Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story

Holt, Jim

ISBN 10: 0871404095 / ISBN 13: 9780871404091

Published by Liveright, 2012

About this Item

First Edition/First Printing with the complete number line; A Fine book in a Fine dust jacket, as new and unread. An outstanding copy of this "Existential detective story"; scarce in the first printing. Not remaindered, not price-clipped, not ex-library; in a protective Mylar cover and will ship securely wrapped in a sturdy box. Photos upon request.

Seller Inventory # 4084

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story
• Publisher: Liveright
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0871404095
• ISBN 13: 9780871404091
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science/Evolution

About this title

Synopsis

Whether framed philosophically as "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" or more colloquially as "But, Mommy, who made God?" the metaphysical mystery about how we came into existence remains the most fractious and fascinating question of all time. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt emerges with an engrossing narrative that traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. As he takes on the role of cosmological detective, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God vs. the Big Bang. Whether interviewing a cranky Oxford philosopher, a Physics Nobel Laureate, or a French Buddhist monk, Holt pursues unexplored and often bizarre angles to this cosmic puzzle. The result is a brilliant synthesis of cosmology, mathematics, and physics--one that propels his own work to the level of philosophy itself.

About the Author

Jim Holt, a prominent essayist and critic on philosophy, mathematics, and science, is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Review of Books. He lives in New York City.