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Maybe someday
43
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
43/100Critics
44/100Scholars
Author:
Alan Lightman
Publisher:
Pantheon
Date:
February 9, 2021
From the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams, a collection of meditative essays on the possibilities â and impossibilities â of nothingness and infinity, and how our place in the cosmos falls somewhere in between.
What The Reviewers Say
Probable Impossibilities maintains [a] syncretic spirit, tackling big questions like the origin of the universe and the nature of consciousness, always in an entertaining and easily digestible way.
The anthology, which covers a mix of history and physics, is organized into 17 related essays that explore the seeming paradoxes inherent in an ineffably large cosmos. Through vignettes and journal entries, Lightman offers observations in a tone that is edifying and companionable – a bonus for those of us who are not theoretical physicists like the author.
Complex science made accessible.
Lightman is resolutely upbeat; the scarcity of life in the universe, for example, makes him 'feel some ineffable connection to other living things,' and he argues that other intelligent beings will share a passion for 'making science and art and attempting to take stock and record this cosmic panorama of existence.' Lightman’s ability to craft moving prose while accessibly explaining complex scientific concepts is a rare gift. This collection is tough to put down..
