Book Description
A world-renowned astrophysicist and a science philosopher present a new, scientifically supported understanding of the universe, one that will forever change our personal relationship with the cosmos.
For four hundred years, since early scientists discovered that the universe did not revolve around the earth, people have felt cut off-adrift in a meaningless cosmos. That is about to change.
In their groundbreaking new book, The View from the Center of the Universe, Joel R. Primack, Ph.D., one of the world's leading cosmologists, and Nancy Ellen Abrams, a philosopher and writer, use recent advances in astronomy,physics, and cosmology to frame a compelling new theory of how to understand the universe and our role in it.
While most of us think of the universe as empty space peppered with stars separated by vast distances, the truth, the authors argue, is far richer and more meaningful. For the first time in history, we know that the universe is more coherent and spiritually significant than anyone ever imagined and that our place in it is actually central to the expanding universe in important ways.
According to Primack and Abrams, this new cosmology clarifies how the universe operates, what it's made of, how it may have originated, and how it is evolving. Even more surprising, these startling ideas spring from both cutting-edge science and the metaphors of ancient symbols. The result is a very human book that satisfies our fundamental need for order and meaning in our world and in our lives.
Customer Reviews:
It's Just Different........2007-10-06
I took the couples class at UCSC. And boy was it a little weird and interesting... luckily their book was slightly less weird. It's def a different read with many mini history lessons on the cosmos.
Complicated But Informative Book On The Universe.......2007-10-02
This is a very informative book. It talks about the history of what humans used to believe about the universe and the most recent discoveries of our day. It can get complicated and at times tedious to read but I would suggest it to anyone interested in the universe's workings and in science.
Important cosmic perspective.......2007-09-17
Humans are in the very rare position within the whole Universe of being aware of our fortunate evolutionary history, as well as the history of the Universe. The authors argue that a thoughtful realization of that new cosmological perspective should lead us to develop new ways of viewing ourselves and the rest of the Universe.
Everybody on Earth Should Read this book!.......2007-09-03
This is a wonderful book. I am not going to reveiw it here. I think every human now on Earth should read this book. I would like to send copies to Mr. Bush and Mr. Ahmadinejad. It is not a diatribe against religion but rather a scientific romance with ourselves and the story of our incredible journey through the vastness of time and space. When we hear someone say that God created the universe what are they actually saying? Saying that God created the universe tells me nothing. How we got here through aeons of time and the immensity of space is quite a story. A story that we should all know.
From the book:
"Cosmology is a branch of Astronomy and astrophysics that studies the origin and nature of the universe, and it is in the midst of a scientific revolution that is establishing its lasting foundations. What is emerging is humanity's first picture of the universe as a whole that might actually be true. There have been countless myths of the origin of the universe, but this is the first one that no storyteller made up--we are all witnesses on the edges of our seats."
The authors do argue that we are part of a kind of cosmic lottery with life emerging by chance. They remind us that we have hit the jackpot really and are in some sense fundamental to the meaning of the universe. It is up to us to give it meaning. I do not fully agree with the random jackpot explanation. Paul Davies the rather emininent cosmologist from Arizona State university also posits the idea of a cosmic jackpot but he adds a thought that I think is important to make. Human life, as such, may not have been 'planned' but the life principle itself was etched within the physical laws of the universe. Perhaps this explains why the universe is so vast and the time scales for human evolution are so great. The appearance of life is so unlikely that it needs vast time scales and vast spaces through which to roll the dice. Life is achingly rare and precious.
One thing is clear...we are all children of the Big Bang. Time to end all the religous angst and hatred. Science tells the true story of who we are and where we came from. It is time to enfold our ancient mythologies into the emerging story of mankind.
unusual approach to cosmology.......2007-06-01
This book attempts to place current advances in cosmology into a modern mythology that would restore the central importance to human beings in the scientific view of the world. Many readers will find this a little flakey, particularly where the argument is thin (Kabbala). But I found it thought provoking and very well written. Even if you are a hard core science buff you might find this worth your time because the author studied with Marcea Eliade at Chicago. Very original and very thoughtful in my opinion.There is nothing like it on the market that I know of worth reading. I think it may find a solid readership in time.
