Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Hidden Reality Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene – review. W hen Moses asks to see who or what he has been conversing with on Mount Sinai, he is placed in a crevice and told to look out once the radiance has passed (no peeking now!). Anything more than a glimpse of God's receding back, the story implies, would blow his mortal fuses. The equivalent passage in Hindu scripture occurs in the Bhagavad Gita – and, as befitting that most frank of all religions, is more explicit about the nature of the fatal vision. Krishna responds to the warrior Arjuna's request by telling him that no man can bear his naked splendour, then goes right ahead and gives him the necessary upgrade: "divine sight". What follows is one of the wildest, most truly psychedelic episodes in world literature. No longer veiled by a human semblance, Krishna appears in his universal aspect: a boundless, roaring, all-containing cosmos with a billion eyes and mouths, bristling with "heavenly weapons" and ablaze with the light of a thousand suns. The sight is fearsome not only in its manifold strangeness but because its fire is a consuming one. "The flames of thy mouths," a horrified Arjuna cries, "devour all the worlds … how terrible thy splendours burn!" Until recently, a physicist would have regarded this scene as the picturesque delirium of a pre-scientific age. Most still would. And yet the contemplation of the unspeakable flowering of an infinity of worlds is no longer the province of "mystics, charlatans and cranks", as the leading string theorist Michio Kaku has written, but instead occupies "the finest minds on the planet". Welcome to the multiverse. Five hundred years ago, the western mind considered itself the lordly possessor of a solid, unmoving world. It was as recent as the 1920s that Edwin Hubble found galaxies beyond our own, then realised they were racing away from us (some faster than the speed of light, a supposedly impossible feat that is allowed here since it's not the galaxies that are moving but space that's expanding – got it?). And now, as the latest in an increasingly vertiginous series of perspectives, comes the chance that the universe is but one among many: a leaf in a cosmic wood. What is more – as Brian Greene notes in this progress-report on what some are calling the golden age of cosmology – such ideas are not the fevered speculation of autistic savants but "emerge unbidden" from the calculations of physicists. The multiverse can have several forms, depending on the theoretical path you take. In the Quilted Multiverse, Greene explains, the universe's infinite extension in space leads to worlds necessarily repeating themselves (like the endless library in the Borges story, which contains not only every conceivable book but a multitude of "imperfect facsimiles: works which differ only in a letter or a comma"). In the Inflationary Multiverse, universes randomly pop into being like holes in a hyperspatial emmental, then fly apart as the cheese itself – the technical term is "inflaton field" – grows at an exponential rate. It is the stuff of delirium. The Brane Multiverse posits other, unseen universes hovering a whisker from our own. In the chapter on the Simulated Multiverse, Greene sees our universe is a virtual one programmed by an alien civilisation. (As he wryly puts it: "evidence for artificial sentience and simulated worlds is grounds for rethinking the nature of your own reality".) The mother of them all is what Greene calls the Ultimate Multiverse, which states that any world that can be mathematically modelled – or even imagined – must perforce exist. We are back to Arjuna, agog in front of a reality that encompasses "the visions from thy innumerable eyes, the words from thy innumerable mouths". It is a joyfully bewildering concept that flags up the impossibility of the endeavour; surely trying to define All That Exists is like trying to box the wind or weigh a dream. What seems certain, as Greene writes, is that "what we've thought to be the universe is only one component of a far grander, perhaps far stranger, and mostly hidden, reality." And what a delicious irony it is that science, that model of sober investigation, is inexorably returning us to vistas so peculiarly like the deranged imaginings of our "superstitious" past. The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos explores our most current scientific understanding of the universe, the 'string theory' that might hold the key to unifying nature's laws, and our continuing quest to know more. There was a time when 'universe' meant all there is. Everything. Yet, as physicist Brian Greene's extraordinary book shows, ours may be just one universe among many, like endless reflections in a mirror. He takes us on a captivating exploration of parallel . Read More. Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos explores our most current scientific understanding of the universe, the 'string theory' that might hold the key to unifying nature's laws, and our continuing quest to know more. There was a time when 'universe' meant all there is. Everything. Yet, as physicist Brian Greene's extraordinary book shows, ours may be just one universe among many, like endless reflections in a mirror. He takes us on a captivating exploration of parallel worlds - from a multiverse where an infinite number of your doppelgangers are reading this sentence, to vast oceans of bubble universes and even multiverses made of mathematics - showing just how much of reality's true nature may be hidden within them. 'If extraterrestrials land tomorrow and demand to know what the human mind is capable of accomplishing . hand them a copy of this book' The New York Times Book Review 'A writer of exceptional clarity and charm . every chapter opens level after level of previously unimaginable, mind-expanding realities' Oliver Sacks 'The book serves well as an introduction to the multiverse and will open up many people's eyes' John Gribbin Brian Greene is well known to many fans as a populariser of theoretical physics. He is the author of the bestselling books about string theory, The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he has taught at both Harvard and Cornell and has been Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University since 1996. Read Less. All Copies ( 129 ) Softcover ( 74 ) Hardcover ( 47 ) Audiobook ( 6 ) Choose Edition ( 6 ) Book Details Seller Sort. