Book Description
A vibrant collection of essays on the cosmos from the nation's best-known astrophysicist.
Loyal readers of the monthly "Universe" essays in Natural History magazine have long recognized Neil deGrasse Tyson's talent for guiding them through the mysteries of the cosmos with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. Here, Tyson compiles his favorite essays across a myriad of cosmic topics. The title essay introduces readers to the physics of black holes by explaining the gory details of what would happen to your body if you fell into one. "Holy Wars" examines the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts. "The Search for Life in the Universe" explores astral life from the frontiers of astrobiology. And "Hollywood Nights" assails the movie industry's feeble efforts to get its night skies right.
Known for his ability to blend content, accessibility, and humor, Tyson is a natural teacher who simplifies some of the most complex concepts in astrophysics while simultaneously sharing his infectious excitement about our universe.
Customer Reviews:
Educational and entertaining.......2007-10-02
I have long known Tyson to be an excellent speaker and purveyor of scientific ideas with a Saganesque ability to convey the excitement of scientific findings with a bit more hipness and swagger to his talks than Sagan. This book is an excellent read through and through. I couldn't beat the feeling as I sat on the roof of a 14 story building in Curitiba, Brazil watching the sunset alone on the summer solstice (their winter solstice) while reading the section on Stick-In-The-Mud-Science and watching the long shadows creep across the sky and have Tyson explain to me all the celestial happenings around me (this really happened). Quite a magical read. The author presents complex scientific ideas in short, readable, cohesively-themed articles. Each article is on a topic familiar to us, upon which he expands towards scientific ideas which may be unfamiliar to us. There is enough overlap in the independent sections that the read feels like one is being 'taught' rather than just reading information. And Tyson is first and foremost a great educator. Although I did find myself trying to remember something from a previous chapter and flipping back through, I feel like I have learned a great deal about astrophysics from a book that was downright entertaining.
An enjoyable read for those with an interest in science and astronomy.......2007-09-27
The qualities that make Neil deGrasse Tyson so annoying on Nova Science Now are absolute positives when it comes to the written word. He is an intelligent and entertaining writer with an uncanny ability to reduce complex scientific concepts to bite sized chunks even I could (mostly) understand.
Death by Black Hole by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.......2007-09-19
An astrophysicist for the American Museum of Natural History, director of the world famous Hayden Planetarium, and columnist for Natural History magazine, Neil DeGrasse Tyson brings to the non-scientific world the ideal book for those fascinated with space, the cosmos, black holes, and all the questions and wonders therein. Death by Black Hole is the perfect book for the reader who wants answers to questions about the universe in a simple and clearly defined way so that even if they know next to nothing about science and it's jargon, Tyson makes it easily understandable.
While I was hoping for something a little more in depth in the style of Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos or Lee Smolin's The Trouble With Physics, Death by Black Hole nevertheless provides quick and simple answers to many questions everyday readers without a science background have about physics, the universe, space, and most matters dealing with the cosmos. The book is a selection of his columns in Natural History that are organized in a somewhat textbook fashion. Tyson starts with the idea of science and nature in its basic form, how humanity views Earth, the solar system, the universe. Along with this discussion, Tyson also gives minor history lessons on the development of different ideas in physics and astronomy, what people came up with what big ideas and how the progression led to the development of the big theories of our current time with string theory and relativity. Going on from here, Death by Black Hole address the crucial steps that led to the formation of the universe and its development over the many billions and billions of years, again explaining how it is that scientists know what they do and what instruments were used, as well as the history of who invented and used said instruments.
It is then that Tyson finally turns to the subject matter of the title of the book in the section "When the Universe Turns Bad: All the Ways the Cosmos Wants to Kill Us." Here he addresses the complex and still relatively unknown subjects of chaos theory, dark matter (which constitutes over 90% of all matter in the universe, while we still know next to nothing about it), and finally black holes. Tyson takes the reader on a hypothetical journey with what would happen if one were to be sucked into a black hole and how as they approached the event horizon, they would become stretched until the elasticity point of their skin was surpassed and the body would be torn into thousands then millions of little pieces.
With many questions now answered, in the next section Tyson discusses how science is viewed by the media, Hollywood, and people around the world in general. The final section addresses the concept of science and religion, again taking the reader on a historic journey through the development of first religion, then science, and the struggle that has ensued for centuries. It is the perfect end to a book on science, as Tyson lectures the importance of supporting fact and reality in a time when there are many who believe more in faith, even when all the evidence is to the contrary.
For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com
Conversational Cosmology 101 - Superb!.......2007-09-19
New York Planetarium director and astrophysicist Tyson has been writing a column for "Natural History" magazine for some 11 years - that makes about 132 short essays. Tyson says this monthly chore is "one of the most exhausting and exhilarating things I do." Forty-two of these essays appear in this volume, "mildly edited for continuity and to reflect emergent trends in science."
He divides these essays into seven sections:
1. THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE - The challenges of knowing what is knowable in the universe.
2. THE KNOWLEDGE OF NATURE - The challenges of discovering the contents of the cosmos.
3. WAYS AND MEANS OF NATURE - How nature presents herself to the inquiring mind.
4. THE MEANING OF LIFE - The challenges and triumphs of knowing how we got here.
5. WHEN THE UNIVERSE TURNS BAD - All the ways the cosmos wants to kill us.
6. SCIENCE AND CULTURE - The ruffled interface between cosmic discovery and the public's reaction to it.
7. SCIENCE AND GOD - When ways of knowing collide.
"Natural History" is the same magazine Stephen J. Gould wrote 300 essays for, overlapping with Tyson for seven years. In both cases, the authors excelled in making their respective fields (evolutionary biology and cosmology) easily readable for the general public, adding to their already impressive credentials.