In addition, this book benefits from having been written for a humanities course given at Santa Cruz. This may be the best introduction to modern cosmology in that it takes the time to clarify fundamental points about dark energy and matter and aspects of inflation that are often bungled in better known and more sophisticated texts. It is clear that the authors have spent a lot of time answering questions from confused students. The care is appreciated; I wish more of these texts were so well edited. An excellent place to start. It comes with a strong recommendation from Paul Davies whose recent Cosmic Jackpot is also excellent.
Book Description
The Buddha said that "everything we need to know about life can be found inside this fathom-long body." Then why is most people's spirituality--whether Buddhist, Christian, or Jewish--completely cut off from their body? In this provocative and groundbreaking book, you'll discover that enlightenment comes not from "out there," but from a deep understanding of our own personal biology. Using the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, a traditional Buddhist meditation, Nisker shows how cutting-edge science is proving the tenets first offered by the Buddha.
And he provides a practical program, complete with meditations and exercises, that enables readers to become mindful of the origins of emotions, desires, and thoughts. One of the great synthesizers of East and West, Nisker shows how to incorporate the traditional understanding of the Buddha with the latest scientific discoveries while on our spiritual journey. He shows that we are not separate from nature and the evolving universe. The way to enlightenment lies within our very biology.
Most important, Nisker offers a practical program--complete with meditations and exercises--so readers can take their own evolutionary journey into their bodies to find the origins of emotions, desires, and thoughts. Nisker provides a liberating way for each of us to incorporate into our lives the understanding, proven by the latest scientific evidence and foretold in the great traditional teachings of the Buddha, that we are not separate from nature and the evolving universe. Our biology is not our destiny, but our way to enlightenment. -->
Customer Reviews:
More East Than West.......2001-07-24
Those looking for a rigorous analysis of the connections between Western scientific thought and Buddhist philosophy will almost certainly be disappointed in this book. Although Nisker is interesting and knowledgeable when discussing Eastern thought, he too often settles for unsatisfactory generalizations about scientific research and theories, and suggests "rough analogies" (rather than clear correspondences) between the two. On the other hand, he does offer some fascinating insights into the biological and psychological interconnectedness we share with the rest of our world. Nisker's mental exercises and proposed meditation techniques make a worthwhile supplement to more fundamental and comprehensive meditation guides.
This Book Links Spirituality and Science.......2000-06-06
Wes Niskers' book "Buddha's Nature" succeeds in bridging science and Buddhism in a special book that will be enlightening to people in all fields. Further recommended reading- "Meditation" by Sri Chinmoy ; "KYBALION" by Three Initiates ; "Stalking the Wild Pendulum" by Itzhak Bentov ; "Meeting the Monkey Half Way" by Bhikkhu ; and the books by Thich Nat Hanh and Vera Stanley Alder.
Practical, worthwhile reading........2000-04-09
I recommend this book, especially after first reading Thomas Berry's book, "Dream of the Earth" (1990). Berry's deep-ecology classic, which should be included in Nisker's list of "Recommended Reading," but is not, examines the reasons for rethinking our connection with the earth, and encourages us to take responsibility. Nisker provides advice from a buddhist perspective on how to put Berry's "dream" into daily practice. Nisker, like Berry, first shows "how deeply embedded and interwoven humans are with all of life and nature" (p. 3), and then offers a number of "deep-ecology practices" which "can establish us in our connection with each other, and with all other forms of life on earth" (p. 30).
G. Merritt
what's the point?.......2000-03-14
After reading Nisker's book I wondered what his point was. Is experience (and spirituality as well) reducible to physical events or is there some metaphysical reality encompassing those events? Lots of brilliance has gone into attempting answers to questions like this but you won't find much in Nisker's book.
