The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself Paperback – 4 May 2017

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Review ------ ‘It’s very much in the tradition of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, which is one of my all-time favourite science books. Books like that are not only about science, they put science in the wider context of our society…they explain and present not only the things we’ve learned about a relatively esoteric subject, but link those discoveries to our experience. Learning about nature teaches us about ourselves and how we should behave. I think that the best science books make that connection.’ (Professor Brian Cox, ‘science writers on the books that inspired them’, Guardian) ‘An extraordinarily ambitious synthesis of science and philosophy…The Big Picture impresses. Carroll is a lively and sympathetic author who writes as well about biology and philosophy as he does about his own field of physics’. (Clive Cookson, Financial Times) ‘Bold...rich in detail and absorbing.’ (Tim Radford, Guardian) ‘Sean Carroll’s lucid The Big Picture reveals how the universe works and our place in it. Carroll, a philosophically sophisticated physicist, discusses consciousness without gimmicks, and deftly shows how current physics is so solid that it rules out ESP for ever.’ (Observer) ‘A humane and compelling story for our increasingly secular age.’ (Manjit Kumar, Literary Review) ‘A highly enjoyable and lucid tour through a wide range of topics…even if you don’t agree with what [Carroll] says, you are unlikely to be enraged by such an urbane and engaging lecturer; more likely, you will be enthralled.’ (Wall Street Journal) ‘Language, philosophy, quantum mechanics, general relativity – they’re all in The Big Picture. Sean Carroll is a fantastically erudite and entertaining writer.’ (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of New York Times bestseller The Sixth Extinction) ‘Weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosphy into a seamless narrative tapestry, Sean Carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand. Yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.’ (Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey) ‘Carroll beautifully articulates the world view suggested by contemporary naturalism. Thorny issues like free will, the direction of time, and the source of morality are clarified with elegance and in... This is a book that should be read by everybody.’ (Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics) ‘A tour de force that offers a comprehensive snap of the human situation in our infinitely strange universe, and it does this with highly accessible language and engaging storytelling.’ (Salon.com) About the Author ---------------- Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. In addition to the Royal Society Winton Prize, he has been awarded prizes and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics. He lives in Los Angeles.