From page 33: "This universality of physical laws tells us that if we land on another planet with a thriving alien civilization, they will be running on the same laws that we have discovered and tested here on Earth - even if the aliens harbor different social and political beliefs. Furthermore, if you wanted to talk to the aliens, you can bet they don't speak English or French or even Mandarin Chinese. You don't even know whether shaking their hands - if indeed they have hands to shake - would be considered an act of war or of peace. Your best hope is to find a way to communicate using the language of science."
The format provides for benign redundancy as the Big Bang, formation of galaxies, creation of the chemicals in the periodic chart, and predictable physics versus chaos of interactions are looked at over and over from differing perspectives. This book is highly entertaining and I recommend it for anyone who wants to buff up their knowledge of astronomy (cosmology, astrophysics...) or for the confirmed science nut like me. First rate!
Heavy & light reading all in one.......2007-09-14
Anything by this author is worth reading. I like the way he starts off explaining things in a very simple way and winds up getting deep into the end result. "A professional con job with very educational results".
Book Description
This book describes how understanding the structure of reality leads to the Theory of Everything Equation. The equation unifies the forces of nature and enables the merging of relativity with quantum theory. The book explains the big bang theory and everything else.
Customer Reviews:
The Real Deal.......2006-09-25
Although Mr. Wheatley is a little verbose in sections, his documentation of Zen Buddhistic Principles found throughout the disciplines of Mathematics, Physics, Theology, etc. forms a nice reference guide for anyone tuned into that wavelength. In particular, his explanation of how Godel's Theorem and Cantor's "Confusion" shed great light on the difference between GOD's Logic and Man's Logic should be a revelation to any undergraduate level math students who encounter these ideas for the first time. Curiously, Mr. Wheatley makes many misstatements about both Zen Buddhism Principles and the Bible, however. For example, by accepting the false biblical teaching of Original Sin, he misses the point that eating the proverbial apple gave Adam and Eve the ability to make Moral Discernments in fulfillment of GOD'S PERFECT PLAN. As proof, read Genesis 1 which states that Man and Woman were made in GOD's Image. Genesis 4 shows that Adam and Eve weren't the first humans on Earth at all, there were plenty of others by then. The allegorical meaning of the story of Eden, then, isn't that Adam and Eve were the first humans on Earth, but they were the first humans with the ability to make Moral Discernments (in GOD's Image). In fact, Moral Discernment is God's Unique Gift to Man, which is the basis of consciousness, not some Math Formula. But because the wages of the resulting, unavoidable sin are Death, many people foolishly try to return to Eden by: (1) living a sinless Life (2) by removing choice altogether by passing and enforcing strict Laws (3) by attempting to do away with Moral Discernment and the resulting consequences for our actions altogether by trying to remove Shame from Shameful actions. GOD is not some ethereal Man-In-Space, but is simply the Totality of all Real Things, The Set of All Real Sets. GOD's Love manifests itself from the amazing sub-atomic relationships that underly this magic Life all the way to the grandest of Macroscopic Scales, the Interconnected Totality itself. The Zen Buddhism connection can be found by simply superimposing the 0 symbol and the symbol for infinity (8 on its side) in Mr. Wheatley's supposedly "new" formulation that 1 = 0 x infinity. Superimposing them gives you the yin-yang symbol. A potential disadvantage of artificially separating the infinity from the zero, however, is that Mr. Wheatley is able to equate the entire expression to be equal to 1. This potentially might obscure the fact that the deepest meaning of the yin-yang symbol is that it is both 2 and 1 AT THE SAME TIME. His overall equation does preserve that important meaning by utilizing a single element on one side of the equation and two elements on the other side of his final TOE equation. This may be hard to see for some at first, however, which could potentially obscure the richest meaning of this beautiful symbol/equation. A much more GODLY TOE, in my opinion, comes from Euler, who discovered that e ^ (i * pi) - 1 = 0. When someone can explain that relationship, then they can say they know GOD.
A life changing experience??.......2005-06-13
This book is an easy read and does succeed in being somewhat thought-provoking. However, I am a little surprised at the awesome, "life changing" experience it apparently was for many of the readers. Wheatley's conclusions were interesting but nothing really new. All of his material should have passed through the mind of any thinking person without the aid of this book.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because he uses unneccessarily wordy ways of describing simple things. Also, the author and many other reviewers insist that Wheatley makes only one assumption. Wrong-his whole theory is one big assumption.
Overall though it was a very interesting and worthy book.
Should be Required Reading for everyone.......2004-06-26
This book will change your life. You will never think the same way you did before reading it.
I have a degree in chemistry and I think this book should be read by everyone in the sciences. Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read. Why and what are two of our best friends
A Very Important Book.......2004-01-26
I must preface my review by stating that I have never been so excited and moved by a book that I have wanted to contact the author. That is what I found myself doing upon reading this book. This book is just what its title says. The author does not "miss a beat" describing in great detail using practically every aspect of scientific knowledge from atomic structure through logic to quantum theory---we are even given a valuable explanation of Love. This text may be challenging to read for those unfamiliar with scientific terminology. And it can also be difficult for those with a science background, such as myself. However, for me it is well worth the work necessary to strive to understand the unfamiliar terminology. (I am continually learning from this book. I am presently on my third reread).
One of the author's main messages is "not" to believe anything without first verifying it with reality, as we know it. He calls it the "Personal Explanation Principle". He indicates that religions are just such belief systems that we as people "fall" victims of; because we do not verify the beliefs with the facts, as we know them, of reality. He gives a very detailed explanation of how the New Testament can be explored using his methodology.
The author methodically and meticulously walks us through his thought processes, which took 30 years to assimilate, of delineating the structure of reality and the nature of consciousness. Included in the "walk" are many of reality's phenomena made revelatory. An example of that, for me, would be the dual nature of light. It's particle/wave duality, which is explained as "functions". Also, when the author took me on the mental journey of "Setness" an exhilaration of the magnificence of life swelled up in me.
To me this is a very important book that should be read by all that are seekers of truth. It is for all those wanting to gain an understanding of the purpose for their existence, wanting to know where life is headed towards, and wanting to know who God is.
