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ravenousbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
In 1997, John Brockman and friends launched 'Edge', an online magazine/blog for collating and showcasing the most radical and perhaps the most fascinating questions/theories in the fields of science, mathematics, philosophy, technology etc. Every year, on the anniversary of Edge, John and his friends decide put forth the 'Edge Question'. The answers to this question are then published on the website.
In 2012, the Edge Question that was asked to these intellectual stalwarts was "What is your favorite Deep, Elegant or Beautiful explanation?". The answers (in some cases essays and in some cases a small paragraph) are what form this book.
Like many other works of a cerebral nature, this book is difficult to read in a single sitting. However, it does make for an intellectually stimulating (and sometimes hilarious) read, if tackled peace-meal. The question as you may have noticed, is rather vague. But when you ask some of the brightest minds in the world a question like that, the answers are extremely thought-provoking. The content is mostly related to the field that each contributor represents, but in some cases, the answers are simply a different way of looking at everyday occurrences. This blend of intelligence and common-sense is what makes this book (in my opinion) the intellectual equivalent of the Promethean fire.
In 2012, the Edge Question that was asked to these intellectual stalwarts was "What is your favorite Deep, Elegant or Beautiful explanation?". The answers (in some cases essays and in some cases a small paragraph) are what form this book.
Like many other works of a cerebral nature, this book is difficult to read in a single sitting. However, it does make for an intellectually stimulating (and sometimes hilarious) read, if tackled peace-meal. The question as you may have noticed, is rather vague. But when you ask some of the brightest minds in the world a question like that, the answers are extremely thought-provoking. The content is mostly related to the field that each contributor represents, but in some cases, the answers are simply a different way of looking at everyday occurrences. This blend of intelligence and common-sense is what makes this book (in my opinion) the intellectual equivalent of the Promethean fire.
jakemcc's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable collection of short (1-4 pages) of essays by a varied group of writers. Each author explained some theory that they found elegant. As you expect in a collection of shorter pieces the quality varied.
I lost count at the number of essays that started "I would talk about evolution but I'm sure someone else will." Those essays were not wrong. Quite a few of the entries were about evolution and natural selection.
Because this book is a collection of short essays it was very easy to pick it up, read a bit, and then put back down. This is how I would recommend reading this book so you can give yourself plenty of time to digest whatever explanation(s) you just read.
There were times reading this where I was able to imagine myself studying in a concent as if in the book Anathem. It was a fun book to digest slowly over the month I read it.
I lost count at the number of essays that started "I would talk about evolution but I'm sure someone else will." Those essays were not wrong. Quite a few of the entries were about evolution and natural selection.
Because this book is a collection of short essays it was very easy to pick it up, read a bit, and then put back down. This is how I would recommend reading this book so you can give yourself plenty of time to digest whatever explanation(s) you just read.
There were times reading this where I was able to imagine myself studying in a concent as if in the book Anathem. It was a fun book to digest slowly over the month I read it.
david_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the list of questions (new question every few pages) were excellent. The individual answers were by experts in that field. But you just can't "tweet" answers to these huge questions. Each of these topics deserves an entire book.
The questions were not arranged in a logical order in the book.
The 'answers' felt like someone who had written books on this topic was asked to summarize their assigned topic all on a piece of notebook paper during lunchtime.
I did not come close to finishing this. My recommendation is to use this book as a bibliography/primer, then go and find the real FULL book(s) on these complex topics and read them in their entirety.
The questions were not arranged in a logical order in the book.
The 'answers' felt like someone who had written books on this topic was asked to summarize their assigned topic all on a piece of notebook paper during lunchtime.
I did not come close to finishing this. My recommendation is to use this book as a bibliography/primer, then go and find the real FULL book(s) on these complex topics and read them in their entirety.
camdailey's review against another edition
informative
reflective
3.25
This was really interesting, but only in certain parts. Some parts I was completely hooked and thought were in fact deep, elegant, and beautiful, other times it felt like reading a textbook. But some of it has definitely stuck with me and I learned some interesting things. Overall, I enjoyed most of it. :)
darshbakshi's review against another edition
2.0
this book has some amazing theories and topics and yet it fails to deliver them in a simpler manner. It rather seems as a group of guys showing off thier intellectual abilities to explain some rather easy laws in a complicated way.
drewmiller_'s review against another edition
4.0
If TED talks ever move to a paper format, they'll have some stiff competition. Edge.org, the site behind this tome of beautiful and explanatory ideas, has picked a rich assortment of thinkers and topics. There are some extremely interesting ideas (e.g. the pigeonhole principle) and some clunkers (such as Scott Atran's wholly unpersuasive insistence that morality can't spring from nature). But on the whole, this book will tickle parts of your cerebrum you didn't even know you had.
