The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew

A well-written introduction to several scientific theories that you might have heard of but didn't understand before. I liked all of it except Spiritual Universe which I don't necessarily agree with it, though I do think that spirituality is important, just without religion.

A brief, beautiful book - ho man, it hit me right here, right in the heart. And the brain. Lovely. Sometimes books meet you right where you are and you have, basically, a perfect date with a book. I just had a great, great date with this book. It's brief - <200 pages, or only a couple audiobook commutes. I want to read it again! And everything else by Lightman! Fun fact, but I've had him on my TO-READ list since TWO THOUSAND SIX. 11 years!!!

Anyway, this book is kinda similar to Carlo Rovelli's Sette brevi lezioni di fisica (Seven brief lessons in physics), in that it's short, dense, deep, and loving. Very heartening! It's a collection of essays/meditations on cutting edge physics and its intersections with philosophy, cosmic mysteries. There's one essay on how screens mediate our reality too much, with a shout out to Sherry Turkle, and a general sense of aaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHH and our post-human future.

So, like Rovelli's book, this covers the cosmic weirdnesses of modern physics - specifically, the multiverse, quantum mechanics, and the time-bendy wavey nature of things very very very great or very very very small. We dwell on why there is anything, and Lightman kinda shook my foundations a little bit by answering it in the usual ways: the multiverse (i.e. this highly improbable, intelligent life-sustaining universe exists because every other possible universe also exists) or, gah, GOD. Theism has all of zero social prestige in my liberal/secular circles, and so I found Lightman's (who notes he is an atheist) discussion of how cosmically improbable a medium zone planet being birthed from a Big Bang with perfectly calibrated levels of hydrogen, ergo First Mover, spooky and disquieting. I mean, when the choice is inscrutable First Mover vs. multiverse, BOTH ARE VERY STRANGE CHOICES. People, it's this or this!?

Lightman also sticks it to Dawkins, which was satisfying (Lord, grant me the patience to tolerate Richard frickin Dawkins), and his whole social, professional and spiritual life is centralized around MIT, which was ALSO very satisfying. (Glory, glory be to MIT!) But those two bits are just icing on the cake.

Wonderfully written, inspiring, and YES WE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN OUR SCREENS. Even though Lightman sounds like a 60+ curmudgeon when he complains about young people “emailing their Facebooks” with pictures of nature walks (thus defeating the purpose of the nature walk), I did - basically - 200% AGREE. YA DAMN KIDS WITH YER DAMN BOOK OF FACE!

Strongly recommended. Do not wait 11 years to read this.

A beautiful little book. Alan Lightman is a scientist and writer, and his musings in this collection of essays - on the complicated or unanswered aspects of the nature of reality - are an easy, elegant and thought-provoking read. I will put this next to David Eagleman's ‘Sum' and start handing out both as presents, to spread a love of science. Because science books don't always have to be dusty and heavy.