This book will enlighten and develop one's mind substantially. You will discover that this is our objective.
And yes, I contacted the author and he responded openly.
Illuminating!!!.......2002-12-30
This is a really great book. It combines philosophy and science in order to tackle a multitude of existential problems. The author's style of writing is fresh and alive, I recommend ths book to anyone interested in expanding the fronteirs of their understanding. Books I also liked are a Universe in an Nutshell by Steven Hawkings and Descent into Illusions by Paul Omeziri.
Average customer rating:
|
Too Many Gullibles
Joann Persons
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Religion & Spirituality
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1412035600
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Book Description
Do you want to really know how this universe, earth and mankind got here? Read this \'common sense\' book adn find out the truths, and when these secrets and mysteries will be revealed and by whom.
Amazon.com
Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to reveal these questions (and where we're looking for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time, and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking, for, as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God." --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Stephen Hawking has earned a reputation as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein. In this landmark volume, Professor Hawking shares his blazing intellect with nonscientists everywhere, guiding us expertly to confront the supreme questions of the nature of time and the universe. Was there a beginning of time? Will there be an end? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? From Galileo and Newton to modern astrophysics, from the breathtakingly cast to the extraordinarily tiny, Professor Hawking leads us on an exhilarating journey to distant galaxies, black holes, alternate dimensions--as close as man has ever ventured to the mind of God. From the vantage point of the wheelchair from which he has spent more than twenty years trapped by Lou Gehrig's disease, Stephen Hawking has transformed our view of the universe. Cogently explained, passionately revealed, A Brief History of Time is the story of the ultimate quest for knowledge: the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.
Customer Reviews:
This book is a fake!.......2007-10-01
As a physicist I am flabbergasted and slightly depressed by the success of this book. First of all this book presents as if they were equally certain some pieces of orthodox science together with some of the author's dubious speculations. The lay reader is not told which are which. Secondly, the author obviously has no knowledge of the actual history of physics and yet he shamelessly "describes" it to the reader.
Hawking seems to have gathered together all the bad cliches about various physical issues and has taken out all the valuable ideas. He explains nothing, he just asserts that "we physicists know that..., we physicists have demonstrated that...". I cannot see how anyone can actually learn anything about physics from this book, about why we know what we know. And yet, judging from the amount of praise this book receives, it seems that quite a lot of people have fallen under the spell that they have been allowed access to some secret. They haven't and I find this trickery immoral.
Quantum physics and astrophysics are really interesting. They don't deserve to be thrashed in this unashamed manner. If you want to learn something about physics, there are other books which do a much better job, for example Asimov's Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos.
Author - a true genius.......2007-09-22
Stephen Hawking is a true genius. Although I don't understand everything he writes, all-in-all this book gives one the understanding of how wonderfully made the universe is.
Fascinating.......2007-08-24
I found this book to be ingenious yet accessible to the average reader, which is what I believe Hawking set out to accomplish. Great food for thought in my opinion.
TERRIBLE digital transfer by "Phoenix Audio".......2007-08-10
It's a great book by Hawking, but this product is just a reproduction of something by Hawking/Jackson that we already know is great. So what sort of job does this product do of delivering one of my favorite audio books? Not a very good one.
The original recording sounds fine, but this production from 2005 sounds like it was converted to a low bit rate at some point during editing, and probably had a poor noise removal job done as well. For the benefit of removing possibly a little weak static in the background, we get to listen to a robotic Jackson for 5 hours. It sounds similar to an early digital cell phone with a choppy feel and many T's and S's muffled.
There really isn't any reason I can see for this to not be a perfect reproduction of earlier digital versions. Old bootlegs floating about the internet sound better. Maybe "Phoenix Audio" should have just grabbed those to print, and left all of that tricky audio work to the more competent civilian sector.
A well written classic.......2007-08-01
I have a stack of these :The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe,Cosmic Code and In Search/big Bang: /, so I can compare and contrast.
There is material on black holes here that isn't covered as well in the others. I still would wish that all these authors would put in more of the real equations and less of the dumbing down. One point is that people not able to understand this kind of book, probably won't understand no matter how simple you make the text. Maybe one should make effective use of your time in writing and concentrate on those who will understand and use the results.
Book Description
This is the 2nd edition of a highly successful title on this fascinating and complex subject. Concentrating primarily on the theory behind the origin and the evolution of the universe, and where appropriate relating it to observation, the new features of the this addition include:
- An overall introduction to the book
- Two new chapters: Gravitational Lensing and Gravitational Waves
- Each part has a collection of exercises with solutions to numerical parts at the end of the book
- Contains a table of physical constants
- The addition of a consolidated bibilography
Average customer rating:
|
Astrobiology: Origins from the Big-Bang to Civilization
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Aeronautics & Astronautics
| Astronomy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Astronomy
| Astronomy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Extraterrestrial
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Marine Biology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Evolution
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Bioengineering
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Astronomy
| Astronomy
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Biochemistry
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Marine Biology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Evolution
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Engineering
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0792365879 |
Book Description
The general topic of this book concerns the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the Universe. It discusses the transition from inert matter to cellular life and its evolution to fully developed intelligent beings, and also the possibility of life occurring elsewhere, particularly in other environments in our own and other solar systems. The theoretical framework of Astrobiology may be probed with a forthcoming series of space missions, which at the time of writing are being planned for the next 10 to 15 years. Advanced extraterrestrial life can also be probed by means of radioastronomy in the well-established project of search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Astrobiology pays special attention to the robust growth in our capacity to search for microorganisms, as well as signals of extraterrestrial life, with recent significant technological progress in planetary science and radioastronomy. The progress of the main space agencies is highlighted. Audience: This volume is aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers in the many areas of basic, earth, and life sciences that contribute to the study of chemical evolution and the origin of life.