As Paul Saffo notes in his piece on plate tectonics, "[e]legant explanations are the Kuhnian (referring to [b:The Structure of Scientific Revolutions|61539|The Structure of Scientific Revolutions|Thomas S. Kuhn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396422530s/61539.jpg|1748176]) solvent that leaches the glue from old paradigms, making space for new theories to take hold." This book is a vibrant selection of paradigms that continue to amaze and impress us, written by some of today's greatest thinkers.
As Paul Saffo notes in his piece on plate tectonics, "[e]legant explanations are the Kuhnian (referring to [b:The Structure of Scientific Revolutions|61539|The Structure of Scientific Revolutions|Thomas S. Kuhn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396422530s/61539.jpg|1748176]) solvent that leaches the glue from old paradigms, making space for new theories to take hold." This book is a vibrant selection of paradigms that continue to amaze and impress us, written by some of today's greatest thinkers.
mothwing's review against another edition
3.0
A very enjoyable cake-pop equivalent of science books. This is more a prolonged infomercial potpourri on many topics than a cohesive thing and covers a very broad range of topics indeed.
scarlettletters's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is that dozens of famous thinkers answer the question, "What is the most deep, beautiful, and elegant theory of how the world works?" The answers range from the scientific to the philosophical, from essays of a few pages to quick responses of only a few words. The respondents were from many different fields: science, philosophy, economics, psychology, to name a few. Some ideas came up in multiple essays, some peoples' responses were unique. I will say the book seemed a little bit... self indulgent? at times, but it was interesting to see what these people, many of whom I had heard of, felt was important. Some of the essays get a bit technical; there aren't any equations or anything but they might be a bit hard to understand. Of course, you can always skip the parts you aren't interested in.
kazen's review against another edition
4.0
This book of collected essays asks the question, "What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?" Many people, from Richard Dawkins to Brian Eno to professors you've never heard of (but are amazingly cool), contribute their ideas and theories.
The essays are lovingly ordered so that you flow from biology to physics to neuroscience to psychology in a way that never feels forced or jarring. One writer will expound about, say, the Pigeonhole Theory and the next will use it as a jumping off point for a completely different explanation.
With 150 different contributors there's bound to be dull bits, uneven spots, and a few oddities. Overall, however, the writing quality is high and the content gave me a lot to think about. This is a book to read slowly, maybe five essays a day, so you can ruminate over each idea. A few of my favorite essays are:
- Group Polarization by David G. Myers
- Dirt is Matter Out of Place by Christine Finn (the title gives it away, but hey)
- How Do You Get from a Lobster to a Cat? by John McWhorter
- Lemons are Fast by Barry C. Smith
- Why We Feel Pressed for Time by Elizabeth Dunn
After reading this book I have a healthy store of dinner party chatter and my mind has been opened. If you like a particular writer you can pick up other work they've done, as many are published authors. Even if you don't you'll enjoy the feeling of your mind being tickled by the interesting, elegant theories.
The essays are lovingly ordered so that you flow from biology to physics to neuroscience to psychology in a way that never feels forced or jarring. One writer will expound about, say, the Pigeonhole Theory and the next will use it as a jumping off point for a completely different explanation.
With 150 different contributors there's bound to be dull bits, uneven spots, and a few oddities. Overall, however, the writing quality is high and the content gave me a lot to think about. This is a book to read slowly, maybe five essays a day, so you can ruminate over each idea. A few of my favorite essays are:
- Group Polarization by David G. Myers
- Dirt is Matter Out of Place by Christine Finn (the title gives it away, but hey)
- How Do You Get from a Lobster to a Cat? by John McWhorter
- Lemons are Fast by Barry C. Smith
- Why We Feel Pressed for Time by Elizabeth Dunn
After reading this book I have a healthy store of dinner party chatter and my mind has been opened. If you like a particular writer you can pick up other work they've done, as many are published authors. Even if you don't you'll enjoy the feeling of your mind being tickled by the interesting, elegant theories.
fjp11907's review against another edition
5.0
Very stimulating series of thinker's talks. Led me to read their works.
We truly live in a time of great exploration of all things and in this case how we humans and life in general works.
Be prepared to learn new things that refute what we have taken for granted, thought we understood, or plain just got it wrong
We truly live in a time of great exploration of all things and in this case how we humans and life in general works.
Be prepared to learn new things that refute what we have taken for granted, thought we understood, or plain just got it wrong