Book Description
There are many mysteries involving cosmic phenomena. Jerome Drexler used 14 of these and his analytical concept of dark matter(DM) relationism to discover a promising candidate for dark matter, the source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, and theories for star formation, starburst galaxies, and the emergence of DM halos. To test the validity of his discoveries, Drexler used another 11 unexplained cosmic phenomena discovered by astronomers primarily during 2005. Utilizing his same promising dark matter candidate, Drexler was able to explain in a plausible manner all 11 of these recently discovered cosmic mysteries. Drexler's research has led not only to an identification of dark matter and to plausible explanations for the 25 cosmic phe-nomena, but also to a deeper understanding of many aspects of the cosmos, leading to a partial decoding of the cosmos.
Customer Reviews:
Poses questions; posits answers.......2006-10-21
Drexler's book was sent to me unsolicited inviting my feedback and comments. I cannot call myself even an amateur cosmologist therefore I cannot assess how plausible the explanations in this book are. Furthermore, I have not actually read it cover to cover. Nevertheless, I award it 4 stars for the following reasons:
1. The topic is well laid out and is made very accessible via extremely short chapters listed in a detailed table of contents. It is well indexed. A glossary is also included.
2. Throughout the book, use is made of lists, both bulleted and numbered, e.g. pp 110-114, making it easy to follow his arguments.
3. More importantly, it lists 58 references (7 to his own work) as well as a further 30 suggested sources. Readers are cautioned not to assume agreement in these sources with Drexler's views.
4. The book is intended to be provocative and to generate further thought and discussion. The Preface states: "This book, "Comprehending and Decoding the Cosmos," deviates significantly from mainstream cosmological and astrophysical theories."
I would not, of course, recommend a book just because of its layout and style. I see this book as a thought-provoking re-examination of existing observations and theories in addition to offering solutions and new ideas. I leave it to others to comment on the plausibility of these.
CHALLENGING & PROVOCATIVE THEORIES ON DARK MATTER/RELATIONALISM.......2006-08-26
This is another fantastic book by Dr. Drexler. Dr. Drexler identifies dark matter as a viable candidate and explicates his theory cogently by describing in detail the astronomical evidence he found that justifies his theory and conclusion. His most recent book, "Comprehending and Decoding the Cosmos," published this year (2006), delineates and expounds his theory to an even greater extent. I queried him regarding the use of the term relationism vis-a-vis reductionistic practices. Dr. Drexler thoroughly explicated this complex theory that he has posited in significant detail.
Dark Matter, is deemed by many to be the most elusive mystery of the universe, which is probably attributable to its massive, extensive, and hard-to-detect characteristic. Dr. Drexler, in his 2006 sequel, astutely delineates 14 mysterious phenomena, along with his new analytical decoding concept of dark matter relationism, to discover and identify a very promising dark matter candidate compatible with these 14 cosmic elements. In the process, he has quite possibly brought the decades old quest to identify dark matter to a successful conclusion. He adroitly then locates and analyzes an additional 11 unexplained cosmic phenomena, which were discovered and reported by various astronomers mostly during 2005. Drexler again, utilizing his same promising dark matter candidate, plausibly explicates all 11 of these recently discovered cosmic mysteries in his May, 2006 sequel.
I have personally purchased multiple copies of Dr. Drexler's 2003 and 2006 books for family members and friends at the University of Maine. I read with chagrin Dr. Marc "DM"s negative reviews on these books, which interestingly were both written and posted on May 31, 2006. I vehemently disagree with Dr. Marc's and JMK's reviews and evaluations, both of which bring to mind the saying attributable to Herbert Spencer: "Contempt prior to investigation..." Although Dr. Marc characterizes himself as a professional astronomer, I am constrained to believe that he is a grant-seeking, self-promoter, who perhaps has not even read Dr. Drexler's two books. As a professional man, with graduate degrees myself, I eschew hasty judgments when pondering the theories of colleagues and others. I have therefore indicated that neither of Dr. Marc's reviews were helpful to me, and in closing, I strongly urge every professional cosmologist, astronomer, astrophysicist, or interested novice, to read Dr. Drexler's books with an inquisitive and open mind. Do not be influenced by the pejorative and negative views espoused by Dr. Marc.
