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pezski 's review for:
Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity
by Carlo Rovelli
I confess that I was a little underwhelmed by Rovelli's [b:Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|25734172|Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|Carlo Rovelli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443551746l/25734172._SY75_.jpg|42912214] - not really through any fault of the author, simply that I read enough popular science that it was a little too introductory for me. Here, though, the physicist has produced a truly great science book on the history and current state of research on quantum gravity - or, to be more precise, the theory of Loop Quantum Gravity, which seems to be more promising that String Theory.
In writing that is somehow both wonderfully poetic and extremely clear, Professor Rovelli spends the first half of the book giving an overview of the history of scientific thought, going all the way back to Democritus (Oh! Imagine the world we would live in had his works not been suppressed and destroyed, ideas not rediscovered until Newton!), through Copernicus and Galileo, Newton, Faraday and Maxwell, Einstein, and many others, before coming into the quantum age. He often manages to foreshadow his points, preparing the reader ahead of time so the information is more readily absorbed, and giving real world examples of the utility of these great discoveries.
When he pivots to the hard work of explaining quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the author warns that things are about to get tricky - and they do - but his continued clarity manages to transfer at least a semblance of understanding of this difficult field.
I certainly know more about the subject than I did before - if only the broad points - and feel my brain has expanded, which is just what I want from a pop sci book.
Highly recommended.
In writing that is somehow both wonderfully poetic and extremely clear, Professor Rovelli spends the first half of the book giving an overview of the history of scientific thought, going all the way back to Democritus (Oh! Imagine the world we would live in had his works not been suppressed and destroyed, ideas not rediscovered until Newton!), through Copernicus and Galileo, Newton, Faraday and Maxwell, Einstein, and many others, before coming into the quantum age. He often manages to foreshadow his points, preparing the reader ahead of time so the information is more readily absorbed, and giving real world examples of the utility of these great discoveries.
When he pivots to the hard work of explaining quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the author warns that things are about to get tricky - and they do - but his continued clarity manages to transfer at least a semblance of understanding of this difficult field.
I certainly know more about the subject than I did before - if only the broad points - and feel my brain has expanded, which is just what I want from a pop sci book.
Highly recommended.