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Halethorpe, MD, USA. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16612667948 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Gloucester, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Available Copies: 5 Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16649916942 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New in new dust jacket. ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Wilmington, DE, USA. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Available Copies: 10+ Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 02/2012 Alibris ID: 16585492084 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. BRAND NEW BOOK! Shipped within 24-48 hours. Normal delivery time is 5-12 days. Please note some orders may be shipped from UK with same delivery timeframe, ***NO EXPEDITED ORDERS*** ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. NEW DELHI, DELHI, INDIA. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16658555138 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Available Copies: 10+ Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16530865860 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. Explores our scientific understanding of the universe, the 'string theory' that might hold the key to unifying nature's laws, and our continuing quest to know more. This book shows, ours may be just one universe among many, like endless reflections in a mirror. ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Available Copies: 2 Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16456127249 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. 384 pages. ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Available Copies: 10+ Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16570445346 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. 2012. Paperback. Explores our scientific understanding of the universe, the 'string theory' that might hold the key to unifying nature's laws, and our continuing quest to know more. This book shows, ours may be just one universe among many, like endless reflections in a mirror. Num Pages: 384 pages. BIC Classification: PGK; PH. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 199 x 132 x 24. Weight in Grams: 286. We ship daily from our Bookshop. ► Contact This Seller. 2012, Penguin Books Ltd. Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM. Edition: 2012, Penguin Books Ltd Mass-market paperback, New Details: ISBN: 0141029811 ISBN-13: 9780141029818 Pages: 384 Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Published: 2012 Alibris ID: 16454213116 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. The bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos tackles perhaps the most mind-bending question in modern physics and cosmology: Is our universe the only universe? There was a time when "universe" meant all there is. Everything. Yet, a number of theories are converging on the possibility that our universe may be but one among many parallel universes populating a vast multiverse. Here, Briane Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a breathtaking journey to a multiverse comprising an endless series of big bangs, a multiverse with duplicates of every one of us, a multiverse populated by vast sheets of spacetime, a multiverse in which all we consider real are holographic illusions, and even a multiverse made purely of math--and reveals the reality hidden within each. Using his trademark wit and precision, Greene presents a thrilling survey of cutting-edge physics and confronts the inevitable question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach? The Hidden Reality is a remarkable adventure through a world more vast and strange than anything we could have imagined. The Hidden Reality. The bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos tackles perhaps the most mind-bending question in modern physics and cosmology: Is our universe the only universe? There was a time when "universe" meant all there is. Everything. Yet, a number of theories are converging on the possibility that our universe may be but one among many parallel universes populating a vast multiverse. Here, Briane Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a breathtaking journey to a multiverse comprising an endless series of big bangs, a multiverse with duplicates of every one of us, a multiverse populated by vast sheets of spacetime, a multiverse in which all we consider real are holographic illusions, and even a multiverse made purely of math--and reveals the reality hidden within each. Using his trademark wit and precision, Greene presents a thrilling survey of cutting-edge physics and confronts the inevitable question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach? The Hidden Reality is a remarkable adventure through a world more vast and strange than anything we could have imagined. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY DEC 20, 2010. "There was a time when universe' meant all there is,' " writes Greene, but soon we may have to redefine that word, along with our own meager understanding of the cosmos. A theoretical physicist and celebrated author, Greene offers intrepid readers another in-depth yet marvelously accessible look inside the perplexing world of modern theoretical physics and cosmology. Greene's book The Elegant Universe explained late 20th-century efforts to find a unified theory of everything, culminating with string theory. But string theory opened up a new can of worms, hinting at the possible existence of multiple universes and other strange entities. The possibility of other universes existing alongside our own like holes in "a gigantic block of Swiss cheese" seems more likely every day. Beginning with relativity theory, the Big Bang, and our expanding universe, Greene introduces first the mind-blowing multiplicity of forms those parallel universes might take, from patchwork quilts or stretchy "branes" to landscapes and holograms riddled with black holes. With his inspired analogies starring everyone from South Park's Eric Cartman to Ms. Pac-Man and a can of Pringles, Greene presents a lucid, intriguing, and triumphantly