Amazon.com
When did big-picture optimism become cool again? While not blind to potential problems and glitches, Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind From the Big Bang to the 21st Century confidently asserts that our networked culture is not only inevitable but essential for our species' survival and eventual migration into space. Author Howard Bloom, believed by many to be R. Buckminster Fuller's intellectual heir, takes the reader on a dizzying tour of the universe, from its original subatomic particle network to the unimaginable data-processing power of intergalactic communication. His writing is smart and snappy, moving with equal poise through depictions of frenzied bacteria passing along information packets in the form of DNA and nomadic African tribespeople putting their heads together to find water for the next year.
The reader is swept up in Bloom's vision of the power of mass minds and, before long, can't help seeing the similarities between ecosystems, street gangs, and the Internet. Were Bloom not so learned and well-respected--more than a third of his book is devoted to notes and references, and luminaries from Lynn Margulis to Richard Metzger have lined up behind him--it would be tempting to dismiss him as a crank. His enthusiasm, the grand scale of his thinking, and his transcendence of traditional academic disciplines can be daunting, but the new outlook yielded to the persistent is simultaneously exciting and humbling. Bloom takes the old-school, sci-fi dystopian vision of group thinking and turns it around--Global Brain predicts that our future's going to be less like the Borg and more like a great party. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
"As someone who has spent forty years in psychology with a long-standing interest in evolution, I'll just assimilate Howard Bloom's accomplishment and my amazement."-DAVID SMILLIE, Visiting Professor of Zoology, Duke University In this extraordinary follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom-one of today's preeminent thinkers-offers us a bold rewrite of the evolutionary saga. He shows how plants and animals (including humans) have evolved together as components of a worldwide learning machine. He describes the network of life on Earth as one that is, in fact, a "complex adaptive system," a global brain in which each of us plays a sometimes conscious, sometimes unknowing role. and he reveals that the World Wide Web is just the latest step in the development of this brain. These are theories as important as they are radical. Informed by twenty years of interdisciplinary research, Bloom takes us on a spellbinding journey back to the big bang to let us see how its fires forged primordial sociality. As he brings us back via surprising routes, we see how our earliest bacterial ancestors built multitrillion-member research and development teams a full 3.5 billion years ago. We watch him unravel the previously unrecognized strands of interconnectedness woven by crowds of trilobites, hunting packs of dinosaurs, feathered flying lizards gathered in flocks, troops of baboons making communal decisions, and adventurous tribes of protohumans spreading across continents but still linked by primitive forms of information networking. We soon find ourselves reconsidering our place in the world. Along the way, Bloom offers us exhilarating insights into the strange tricks of body and mind that have organized a variety of life forms: spiny lobsters, which, during the Paleozoic age, participated in communal marching rituals; and bees, which, during the age of dinosaurs, conducted collective brainwork. This fascinating tour continues on to the sometimes brutal subculture wars that have spurred the growth of human civilization since the Stone Age. Bloom shows us how culture shapes our infant brains, immersing us in a matrix of truth and mass delusion that we think of as reality.
Global Brain is more than just a brilliantly original contribution to the ongoing debate on the inner workings of evolution. It is a "grand vision," says the eminent evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson, a work that transforms our very view of who we are and why.
Customer Reviews:
Not worth the money, or the time to read it........2007-01-28
I bought and read this book to keep a commitment to a friend. That's the only reason I didn't trash it after the first couple of chapters.
The author appears to have encountered a great many ideas without ever understanding any one of them. A careful reading will reveal that the author's objective is to massage the egos of the rich and famous in order to keep his (bragged about) access to their company. It will also weary your brain with passionately argued self-serving nonsense.
I suggest you don't bother.
Seeing reality despite Howard's hallucination.......2006-12-18
I am a medical professional who thinks of hallucinations as breaks from reality. I am skimming Howard's book and so far it looks like New Age mysticism. My memory recalls a line from Frank Zappa, " Who('re) you jiving with that cosmic debris".
I felt compelled to give this 1 star because there was no zero. Apparently I have'nt been let into Howard's "reality as a shared hallucination". You see, with a scientific background, I notice a great deal of confabulation in Howard's work.
I am an objectivist (physical reality is what it is whether I believe it or not). I do believe we coevolve within our environment. Interaction is part of the nature of reality and that complexity and emergence are just beginning to be understood.
On the other hand, scientists (we are all to varying degrees keen observers and inductionists) (Klein refers to our thinking as Recognition Primed Decision Making referential to stored memories) theorize about (physical) reality through the scientific use of observation and verification/falsification by experimentation, leading to further hypothesizing and model building and testing by further mathematical calculation (sometimes) and further experimentation. Not to mention the occasional seridipitous discovery. Consider that conceptualization the next time you believe (in defiance of the Laws of physics) that you can sqeeze between those "atoms" that make up a brick wall. I am decidedly not a Husserlian phenomenologist, nor am I a Logical Positivist subjectivist.
So far, I am continuing to read the Global Brain while making margin notes. I see a muddling of definitions ie. the difference between objective reality and subjective perception. Or the confused definition of reality and memory when Howard should be speaking of the remembered present as defined by Edelman in describing consciousness. The map is not the territory as Bateson would say.
There may be valuable information in this book but so far it seems a contrivance of conflated metaphors.
But I suppose Howard Bloom might say I have missed "his" point. To which I might reply "Get real, Howard". Or is it that you will be my guru guide through this reality you call a hallucination.
Prepare for provoking thought.......2006-03-23
I love the way that Howard Bloom thinks, it is always illuminating and never elitist. Reading his books always reminds me of reading something written by Carl Sagan. They both have a playful, quick, and insightful way of looking at the world and they both ask questions that make you think for yourself. Do not take this book as scientific proof of group selection (as nothing is EVER proven) but instead prepare to gain new insights into everything related to how our world works.
Howard's original book The Lucifer principle still stands on my list of things that everyone could read to better themselves.
