Items related to The Life of the Cosmos
In The Life of the Cosmos, Lee Smolin offers a theory of the universe that is radically different from anything proposed before. He argues that 'The underlying structure of our world is to be found in the logic of evolution'. He departs from contemporary physicists to explore the idea that the laws of nature we observe may be the partial result a process of natural selection that occurred before the Big Bang.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Science fans, hold on to your hats! Lee Smolin, a professor at the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University, is about to take you on the ride of your life. Imagine, if you will, the theory of evolution applied to physics. What if our universe is so ideally adapted to life because it developed that way? What if ours is just one among many thousands of universes, all engaged in a cosmic survival-of-the-fittest struggle? These are just two of the wildly original theories Smolin posits in The Life of the Cosmos, in which Alice in Wonderland meets quantum physics. According to Smolin, the majority of today's physicists still regard physical laws as immutable, mathematical and eternally true--to them, the universe is an intricate mechanism, a cosmic clock. But what if the laws of physics aren't really "laws" at all, but rather an evolving, developing process of natural selection that began even before the Big Bang?
Review:
From Smolin's initial theory, it's a short step to black holes, alternate universes, string theory, gauge symmetry and knots--all complicated abstractions that Smolin describes and explains in a remarkably comprehensible way. Even if you don't agree with Smolin's science, his book makes for great mind-bending reading and more than a little food for thought. If nothing else, The Life of the Cosmos proves once and for all that there really is intelligent life on this planet.
It is a pleasure to be reminded in detail of how extraordinary this world is. (Times Literary Supplement)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherOxford University Press, USA
- Publication date1999
- ISBN 10 0195126645
- ISBN 13 9780195126648
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages368
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
£ 14.61
Shipping:
£ 3.18
Within U.S.A.
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
LIFE OF THE COSMOS
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 0195126645
Buy New
£ 14.61
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press, USA
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books!. Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9780195126648
Buy New
£ 14.66
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0195126645
Buy New
£ 16.35
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580033188
Buy New
£ 17.23
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0195126645
Buy New
£ 17.27
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9780195126648
Buy New
£ 20.50
Convert currency
Seller Image
Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: 5
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 69247-n
Buy New
£ 19.39
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0195126645-2-1
Buy New
£ 22.13
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Life of the Cosmos
Published by
Oxford University Press
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0195126645-new
Buy New
£ 22.13
Convert currency
Seller Image
The Life of the Cosmos (Paperback)
Published by
Oxford University Press Inc, New York
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0195126645
ISBN 13: 9780195126648
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Lee Smolin offers a new theory of the universe that is at once elegant, comprehensive, and radically different from anything proposed before. Smolin posits that a process of self organization like that of biological evolution shapes the universe, as it develops and eventually reproduces through black holes, each of which may result in a new big bang and a new universe. Natural selection may guide the appearance of the laws of physics, favoring those universes whichbest reproduce. The result would be a cosmology according to which life is a natural consequence of the fundamental principles on which the universe has been built, and a science that would give us apicture of the universe in which, as the author writes, "the occurrence of novelty, indeed the perpetual birth of novelty, can be understood." Smolin is one of the leading cosmologists at work today, and he writes with an expertise and force of argument that will command attention throughout the world of physics. But it is the humanity and sharp clarity of his prose that offers access for the layperson to the mind bending space at the forefront of today's physics. Lee Smolin offers a theory of the universe. He argues that 'The underlying structure of our world is to be found in the logic of evolution'. He departs from contemporary physicists to explore the idea that the laws of nature we observe may be the partial result a process of natural selection that occurred before the Big Bang. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780195126648
Buy New
£ 22.61
Convert currency