Baryons as Dark Matter.......2006-06-16
Since the discovery of DM, which many believe constitutes most of the mass of the universe, there has been a debate regarding the baryonic or non-baryonic nature of DM. Current scientific research favors non-baryonic particles with huge new detectors being built today that actually exclude baryons. At its heart, Drexler's book is philosophical in its approach, taking a contrarian view in the debate. Citing Ockham's razor and top-down vision, the author sorts recent astrophysics data of others to analyze and resolve the DM issue, asserting that DM consists of relativistic protons, i.e. baryons. A large amount of data is reviewed and the considerations seem persuasive. Not mentioned as a baryonic argument in favor of DM is another philosophical consideration relating to the significance of man in the Universe. If man is significant and perhaps even central in the universe, as Primack suggests in his new book, it would be a shame if the baryons of which we are made turn out to be cosmologically weird stuff. Drexler's book is worth a read.
Comprehending and Decoding the Cosmos: Discovering Solutions to Over a Dozen Cosmic Mysteries by Utilizing Dark Matter Relationi.......2006-06-12
I have read this book and it is another fine book by the Scientist, Mr. Drexler. I have followed Drexler's career since his days at Bell Labs-his founding of the Drexler Technology (Lasercard), his numerous patents -- He would not publish a book with research that is false. Did the other reviewer really read the book? I HAVE READ IT FROM COVER TO COVER AND IT OPENED MY MIND TO NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE COSMOS,ETC. EVERYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN GOOD , LOGICAL RESEARCH SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!.......2006-06-01
There are many reasons why Jerome Drexler's theory of dark matter is not widely accepted amongst astronomers. I am a professional astronomer working at a research establishment in California. The idea that relativisic protons can be responssible for the dark matter of the Universe seems ridiculous to me and this is why:
1. If dark matter consisted of relativistic particles (such as relativistic protons) then this is what astronomers would refer to as Hot Dark Matter. Hot Dark Matter has been ruled out as a form of dark matter because it does not allow the structures we see in the Universe. The reason because the particles are at such high velocities that they can never become gravitationally bound to each other, and all structure is wiped out. Galaxies cannot form, stars cannot form, planets cannot form. This would be a huge problem. This is why astronomers have come to believe in Cold Dark Matter (slow moving massive particles).
2. Protons are charged particles (they have positive charge). Any moving charged particle has both an electric and a magnetic field associated with it. Relativistic charged particles would create a huge electric and magnetic field. This would be easily observed. However, it has never been observed.
3. The Cold Dark Matter Particle (the WIMP) has never been observed for a reason. It's predicted mass lies just beyond the energies we can probe with our current particle accelerators. The next generation of particle accelerators will be able to probe these energies. These new particle accelerators will be coming online in the next 2 to 5 years, so watch this space. Admittedly, if we don't find the predicted WIMP (or neutralino as it is strictly called), then we do have to go back to the drawing boad.
I don't understand how this book has come to be published. The people deciding it should be published are obviously not professional astronomers. However, Jerome Drexler has never had his theory published in an astronomical journal. The reason is because it has never made it past the peer review stage... because his theory is simply WRONG. It does not stand up to experimental tests or what we know about the Universe.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Introductory Text for the Advanced Student
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Discovering the Cosmos
Robert C. Bless
Manufacturer: University Science Books
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ASIN: 0935702679 |
Book Description
Based on the very popular liberal arts course Bob Bless has taught at University of Wisconsin for over twenty years, this book provides a rich, historical approach to introductory astronomy. It is ideal for use in an introductory astronomy course for nonmajors. An Instructor's Manual, test questions and transparencies are also available for adopting professors.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Introductory Text for the Advanced Student.......2006-06-26
Bless' Discovering the Cosmos is an excellent introductory astronomy text for students with a more advanced preparation either in the physical sciences or in mathematics. The text focuses more towards the stellar and galactic aspects of modern astronomy though there are sections on historical astronomy and planetology. While the book is does not cover the up-to-the-minute advances in astronomy, this can easily be filled in with web-based sources that build upon the excellent foundational material.
