Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe

Description

A radical new view of the nature of time and the cosmos, by one of the 21st century's foremost physicists and thinkers Nothing seems more real than time passing. We experience life as a succession of moments. But just as some of us see God as eternal, so physicists understand the truths of mathematics and the laws of nature as constant, transcending time. These laws dictate how the future will evolve- there is no freedom, no uncertainty about the future at all. Yet, argues Lee Smolin, this denial of time is holding back both physics, and our understanding of the universe. We need a major revolution in scientific thought- one that embraces the reality of time and places it at the centre of our thinking. Time, he concludes, is not an illusion- indeed, it is the best clue that we have to fundamental reality. Time Reborn explains how the true nature of time impacts on us, our world, and our universe.

Lee Smolin is a theoretical physicist who has made important contributions to the search for quantum gravity. Born in New York City, he was educated at Hampshire College and Harvard University. Since 2001 he is a founding faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His three earlier books explore philosophical issues raised by contemporary physics and cosmology. They are Life of the Cosmos (1997), Three Roads to Quantum Gravity (2001) and The Trouble with Physics (2006). He lives in Toronto.

One of the most original living theorists ... He challenges not only Einstein's relativity, but also the very notion of natural laws as immutable truths * Economist * Brilliant and persuasive -- Ray Monk * Guardian * Provocative and stimulating ... Smolin reconceives the universe -- Christopher Potter * Sunday Times *