understandable state-of-the-art look at the universe. Illus. The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Not enough Simpsons in it. Written after Manny's here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/164107224, because somebody has to stand tall and write the tough reviews. Probably one of the most comprehensive and comprehensible books on basically everything I have read. From classic physics to Einstein and string theory to reality are explained. This is definitely not a book for non-science people. Greene does, frequently, give the reader a chance to jump ahead if they do not want to read about the explanation of the theory presented. Greene will give a summary and then go into the science the reader has the choice of listening tot he details or accepting the theory and moving to the next step. As the science gets weirder from Einstein to quantum physics, the explanations become more detailed. Multiple universes, a touch of the hologram theory, white holes, and inflationary multiverses are enough to boggle the average educated mind. audible.com edition read by the author ( ) I am probably doing this book a disservice by reviewing it. The problem is, I listened to the audiobook version of The Hidden Reality. It's not that the author, Brian Greene, who reads the book himself, is a bad narrator. Quite the contrary, I think the guy could do this for a living if he wasn't a theoretical physicist. It's just that it is easy for a mind to wander momentarily when listening and then you miss things. Normally not a problem, but when you're listening to an explanation of string theory or general relativity or the brain-slice multiverse theory, then you may quickly miss the point and have difficulty following the subsequent explanations. And unlike with a book, you cannot just quickly rescan what you've missed, you have to rewind. Anyway, The Hidden Reality is all about how our universe may be just one of the perhaps infinitely many universes in a multiverse. Various possible multiverse theories are explored. There is the inflationary theory, the bubble one, the holographic one, my favorite the simulated multiverse theory and even the ultimate one. The science supporting each such theory is explained, whether be it Newtonian physics, Einstein's relativity, quantum fields or, of course and possibly most prominently, string theory. Quite often Greene resorts to colorful metaphors, such as using Cartman from South Park rolling down the mountain to explain inflationary cosmology, but I wonder if that actually does more harm than good, since it obscures and possibly trivializes the subject. I mean, I didn't quite get it - not that it means anything. Fascinating subjects are broached here, but as I said, one might get more out of it by reading rather than listening to this book, which I once already abandoned listening to due to the problems described above. I am going to try to atone by actually reading one of Greene's previous books on the subject of string theory. ( ) References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (3) No library descriptions found. From the best-selling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos comes his most expansive and accessible book to date—a book that takes on the grandest question: Is ours the only universe? There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space: a multiverse in which you have an infinite number of doppelgängers, each reading this sentence in a distant universe; a multiverse comprising a vast ocean of bubble universes, of which ours is but one; a multiverse that endlessly cycles through time, or one that might be hovering millimeters away yet remains invisible; another in which every possibility allowed by quantum physics is brought to life. Or, perhaps strangest of all, a multiverse made purely of math. Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them. And, with his unrivaled ability to make the most challenging of material accessible and entertaining, Greene tackles the core question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach? Sparked by Greene’s trademark wit and precision, The Hidden Reality is at once a far-reaching survey of cutting-edge physics and a remarkable journey to the very edge of reality—a journey grounded firmly in science and limited only by our imagination. ------L'autore dei bestseller L'universo elegante e La trama del cosmo affronta in questo libro la domanda delle domande: il nostro è l'unico universo? Un tempo, la parola universo significava tutto ciò che esiste. Ogni cosa. Ma negli ultimi anni le scoperte della fisica e della cosmologia hanno portato un certo numero di scienziati a concludere che il nostro universo potrebbe essere uno dei molti esistenti. Con una prosa cristallina e un uso ispirato dell'analogia, Brian Greene illustra il ventaglio delle proposte di «multiverso » che emergono da teorie sviluppate per spiegare le sofisticate osservazioni delle particelle subatomiche e delle oscure profondità dello spazio: un multiverso in cui chi sta leggendo questa frase ha un numero infinito di doppi che leggono la stessa frase in universi distanti; un multiverso che comprende un vasto oceano di universi-bolla, dei quali il nostro non è che uno; un multiverso che nel corso del tempo attraversa lo stesso ciclo all'infinito, un altro che forse è sospeso a pochi millimetri da noi e tuttavia rimane invisibile, un altro ancora in cui ogni possibilità permessa dalla fisica quantistica prende vita. Da ultimo un multiverso, forse il piú strano di tutti, fatto esclusivamente di matematica. Greene, uno dei piú importanti fisici e scrittori di scienza, ci guida in un'avvincente esplorazione di questi mondi paralleli, che rivela quanta parte della vera natura della realtà potrebbe essere nascosta al loro interno. Con la sua impareggiabile capacità di rendere comprensibili e gradevoli gli argomenti piú impegnativi, affronta la domanda essenziale: come può progredire la scienza se vaste regioni della realtà sono inaccessibili? Anche grazie all'arguzia e alla precisione caratteristiche di Greene, La realtà nascosta è al contempo una rassegna di ampia portata della fisica d'avanguardia e un viaggio straordinario al confine stesso della realtà - un viaggio basato saldamente sulla scienza e limitato soltanto dalla nostra immaginazione. (piopas)