The book's great strength is that it doesn't shy away from using the science and mathematics a student who has competently passed a high school chemistry and algebra II class should have learned. While this limits the text's use in general introductory astronomy survey courses at the college level it makes for a much richer source for honors or advanced courses at either the college freshman or the high school senior level.
Educators with a solid background in the sciences will find this text a treasure trove of information that can serve as a place to pull additional information when trying to understand or expand curriculum.
Amazon.com
A.K. Dewdney takes readers on a theoretical world tour to answer the question: Did humans make up mathematics, or did mathematics make up everything, including humans? After all, mathematical formulas seem to perfectly govern the cosmos, and the ur-mathematician Pythagoras himself believed that mathematics makes up reality. Dewdney has taken it upon himself to examine this fundamental question, beginning his journey in Miletus, the ancient home of Pythagoras and other deep thinkers. There, he meets the fictional Dr. Petros Pygonopolis, the first of his guides through space and time in search of mathematical meaning in history. His journey continues with stops in the Arabian desert (for insight into ancient Islamic astronomy with Professor al-Flayli), Venice (where Maria Canzoni reveals the mysteries of atomic theory), and England (home of the "engines of thought" in the form of Alan Turing's mind machines, as explained by Sir John Brainard). Dewdney's style is accessible, his knowledge is thorough, and his sense of humor is refreshing, if a bit geeky. A Mathematical Mystery Tour is not a difficult read, although the ideas it attempts to clarify are quite abstract. The fictional tour guides at each port of call are helpful in humanizing the intimidating subject matter. --Adam Fisher
Book Description
Praise for A. K. Dewdney Yes, We Have No Neutrons "We need more books like this-especially if they're this much fun to read." -Wired "Dewdney manages to make this catalog of error entertaining as well as instructive; good medicine for both skeptics and true believers." -Kirkus Reviews "Written with wit and a touch of pathos-and sure to please science lovers." -Publishers Weekly 2000f Nothing "It is impossible to read this timely, important book without enjoyment and eye-opening enlightenment." -Martin Gardner "An entertaining, stinging exposé." -Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
an intriguing internation math tour.......2007-09-21
This virtual odyssey, exploring the historical and cultural roots of mathematics and the mystery of its timeless questions, stimulates learning and wonder in a way no standard math textbook can do.
The book combines the charm of travel adventures with the mystery of ancient mathematics. Interspersed in the entertaining narrative are thoughtful questions on the nature of the universe, questions entertained by Pythagoras himself. The author talks with Greek, Arab, Italian, and English mathematicians, each of whom ponders the question of Pythagoras in his or her own intriguing way.
At the temple of Apollo, Dr. Pygonopolis introduces the fundamental idea of the holos and ponders whether the discoveries of the Pythagorean School could have been made in another culture.
Under the desert sky, Prof. al-Flayli gives a fascinating account of Arabic influence on astronomy and mathematics.
In Venice, under the sound of "Missa Sancta," physicist Maria Canzoni contemplates the holos, the cosmos, and the ultimate reality of menos, or a consciousness beyond the quantum curtain.
In Oxford, England, Sir John Brainard lectures on the intrinsic simplicity of mathematics and the evidence that computers provide for its independent existence.
Accessible and thought-provoking, this is the most fascinating math book I have read to date.
Some of the greatest achievements in mathematics.......2005-05-24
To explore the great beauty of mathematics, it is always necessary to go back to the ancient Greeks. It was there that the great intellectual breakthrough of abstract mathematics was made. Dewdney begins his mathematical journey at the logical place, Athens, Greece. His first discussions are with Petros Pygonopolis, a specialist in ancient Greek mathematics. Quite fittingly, Pygonopolis is found measuring the stones of an ancient structure with a ruler. This proves to be an excellent starting point for the explanation of the discovery of irrational numbers. Before the great proof that the square root of two was irrational, it was believed that all values were commensurate. This means that by repeating one length a specific number of times and the other length a different number of times, two distances of the same length could be created. The most interesting part of this discussion is the descriptions of how numbers were represented in ancient Greece. In many ways, it is incredible to realize how cumbersome their notation was.
