The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

Description

Over the last few hundred years an avalanche of discoveries have changed our world dramatically, having a profound effect on what we think really matters. Now, Sean Carroll breaks down how the universe works at the quantum, cosmic and human levels, and links them together to reveal how our human values relate to scientific reality. A synthesis of cosmos-sprawling science and the most profound questions about life, death and our place in the universe, The Big Picture is the ultimate guide through the scientific revolution that has taken us from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness and the universe. As Carroll's eloquent quest to explain everything demonstrates, our lives may forever be dwarfed by the immensity of the universe but they can be redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning.

Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. In the addition to the Royal Society Winton Prize, he has been awarded prizes and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics. He lives in Los Angeles.

'It's very much in the tradition of Carl Sagan's Cosmos, which is one of my all-time favourite science books. Books like that are not only about science, they put science in the wider context of our society...they explain and present not only the things we've learned about a relatively esoteric subject, but link those discoveries to our experience. Learning about nature teaches us about ourselves and how we should behave. I think that the best science books make that connection.' -- Professor Brian Cox, 'science writers on the books that inspired them', Guardian 'An extraordinarily ambitious synthesis of science and philosophy...The Big Picture impresses. Carroll is a lively and sympathetic author who writes as well about biology and philosophy as he does about his own field of physics.' * Clive Cookson, Financial Times * 'Bold...rich in detail and absorbing.' * Tim Radford, Guardian * 'Sean Carroll's lucid The Big Picture reveals how the universe works and our place in it. Carroll, a philosophically sophisticated physicist, discusses consciousness without gimmicks, and deftly shows how current physics is so solid that it rules out ESP for ever.' * Observer * 'A humane and compelling story for our increasingly secular age.' * Manjit Kumar, Literary Review * 'A highly enjoyable and lucid tour through a wide range of topics...even if you don't agree with what [Carroll] says, you are unlikely to be enraged by such an urbane and engaging lecturer; more likely, you will be enthralled.' * Wall Street Journal * 'Language, philosophy, quantum mechanics, general relativity - they're all in The Big Picture. Sean Carroll is a fantastically erudite and entertaining writer.' -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of New York Times bestseller The Sixth Extinction 'Weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, Sean Carroll enthralls us with what we've figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don't yet understand. Yet in the end, it's the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.' -- Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey 'Carroll beautifully articulates the world view suggested by contemporary naturalism. Thorny issues like free will, the direction of time, and the source of morality are clarified with elegance and insight... This is a book that should be read by everybody.' -- Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics 'A tour de force that offers a comprehensive snapshot of the human situation in our infinitely strange universe, and it does this with highly accessible language and engaging storytelling.' * Salon.com * 'Carroll's new book reveals how physicists' quest to better understand the fundamental laws of nature has led to astonishing insights into life, the universe, and everything.' -- Sabine Hossenfelder, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies '[Carroll] sets out to show how various phenomena, including thought, choice, consciousness, and value, hang together with the scientific account of reality that has been developed in physics in the past 100 years. He attempts to do all this without relying on specialized jargon from philosophy and physics and succeeds spectacularly in achieving both aims.' * Science * 'From the Big Bang to the meaning of human existence, The Big Picture is exactly that - a magisterial, yet deeply fascinating, grand tour through the issues that really matter. Blending science and philosophy, Sean Carroll gives us a humane perspective on the universe and our place in it. As gripping as it is important, The Big Picture can change the way you think about the world.' -- Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish 'Instead of feeling humbled and insignificant when gazing upward on a clear starry night, Carroll takes us by the hand and shows us how fantastic the inanimate physical Universe is and how special each animate human can be. It is lucid, spirited, and penetrating.' -- Michael Gazzaniga, author of Who's in Charge? and Tales from Both Sides of the Brain 'In this timely exploration of the universe and its mysteries - both physical and metaphysical - Sean Carroll illuminates the world around us with clarity, beauty and, ultimately, with much needed wisdom.' -- Deborah Blum, director, Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT, author of The Poisoner's Handbook 'A nuanced inquiry into 'how our desire to matter fits in with the nature of reality at its deepest levels,' in which Carroll offers an assuring dose of what he calls "existential therapy" reconciling the various and often seemingly contradictory dimensions of our experience.' -- Maria Popova, Brain Pickings 'Sean Carroll is a leading theoretical cosmologist with the added ability to write about his subject with unusual clarity, flare, and wit.' -- Alan Lightman, author of The Accidental Universe and Einstein's Dreams 'Carroll is the perfect guide to this wondrous journey of discovery. A brilliantly lucid exposition of profound philosophical and scientific issues...' * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *