Now: The Physics of Time - and the Ephemeral Moment That Einstein Could Not Explain
Written by Richard A Muller
Narrated by Christopher Grove
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
In Now, Muller does more than poke holes in past ideas; he crafts his own revolutionary theory, one that makes testable predictions. He begins by laying out-with the refreshing clarity that made Physics for Future Presidents so successful-a firm and remarkably clear explanation of the physics building blocks of his theory: relativity, entropy, entanglement, antimatter, and the Big Bang. With the stage then set, he reveals a startling way forward.
Muller points out that the standard Big Bang theory explains the ongoing expansion of the universe as the continuous creation of new space. He argues that time is also expanding and that the leading edge of the new time is what we experience as "now." This thought-provoking vision has remarkable implications for some of our biggest questions, not only in physics but also in philosophy-including the ongoing debate about the reality of free will. Moreover, his theory is testable. Muller's monumental work will spark major debate about the most fundamental assumptions of our universe, and may crack one of physics's longest-standing enigmas.
Related to Now
Related audiobooks
The Universe: Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Einstein Theory of Relativity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Physics: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen King Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fundamentals of Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Bang Theory: What It Is, Where It Came From, and Why It Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Roads to Quantum Gravity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of the Solar System Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Conjuring the Universe: The Origins of the Laws of Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Albert Einstein's Theories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTheory of Relativity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philosophy of Physics: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quantum Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Answers Science: From Origin to End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World’s Most Famous Physicists: The Lives and Legacies of the Scientists Who Pioneered Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTen Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Einstein: His Life and Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Premonition Code: The Science of Precognition, How Sensing the Future Can Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Physics For You
Quantum Spirituality: Science, Gnostic Mysticism, and Connecting with Source Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World According to Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Weird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Computing: The Transformative Technology of the Qubit Revolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Relativity of Einstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Brief History of Black Holes: And why nearly everything you know about them is wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Field Updated Ed: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Einstein in Time and Space: A Life in 99 Particles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Now
28 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Simply brilliant. Muller is the first credible scientist since Einstein to have the guts to take on the topic of time with more than just a simple "this is what we now know" type approach. Beyond mere explanation, Muller's book does a thorough job of reviewing the more popular guesses and boldly posits a potential theory, complete with a discussion of its falsifiability.
If this puzzle of time fascinates you too, I highly recommend this book. What follows are a few critiques of my own; not to detract from my enthusiastic review but to illustrate how Muller helped me think. And, I must confess my bias; I agree with the general vector of this theory; i.e. that new time, new "now" is constantly being created - as that is my personal finding also - I'm just blown away to find that someone else reaches the same conclusion.
To review Muller's work with a critical eye, I can make the following comments:
1) Free will remains mystical, if not vaguely spiritual, in this theory. We are now, however, well into the technological age of autonomy. Muller draw make more concrete conclusions on the science of free will through an analysis of autonomy.
2) It is painfully obvious that wherever physics ventures into the realm of neuroscience, that the dots between these two fields could be far better joined. In particular, it's trivially obvious that memory is not just a store of past events but also a database of imagined future realities. As such, our brains "now" are time travelers, where an action in the present moment is not the result of a single decision but, new thought but rather a choice between many different thoughts that have arrived at "now" from our relative future. This simple insight resolves most of the paradoxes highlighted in the book that relate to the conscious experience of time.
3) Muller's theory is a logical argument, not a mathematical proposal. He doesn't go as far as to propose a resolution of the conflicting understanding of existence quantum vs physical space. Quantum Mechanics is we critiqued in the book and its inability to explain itself is well reasoned but for now, that theory remains sacrosanct; so universally successful that it does not have to explain itself.
5 stars. Bravo. I will read (listen to) this book again. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Now is 80% the musings of a brilliant mind not encumbered by dogma, 20% the introduction of a theory of time linking the generation of time with the generation of space, and 100% entertaining and inspiring. Familiarity with basic concepts surrounding classical and quantum mechanics is a plus but not necessarily necessary.
2 people found this helpful