The Art of War
Lucifer Principle
The Naked Capitalist
This book will most likely be added to this list once I give it another read. One thing I will say, however, is that Mr. Bloom's writing has improved in both it's impact and delivery.
Roger Bishop Jones.......2006-03-14
This book changed the way I think about the world and the people in it. Its one of my "decade books" (the best book I read in a decade) which I first read online at telepolis about ten years ago.
I don't buy the headline thesis (his conception of "global brain") but the wealth of information which he supplies in support of that thesis transformed my perception of life on our planet.
Particularly in relation to the pervasiveness and significance of social behaviour not only in humans and higher mammal's but at all levels of life right down to viruses, and the way this interacts with the evolution of life on earth.
I only have questions .......2006-01-18
I am not sure I get this book very well. Perhaps that is because the very notion of a 'collective mind'or 'global brain' is something I find difficult to understand. I have always believed that individuals have minds(if that is the proper way to say it) and they alone think and plan and coordinate action. It is difficult for me to understand the notion of a 'collective mind' without understanding where its center is- center for self- consciousness and reflection.
With that reservation I begin by citing 'Cyberplay's description of this book.
"Global Brain presents evidence that the shared intelligence of humankind is part of a larger planetary mind, one that combines the learning of microbes, waterfowl, predatory cats, idealists, militants, religionists, and scientists. The book predicts that the great world war of the 21st century will take place between the collective intelligence of humanity and that of a world wide web 96 trillion generations old and billions of years wise-the global internet between microbial societies. Finally, Global Brain anticipates some of the creative paths this planet's team of battlers and borrowers may take during the next one-hundred and fifty years."
Again I am not sure I understand this. Bloom has categories for different kinds of operatives within the global -brain. He places special value on those capable of thinking and acting in ways outside the consensus. But so far as I can understand it he differentiates between the collective brain of the human, and other forms of collective brain, such as that of those he considers our great rivals, bacteria. Does this mean that one part of the overall global brain( Let us say the 'human part') is striving to coopt the whole of reality?
I also wonder if Bloom is talking about some vast cosmic evolutionary process from the Big Bang on, what the ultimate goal of this is? Is it one vast system under one vast self -reflexive consciousness?
I wonder too what connection these vast networks have to do with our own individual lives, and whether in terms of valuation they can ever be equal to them. We love and care for individuals more than we can ever love and care (At least most of us) for the whole system of Brain or Mind or Collective Consciousness.
I too wonder what all this has to do with traditional Western religious conceptions of a Creator God, Who is also Providence leading and ruling all to its ideal end.
This book has the great value of stimulating us to ask ultimate questions, perhaps even provides new formulations in which ultimate questions are asked in ways not asked before.
Amazon.com
Hip, frank, contemporary, and clever, The Big Bang is a savvy sex book, colorful in language and viewpoint. Authors "Em & Lo" of Nerve.com invite you to relish sex, appreciate your partner(s), and keep a sense of humor. This is not your parent's sex lecture: it's irreverent, chummy, and downright fun. Part 1, Sex for Beginners," covers the basics, from understanding orgasm ("a few blissful seconds of rhythmic muscle contractions that release all that pent-up sexual energy back into the universe, like a whistling teapot from Xanadu") to techniques of all kinds for pleasuring yourself or a partner. Part 2, "Sex for Advanced Swimmers," discusses female ejaculation, fisting, sex toys, and power play. Part 3, "Sex for Winners," promotes safer sex, with a frank, detailed discussion of STDs ("You know why flings are called flavors of the week? Because each one might have a different STD."). Whether you want to learn how to "house clean" for anal sex, choose a lubricant, use a harness, or "paddle the pink canoe," you'll learn how here. All consensual sex acts are treated with delight and respect. The glossy book is illustrated with drawings of positions, sex organs, and sex toys and color photos of sexy young men and women, most partially clothed (lots of bare breasts and buttocks), in various configurations and activities. Refreshingly honest, direct, and funny, The Big Bang is perfect for sexual novices with open minds and equally fine for spicing up the sex lives of those who think they know it all. --Joan Price
Book Description
From the hippest, smartest sex site on the web, Nerve.com, comes the only sex manual you'll ever need...No, really.
Think you don't need The Big Bang? Think again: Do you know which body part is the wallflower of the sexual prom? How about the real meaning of "thinking outside the box"? Not sure how to choose the right condom for your man, the most effective lube for your lady, or the best way to spend a quiet evening alone?
Written by Em & Lo, this is a sassy, hilarious, and fully-illustrated guide to original sin. Packed with step-by-step guidance and practical, well-researched advice, The Big Bang covers all the bases-from going down and lubing up to female ejaculation and bondage for beginners. Whether you're new to the game or consider yourself a pro, whether you're a swinging single or married with children, and whether you're straight, gay, or somewhere in between-you'll never knock boots the same way again.
Customer Reviews:
best sex book ever. period........2007-09-18
Em & Lo make addressing sex (and more importantly, all issues surrounding sex) clever, entertaining and approachable. As someone who enjoys reading about and talking about sex (almost!) as much as having it, I found this book to be immeasurably helpful when attempting to broach the subject of sex with more conservative, shy or inexperienced friends. While most similar books come on too strong, (you know, the kind you hide in the back of the bookshelf...) The Big Bang is funny enough, informative enough, edgy enough and just offensive enough to make it a great book to leave on the coffee table or to give to friends without fear of getting a disgusted facial expression in return. If you've never owned a book on sex before, this is the best place to start. If you've owned a thousand sex books and don't own this one, you're insane.