In keeping with the historical development of mathematics, Dewdney then travels to Amman, Jordan to examine the development of mathematics in the Arab world. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the development of mathematics essentially ceased in Europe. All mathematical progress for centuries after the collapse took place in the Arab world. He meets with Jusuf al-Flayli, an Egyption astronomer who is an expert in the Arab view of the heavens. The naming of the stars is important in Arab culture, and it is clear when you read Dewdney's account. For where else but in the desert would one see the greatest, clearest spectacle of stars.
Venice, Italy is the next stop, for discussions with Maria Canzoni. These discussions are about the development of numerical operations, the new representations and the notations used in the operations. It is difficult to overstate the significance of positional notation. It is hard to see how modern commerce could have ever developed without it. One thing that it is difficult for math students to appreciate is how clean modern mathematical notation is. Even the simple symbols of addition, subtraction and so on abbreviate some very advanced mathematical concepts.
The last stop on the tour is Oxford, England where Dewdney has discussions with Sir John Brainard. The conversation uses nonsense words such as gadzooks, blorgs, semiblorgs, zooks and horping tables. These terms are actually replacements for the words of group theory. Brainard uses this as an example to illustrate the idea put forward by David Hilbert for geometry. Namely that geometry should be constructed so that the terms point, line and plane can be replaced by chair, table and beer mugs. It was quite fun to read and reminded me of some of the writings of Lewis Carol.
There is great beauty in mathematics, sometimes even practitioners fail to appreciate it. Dewdney does an excellent job in describing some of the more significant events in the history of mathematics. Read it and appreciate what some of the great minds have done.
Lofty goals unachieved.......2003-12-12
The book tries to explore some of the more philisophical aspects of mathematics, and cannot be faulted for its failure to reach any real conclusions there. If an answer were easy to come by, it would indicate that the questions were not so philisophical after all.
Unfortunately, the book also fails to achieve secondary goals. Both the historical and mathematical topics it covers could be covered just as well in 1/5 the pages. The extra length comes from trying to work the material into a journey, a technique possibly used in an attempt to make the topics less intimidating or more interesting, but which in fact just makes them boring. If one travels to see and talk to somebody, the travel itself (plane ride, taxi, carrying of the bags) is oftentimes a boring chore needed to get where you are going. Why describe it here? It is not more interesting to read about than to experience.
Instead, this book seems to combine all of the filler material needed to make a fictional story consistant and realistic, but there is not really any story being told here. If one wants a story with some math worked in, try A. K. Doxiadis's "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture" instead.
When I saw the title of the book, it reminded me of Ivars Peterson's "The Mathematical Tourist", which I have only looked at briefly, but which explores interesting areas of mathematics. If one wants an overview of some interesting math topics, this is a much more appropriate book.
In Dewdney's book, we get a "tourist" book with few points of interest, mathematical, historical, or geographical. Given the interesting people, places, and material covered, it really misses the mark.
