The Order of Time
2017 • 172 pages
Ratings27
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings27
Average rating3.9
'A dazzling book ... the new Stephen Hawking' Sunday Times The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics takes us on an enchanting, consoling journey to discover the meaning of time 'We are time. We are this space, this clearing opened by the traces of memory inside the connections between our neurons. We are memory. We are nostalgia. We are longing for a future that will not come.' Time is a mystery that does not cease to puzzle us. Philosophers, artists and poets have long explored its meaning while scientists have found that its structure is different from the simple intuition we have of it. From Boltzmann to quantum theory, from Einstein to loop quantum gravity, our understanding of time has been undergoing radical transformations. Time flows at a different speed in different places, the past and the future differ far less than we might think, and the very notion of the present evaporates in the vast universe. With his extraordinary charm and sense of wonder, bringing together science, philosophy and art, Carlo Rovelli unravels this mystery. Enlightening and consoling, The Order of Time shows that to understand ourselves we need to reflect on time -- and to understand time we need to reflect on ourselves. Translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre
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Reviews with the most likes.
Wonderful book - Carlo Rovelli sure knows how to frame a narrative around serious contemporary physics concepts. Masterfully explained, very engaging. I picked this up from an art exhibition about Time, was quite a random buy but one of the most surprising reads.
Physics, Metaphysics, and Poetry. I read the Audible version of this while driving to my hometown in another State (a solid book for such a mid-distance, 6 ish hr drive) and thus had the unique pleasure of having Alan Turing himself (as played in The Imitation Game and read here by Benedict Cumberbatch) lecture me on theoretical physics, metaphysics, philosophy, and poetry. If you're looking for a more concrete look at the exact theoretical physics at hand... this isn't the book you're going to want to pick up. If you're looking for more of an easy-read, high-level, pop science level look at whether or not time exists... this is a very good book from that perspective. And indeed, ultimately the text is all about perspective. At the most distinct levels, time simply does not exist, according to Rovelli. And yet obviously we humans experience time. So how can these two prior statements be resolved? Read this book for Rovelli's solid examination into the question and attempt at resolving this seeming paradox. Very much recommended. Particularly the Audible. :)
I was reading this for the science and was disappointed. There is a lot of philosophizing here, chapters and chapters of it.
The first part of the book is horrifying. Rovelli details how time does not exist. Them he turns around shows that time doesn't matter.
But the second half, where I guess he's trying to explain what that means for time or time sensing humans, is garbled philosophical ramblings. Maybe the meaning is lost in the literal translation, but I didn't find any comfort or meaning to account for how we perceive time passing yet time doesn't exist.
Aaarg.