Finally, Nerve disposes the covers!.......2007-06-12
There are only three species that indulge in sexual activities for pleasure, amongst which, humans probably differ most significantly in two factors. First, they have the most complex social constructs involving them; and second, they are probably the most hypocritical about it. Although people have explored it at depth and in as creative manners as can be thought of, few have dared to speak of it as this book. Those new to sex, it enriches with a plethora of information and guides them to make their journey as pleasurable as ecstasy gets. Those already in deep waters, it shows them ecstasy of several unexplored areas. And those explorers out there, it takes them on a tour, connecting them with several thoughts, lucidly put together. Ditch your inhibitions with your Dad's copy of 'The Joy of Sex' and dive in. To the authors: Applause n Kisses.
A Sex Guide For Everyone..........2006-03-24
I thought I knew it all. I have been reading about sex for the last decade or more and gotten a chance to prqactice some of what I know, but this book really made me think twice. For one thing, it is written like the hip textbook you never got to read in high school. It also has a chapter on everything you could want to know about and then some. While I loved the fact that it gave some ideas of things to do, it was more the facts and basic information that I found really helpful. I loved this book so much, I have loaned mine to a good friend and bought a copy for another friend of mine. Because when it comes to sex, you can never know enough.
Great Book, Depressing Pictures.......2006-01-08
The text itself is funny and frank and really gets down to business. It will tell you everything about everything. It's an overall excellent reference book and would recommend that everyone have a copy to refer to whenever necessary. However, they used models for the pictures throughout the book. You feel like you don't deserve to have this wonderful sex unless you first are 5'10" tall and weigh 105 pounds, which is bizarre since it's wrote by two women. You'd think they'd get some realistic models, both male and female. Everyone who's taken a look at the book (male and female) has made similar comments. It's depressing.
Like Good Sex itself.......2005-12-21
This book, along with Guide to Getting it On, are probably two of the best books on the market recently written on this subject, with the approach of overall education. The tone is smart and down to earth. Like good sex, it has a touch of rawness and a bit of humor. Covers all the bases pretty well, as well as references for further reading for the extra curious. Everyone probably will learn something, though definitely geared a little more to the early 20s crowd. Good sections on anatomy and sexual health. One complaint -the models are all a bit waif-ish.
Book Description
Stephen Hawking has earned a reputation as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein. In this landmark volume, Professor Hawking shares his blazing intellect with nonscientists everywhere, guiding us expertly to confront the supreme questions of the nature of time and the universe. Was there a beginning of time? Will there be an end? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? From Galileo and Newton to modern astrophysics, from the breathtakingly cast to the extraordinarily tiny, Professor Hawking leads us on an exhilarating journey to distant galaxies, black holes, alternate dimensions--as close as man has ever ventured to the mind of God. From the vantage point of the wheelchair from which he has spent more than twenty years trapped by Lou Gehrig's disease, Stephen Hawking has transformed our view of the universe. Cogently explained, passionately revealed, A Brief History of Time is the story of the ultimate quest for knowledge: the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.
Customer Reviews:
Finally.......2007-06-02
As a confirmed layman fan of all things science related I have, over a span of 40+ years, read and studied concepts related to Special and General Relativity. I picked up Brief History of Time when it came out and simply couldn't digest it. More reading, more study, more thinking and Voila! I picked up Hawking's book again and read it with understanding! With this book, Dr. Hawking has helped me pull all of that study together into a cohesive conceptual body (no small task!). If you have pursued this subject in a similar manner then you will be delighted with this treatment of Relativity and beyond. Now, it is on to String Theory, Dark Energy, Dark Matter and more Hawking books to help explain them.
The Original (has introduction by Carl Sagan and missing Chapter 10).......2007-04-15
For those who thought they knew the mind of God
A Brief History of Time (ABHOT) has been with me since its first publication. I now feel, after nearly 20 years of it as a passive hobby, to be able to comprehend and explain what it means to me. It is a deeply personal voyage that I am most glad to have undertaken.
Firstly to call this just a science book, a view I once held, is an understatement. It is both a scientific presentation and the exposure of the corruption of minds that submit completely to a mystery answer for mystery questions. You cannot separate the two in this book. They are interlinked by ABHOT's critic of the persistence of some members of mankind to maintain a wanton lack of knowledge.
This armchair sufficiency in a mystery answer must be combated at all costs in order for us to stop denying that we possess a large brain. If we invoke the mystery explanation as the answer for anything then God just might as well have finished with the spinal cord which would have been enough for us. We are faced with the facts. Creation happened and we want to know how. Hawking knows how.
Since this book deals specifically with theological questions and scientific ones it would be best to start with the theology problems posed by Hawking (the word God appears 40 times). Hawking claims that in 1981, at the end of a conference on cosmology organized by the Jesuits in the Vatican that they "...were granted an audience with the Pope. He told us that it was all right to study the evolution of the universe after the big bang, but we should not inquire into the big bang itself because that was the moment of Creation and therefore the work of God." Whether the Pope said this or not is up for debate (the Pope has made official declarations on this matter and they do not feature this element of non-inquiry) but Hawking thinks he knows how this God went about his business. The book builds up to the explanation of the universe starting with this critic of the Church in Chapter 8 - Origins and Fate of the Universe, which describes the history of time as we know it and gives the Church a nudge in the process.
It is obvious that Hawking, strictly using the scientific method, describes the history of time without invoking God or a mystery. Hawking shows us that he knows things about how creation came about and that at no point is an intelligence being used to describe the cosmos. This veil, he believes, was removed long ago with Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Einstein and now once more by himself.
This is not the first time the Catholic Church is featured in the book. It has a historical relationship with cosmology and a pretty poor one when it comes to Galileo who effectively ended the dark ages by reviving Greek mathematics and physics with an obvious fact that the heaven's change. The Church simply got this badly wrong whatever way you try to cut it (how can God's representatives get it so badly wrong?). The Earth is not the centre of universe. How does the Catholic Church keep their claim to God's representative on Earth if other people are explaining creation without recourse to a mystery? Hawking gives you problem equation that the Church is now dealing with. That equation is... the more we explain things, the less there is for God to do. God = ?
