. We hear their views on philosophy of physics, the aim, the scope, the future direction of research and how their work fits in these respects. Interviews with Frank Arntzenius, Guido Bacciagaluppi, Mario Bunge, John Earman, Brigitte Falkenburg, Steven French, Nick Hugget, Arthur Fine, Chuang Liu, Tim Maudlin, John D. Norton, Laurent Nottale, Roland Omnès, Carlo Rovelli, Lawrence Sklar, Paul Teller, Steve Weinstein.
Download or read book The 100 Greatest Lies in Physics written by Ray Fleming and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-03-15 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 100 Greatest Lies in physics is a follow-up to Ray Fleming's The Zero-Point Universe as he continues to explore the importance of zero-point energy to modern physics. Since before the start of this century, evidence has mounted that space is not empty. Space is filled with quantum vacuum fluctuations called zero-point energy, and this energy is a modern form of aether. Most of the physics of the past century, which led to today's standard model, fails to account for this modern aether. In relativity theory there are two types of relativity, one that includes aether and one that rejects it. Physicists choose poorly and wrongly champion the theory that rejects the modern aether. Even though many theories like this are now known to be invalid, physicists still cling to the physics of the past. The mainstream physics of the last century is a complete disaster due to physicists' failure to incorporate zero-point energy into their explanations of forces and every day phenomena. The 100 Greatest Lies in Physics catalogs many of the most outrageous mistakes in physics in hopes that physicists will do their jobs and stop lying to everyone.
Download or read book Review of Existential Psychology Psychiatry written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Beyond Difference written by Al Condeluci and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the painful experience of being different, and offers solutions for society and for individuals to heal and to grow beyond difference. It examines the societal impact of difference, a pecking order that emerges, and the extent to which people can be distantiated.
