Reading the exhilarating essays in Between Inner Space and Outer
Space is an exercise in recapturing the kind of excitement that
only the very best popular science writing can provide - and which
has been sadly lacking in many over-hyped books of late. Part of
the charm of this collection is its astonishing diversity: John
Barrow is at ease tackling everything from the nature of art and
aesthetics to the most perplexing issues of time and space, taking
in the sensual pleasures of music and the origin of the universe
along the way. Of course, the besetting sin of this kind of
collection is the patchwork quality that results from essays
designed for many different magazines, but if one were unaware of
the fact, it would hardly be noticeable, such is the bright thread
of Barrow's ruefully questioning intellect. While some areas (such
as cosmology and the nature of the laws of physics) are treated in
a stimulating but hardly radical fashion, Barrow produces some
highly individual thoughts on life on other planets, the laws of
chance in everyday life and (particularly) the quandary of religion
versus science - he sets out from Wilde's proposition that
religions die when they are proved true. Whether the reader chooses
to dip into this collection or read it straight through, one thing
is assured: the result will be a pleasurable stirring of one's grey
matter. (Kirkus UK)
The origins of life on earth, the workings of the human mind, the
mysteries of the Universe itself--profound questions such as these
were once the province of philosophy and theology alone. Today they
have become the staple--and indeed the hallmark--of the finest
writing about science. And few science writers have tackled the big
questions as persistently and as insightfully as astronomer John
Barrow.
Now, in Between Inner Space and Outer Space, Barrow brings
together dozens of essays that offer a sweeping account of his
explorations along the boundary lines of science, philosophy, and
religion. Here is an invigorating tour of topics such as cosmology,
evolution, Grand Unified Theories, complexity and chaos, the nature
of time, super string theory, quantum mechanics, particle physics,
Big Bang theory, and much more. Barrow's range is remarkable. He
examines, for instance, what science can tell us about our love of
music or why certain paintings appeal to us. He recounts the
dramatic discoveries made by the satellite COBE (Cosmic Background
Explorer) and reveals what these findings tell us about the origins
of the Cosmos. He discusses the debate over the nature of the
universe waged by Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose. And he offers
a thoughtful review of E.O. Wilson's Consilience, seconding
Wilson's criticism of social scientists who remain quite ignorant
of the key insights made by the life sciences.
Leavened with a sprightly sense of humor, Between Inner Space and
Outer Space illuminates modern science as it provides much food for
thought about life's ultimate questions.
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