Now we get down to the brass tacks after finishing with this quick lesson about a major negative in theology. How does Hawking know there is less for God to do in his model of the universe? The answer is in the laws that exist and that remain unbroken. Things are the way they are. If God created the universe, he did it this way, the one we observe, the one with laws he doesn't break.
According to Hawking if we know what these laws are then we understand everything there is about how the universe governs itself. This means predicting what it will do. So how do they do that? How do these men of science come up with such outstanding prophecies! Probably the best way to go about ABHOT is to break it down into easy to understand sections.
Contrary to book blurbs, even though this is made for the layman, you can't do it with just this book alone unless you have a background in studying physics. Intense study over the period of several months, years even, as was my case, may be required.
Introduction by Carl Sagan.
Chapter 1 - Our Picture of the Universe
This chapter is easy to understand. It deals with the history of mankind's perception of the universe and gives special note to the Catholic Church's dealings with Copernicus and Galileo. In short the net result is that Churches tell us how to get to heaven while scientists tell us how the heavens work. The Earth actually goes around the sun.
Chapter 2 - Space and Time
Quickly combining Newtonian Gravity with Einstein's relativity we are given examples of spacetime models to explain the speed of light, how time can dilate, light cones and the geometry of spacetime according to relativity (imagine a rubber mesh with balls creating dips in the mesh that in turn create contours, called geodesics, for objects to follow naturally). Mass grips space by telling it how to curve, space grips mass by telling it how to move.*
*If this Chapter does not make sense then read "Introducing Newton and Classical Physics" by William Rankin for Newtonian Physics and "Introducing Relativity" by Bruce Bassett.
Chapter 3 - The Expanding Universe
Astronomical observations by Hubble (has the telescope named after him) prove that the universe is expanding which means at one time in the past it was all together. Penzias and Wilson in 1965 discovered background radiation noise from the big bang. Friedman's projected model of the universe is analysed and Hawking introduces three outcomes where two expands forever and one collapses in eventually, from a big bang to a big crunch.
Chapter 4 - The Uncertainty Principle
This chapter quickly covers three important scientific experiments (blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect and the double-slit experiment problem) that led to the development of Quantum Mechanics and the uncertainty principle that the process of measuring particles on the quantum scale can alter some their attributes*.
*While this chapter can be understood somewhat on its own, it is terribly short. Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" explains it a whole lot better in Chapter 4 - Microscopic Weirdness.
Chapter 5 - Elementary Particles and the Forces of Nature
**Stop Here**. You are not going to understand this part. You could skip this section but then you will not understand Chapter 7. "Introducing Quantum Theory" by J. P. McEvoy does it a lot better and also compliments the Greene book. Spend as long as you need to get an understanding of this. Relativity and quantum mechanics are not unified by the model presented by Hawking (gravity is not unified with the strong or electroweak force). Thus relativity describes macro events, while Quantum Mechanics describes subatomic particle events.
Chapter 6 - Black Holes
Hawking describes the history of Black Holes, what they are and how they advanced our understanding of quantum mechanics and relativity. Keywords are John Wheeler, Chandrasekhar, Oppenheimer and Cygus X-1.
Chapter 7 - Black Holes Ain't So Black
Hawking describes the dynamics of the black hole incorporating quantum mechanics. This section is why Chapter 5 needs to be understood very well.
Chapter 8 - The Origin and Fate of the Universe
This is the big description of how we came to be from the beginnings up until now with the predicted future of the universe which is described as a finite without boundary model. Keywords are Gamow, inflation and Guth.
Chapter 9 - The Arrow of Time
This is amazing. Here Hawking answers the question about Entropy and why the macro universe is gravitating towards disorder in the system it is in. Call an apple order and imagine all the possibilities of a disordered apple. There are much more possibilities of disorder than order. However since our universe was ordered according to the big bang event then the disorder model when collapsed backwards reveals events becoming more ordered as they return to their original state.*
*This chapter excludes how systems can become more ordered in systems that are not closed such as our planet which did not generate or destroy energy or change the balance of energy in the universe because the energy used in our evolution was transformed finally into heat which leaves the planet and goes back into the universe.
Chapter 10 - Wormholes and Time Travel
This chapter did not appear in the original edition. It appears in the new one. Einstein-Rosen bridges are more in-depth in Greene's work.
Chapter 10 (11 in new book) - The Unification of Physics
Hawking points to strings as a possible unification theory. The prediction looks good. Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" is a whole book about this. Relativity and quantum mechanics are unified by the models found in superstring theory (see M-Theory and Edward Witten).
Chapter 11 (12 in new book) - Conclusion
Hawking sums up his thoughts.
Glossary
You will reference this constantly to remember important terms. Put it to great use.
Ultimately Hawking does not say God does not exist (that would impossible to prove) but he can certainly critic those who think they know his mind. Wouldn't you think that if anyone was going to dictate how his world works that it would be the Church he started? Consult Galileo on attempts to show them how it worked.
Hawking is obviously the best explanation for creation since the writers of Genesis redacted the creation account from the Enuma Elish somewhere over 2200 years ago.
Living at the end of the 20th century meant being privy to facts that no one else had understood before. I only got it in the 21st. Why settle for anything less than the truth?
Thank you Mr. Hawking for explaining creation like no one else has done before.
Take a little time to understand time..........2006-05-30
This book was written in 1987, and since then others have made developments in physics available to the layman. (See Brian Greene's Elegant Universe, and I believe Hawking has an updated version of Brief History out now.) But this book became available from a friend and I jumped at the opportunity to read it.
Hawking's writing style is very reader-friendly, and generally in layman's terms. There are no equations in this book, although he constantly refers to crunching numbers with relativistic and quantum mechanical equations. The reason why this book remains a good read is because it explains how our understanding of our universe developed from the time of Aristotle through Copernicus, Galileo, Einstein and the scientists of the 20th century. Hawking does a great job explaining how our notions changed as relativity and quantum mechanics were shown to be valid models of physical behavior.