Interesting subject, disappointing errors.......2003-06-17
I started reading this book like all others: with anticipation to learn something new and exiting but instead mistakes hit me over my head. On page 85 the author calls the angle between the zenith and a star its declination. Wrong name: It is (90 degrees minus altitude), also called the complementary angle. The declination is the distance from the equator. On page 97 the author gives the impression that the polar star (Polaris) is moving with the seasons; that is not so. Polaris is fixed on the celestial sphere except for a very small daily circle of about 1.5 degree radius. Page 101 makes Kepler a priest which he was not. He just studied Lutheran theology before turning completely to natural philosophy and teaching for a living. Kepler never ignored Copernicus as claimed by Dewdney and neither is the Earth in the middle of the Platonic Solids but the Sun as described in the Mysterium Cosmographicum. On page 103 the author makes us believe that the geographical latitude of Baghdad as measured by the altitude of Polaris is 33 degrees 19 minutes at the beginning of spring; the altitude of Polaris for Baghdad is the same all the time except for that small daily variation mentioned before. On page 110 the author gives the title of Fibonacci's main work as "Algorismus"; there is no work of this title, the common name of his major work is given as "Liber abaci (or abbacy)" - The Book of Abacus. On page 113 the author attributes the spectral lines of the Balmer Series to "vibration" of the atoms. Not so. In Bohr's model the spectral lines are caused by transition of electrons between different levels of energy or different orbits. Vibrations are involved in the spectra of molecules. Finally, why has the author forgotten Mr. Balmer while attributing the different Hydrogen series with changing parameter n to (1) Lyman, (2) Paschen, (3) Brackett and (4) Pfund? The correct attribution is (1) Lyman, (2) Balmer, (3) Paschen, (4) Brackett and (5) Pfund.
I think that I lost my patience reading this book at that point.
Tour is actually Discovering the Truth & Beauty of the Holos.......2002-06-29
Tour is certainly a rare book, one on mathematical philosophy. After all, it is commonly accepted that physics describes the real world, while metaphysics grapples with the questions of what is real? With that being said, Dewdney turns his attention the tools of mathematics that Physics uses in its descriptions, and ponders if there could be the "meta-mathematical." In Tour, he undertakes to answer two questions. First, why is mathematics so amazingly successful in describing the structure of physical reality, and second, is mathematics discovered or is it created? These are not trifling questions. Consider the discovery of the planet Neptune. In 1845, the 23-year old British John Couch Adams completed calculations pinpointing a new planet that he believed was perturbing the orbit of Uranus. That same year, French astronomer Urban Jean LeVerrier independently published his prediction of the position of the new planet, within a degree of Adams. Alone, this proves almost nothing. Given the same set of data from observations, regardless of how complex the celestial mechanics are, the formulae do not change and accurate algebraic answers should agree (although they do provide standalone verification for each other). What happened next though transforms a merely mathematical exercise into Dewdney's quest to understand the true nature of math. On the same night they read of it, Johann Galle and Heinrich d'Arrest at the Berlin Observatory search and see an eighth magnitude "star" right where LeVerrier envisaged it. Dewdney dares asks, "Why is the physical universe determined (or accurately describable) to so great an extent by Mathematical ideas?"
To answer, Dewdney employs what in the preface he describes as "a fictional narrative," that leads from Greece to Arabia to Italy to England. However, his level of detail and his concluding notes in the postscript lead me to question how fictional the four characters are who elucidate on the subject. I suppose that is to be expected in a work of philosophy, blurring the distinction of who is real. There is one other "character," dead some 2,500 years, but whose mystical and mathematical spirit is still felt: Pythagoras. Carl Sagan credits Pythagoras as the first to "use the word Cosmos to denote a well-ordered and harmonious universe, a world amenable to human understanding" (hence the title for Sagan's series; and now you know the rest of the story!) The followers of Pythagoras developed an entire mathematical cult, a sect that sincerely believed that through math they were glimpsing a perfect reality, a nonmaterial higher realm, of which the physical world was a manifestation. The dwellers of Plato's cave were inheritors indirectly of the Pythagoreans: "The stars that decorate the sky, though we rightly regard them as the finest and most perfect of visible things, are far inferior, just because they are visible, to the true realities; that is, to the true relative velocities, in pure number and perfect figures, of the orbits and what they carry in them, which are perceptible to reason and thought but not visible to the eye. (The Republic, Plato, book VII, 529-E)." In his first stop, along the coast of the Aegean, Dewdney encounters the "holos," the place where all of mathematics, known and unknown, exists. The Cosmos is the manifestation, but the holos is the source, so much so that the Tour is actually Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Holos. But be cautioned though that a proper frame of mind is a prerequisite. Just as Galileo's journals show he observed Neptune in 1612 but failed to recognize it for what it was, so to Tour benefits from a second or third revisit for complete comprehension.
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