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The Goldilocks Enigma: Why Is the Universe Just Right for Life?
For thousands of years, human beings have gazed in wonder at the world
about them and asked the big questions: How did the universe come to
exist? What is it made of? Where do human beings fit in? Is there some
sort of meaning behind the great cosmic scheme of things? In my latest
book, I have a stab at answering all of them! To organize this ambitious
task, I focus on the really big question that is currently preoccupying
many scientists: Why does the universe seem to be so bio-friendly? Many
different aspects of the cosmos, from the properties of the humble
carbon atom to the speed of light, seem almost tailor-made to encourage
biology. Like Baby Bear's porridge in the story of Goldilocks, the
universe looks "just right" for life. In fact, it looks like a fix. So
what is going on? One theory says it's because our universe is just one
of an infinite number of universes, each one slightly different, and
that our particular universe is bio-friendly by accident; we just
happened to win the cosmic jackpot. While this "multiverse" explanation
is popular, it has bizarre implications, from infinite copies of each of
us to Matrix-like simulated universes. And it still leaves a lot
unexplained. I think there's a more satisfying solution to the problem
of existence: that the explanation for the universe lies entirely within
it. To make this work - to avoid appealing to anything outside the
universe - it's necessary to assume that the observations we make today
help shape the nature of reality in the remote past. This sounds weird,
but it finds a natural place in the physicist's arsenal of explanations,
especially when quantum effects are taken into account. If I'm right,
then life-and, ultimately, consciousness-aren't just incidental
byproducts of nature, but central players hard-wired into the evolution
of the universe. Even if you don't buy my ultimate explanation of
existence, you will find plenty of mainstream science here, including an
accessible account of all that's new and exciting in cosmology and
fundamental physics, some stuff on string theory (or M theory), the hunt
for new subatomic particles, and much else.
Please be aware that book covers may vary in different countries. [ back to top ] |
Available from:
amazon.co.uk »
Details:
Allan Lane (2006)
Hardcover:
360 pages.
Coming to USA soon
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