It seems that Hawking's passion is for black holes, but his discussion of them seems very abstract to me. I was more captivated by one of the final chapters called the Arrow of Time. He poses the question of why the thermodynamic, psychological, and cosmological arrows of time run in the same direction. In other words, why does it take energy to create order, why don't we remember the future, and why is the universe expanding? Would it be plausible the other way around? There are lots of intriguing ideas in this brief survey - highly recommended.
Cosmology.......2006-04-07
This is a great book for the non-physicist. If you are interested in the whole process of the creation of our universe this book is a great source from science perspective. Yet I think the cosmology found in Religion is much richer, in particular that of the Kabala or Jewish Mysticism. Unfortunately there aren't many books out there dealing with the topic. And both areas, the scientific and the Kabalistic, need or the math or the Hebrew to really go into them. I think Hawking really made a great job presenting an accessible book, close to the complete mathematical view, and though we lose out on the lack of knowledge of math, we gain from his layman presentation. If you want his counter part in Religion read The Structure of Creation by S. Weiss.
Shock and awe.......2006-04-01
Hawking explains just about everything in the universe and in a way that doesn't require a PhD to grasp. Bending of space time, multimple dimension and the freakiness of black holes these days are concepts that lay people can understand. Fascination among the general populace is good for science and it's hitting new heights. For me, books like "A Brief History" are more captivating than any novel.
-- Mark LaFlamme, author of "The Pink Room."
Customer Reviews:
One of the best books out there.......2007-09-25
Recently I have begun to study books that deal with the combination of theology and science. The reason for this is that, as I go through my seminary training, I realize that it is vitally important that I understand (as best as I can) God's creation that surrounds me. Especially when dealing with the bridge between Genesis and science. Thus when I found this book that explores the subtle nuances between Genesis 1 and 2 and science, such as the cosmology and theology of the Big Bang, God's relation to the science of relativity, among other points to ponder, I was quite happy. While I understand some of the math behind cosmology and theoretical physics, this book is easy for both the scholar of theology and science or the mere layman who wishes to understand the balance between God and science. Schroeder's work is easy to understand, comprehend, but has so much depth that you are often left breathless by the possibilities found herein the book. Schroeder is engaging, friendly, so you feel like you are sitting with him drinking a cup of tea while talking. The book is not a large book, doesn't have to be, and he doesn't waste words. You are not going to get a lot of fluff theology or science, Schroeder takes his time and makes each point poignant. I highly recommend that students of theology and/or science to pick this book up and see where it leads you-but be warned, you must have an open-mind when reading this book. If you are coming to this book with either a set presupposition (theologically speaking or scientifically speaking), then you are not going to allow yourself to learn. The only problem is that the book needs to be updated--I would like to see information on dark matter, I would like to see information on cosmic black holes, I would like to see information on the many-worlds theory. Still, a great and timely book.
No way........2007-09-08
Every culture in the world has it's own creation stories. The writer did nothing to try and tie all the creation stories from every culture in the world into this book. He only took one viewpoint of it. I'm sure as humans we would like to find a way to tie all our creation stories into known facts of science, but if this is done correctly, we must look at all creation stories from every culture in the world, Not just one. Maybe if we did that, then the ideas and viewpoints of religion and philosophy and science must at last acheive some intellectual logic and harmoney which would both help explain the universe and lead us to a more profound understanding of ourselves.
Physics and cosmology for the layperson.......2006-10-27
Dr. Schroeder enlightens readers with easily understandable wording of complex cosmological concepts. He shows that the biblical account in Genesis is in no way out of harmony with modern science. According to Galileo, the Bible has never been out of harmony with science: "The Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." Many of Schroeder's books deal with physics and God; this is a good introduction to his work. I also recommend following up with "The Hidden Face of God" and "The Science of God."
Old earth creation ('day age' version), via Big Bang, inflation, Einstein's time dilation, & punctuated equilibrium.......2006-06-12
The good: (a) easy to follow explanation of the underlying physics; (b) author got all his degrees including his two PhD's from MIT, and thus is well qualified; and (c) the book brings to light a lot of the wisdom of ancient Jewish scholars.
The bad: (a) no detailed explanation on how via Einstein's time dilation, the six 24-hour days of the Genesis account syncs with the 15 billion years given by modern cosmology; (b) no reconciliation given on the conflict of the sequence of the formation of the Earth vs. the stars [i.e., per the Bible vs. modern cosmology]; (c) no mention of the 'distant starlight' problem; and (d) no reference to the New Testament whatsoever.
The last point is understandable given that Schroeder is Jewish.
On the other hand, given that Schroeder's main thesis is that the period before the Creation is unknowable, and given on the other hand that there's a lot of New Testament references to the period before the creation of the world, Schroeder to the Christian robbed himself of what would have been a treasure trove of information.
The bottomline: it's a good read for anybody interested in the latest scientific formulation of the old earth ('day age') creation view of the Bible.
GREAT READ.......2006-02-23
I am currently finishing one of his other books. In all I have read 3. I think Dr. Schroeder aproach is very good. I do not have a back ground in physics but I am thinking of maybe taking some classes to continue on what I have read.
Books:
- Draw 50 Aliens: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw UFOs, Galaxy Ghouls, Milky Way Marauders, and Other Extraterrestrial Creatures (Draw 50)
- Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3)
- Edwin Hubble and the Expanding Universe
- Eiko By Eiko
- Essential Cosmic Perspective, The (3rd Edition)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- An Encyclopedia of Women Artists of the American West
- The Stolen Child: A Novel
- Rubens Drawings: 44 Plates
- Tales of the North
- The Book Of Tiki
- The Magic School Bus At The Waterworks
- The Journals of Captain Cook
- Crimes of Art and Terror
- Raising Your Child Without Milk: Reassuring Advice and Recipes for Parents of Lactose-Intolerant and
- Plants of South Dakota grasslands;: A photographic study
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist
The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
