Description
Book SynopsisCosmology is in crisis. In this book, philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger and physicist Lee Smolin, world-renowned for their radical ideas in their fields, argue for a revolution in our cosmological ideas. The book is readily accessible to non-scientists as well as to the physicists and cosmologists whom it challenges.
Trade Review'It might be one of the most important books of our time … Right or wrong, this book is an event.' Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times
'A hefty explication setting out clear agendas for research into quantum foundations, explanations for the 'arrow of time' and other parts of this puzzle.' Nature
'Any serious intellectual rebellion is worth watching. This one is ambitious: it seeks to root out one of the oldest impulses in the western imagination.' The Spectator
'Is time, after all, real? Two mavericks take an axe to the established theories of cosmology.' The Guardian
'… an admirable restatement of cosmological ambition.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
'Anyone that wants to thoroughly deliberate over the question of cosmology should read this book.' Peter Eisenhardt, translated from Physik Journal
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Roberto Mangabeira Unger: 1. The science of the one universe in time; 2. The context and consequences of the argument; 3. The singular existence of the universe; 4. The inclusive reality of time; 5. The mutability of the laws of nature; 6. The selective realism of mathematics; Part II. Lee Smolin: 1. Cosmology in crisis; 2. Principles for a cosmological theory; 3. The setting: the puzzles of contemporary cosmology; 4. Hypotheses for a new cosmology; 5. Mathematics; 6. Approaches to solving the metalaw dilemma; 7. Implications of temporal naturalism for philosophy of mind; 8. An agenda for science; 9. Concluding remarks; A note concerning disagreements between our views.
