Vol 15 | No 3 • Winter 2020 38 Book review SA Ophthalmology Journal The Big Picture. On the origin of life, meaning, and the universe itself Author: Sean Carroll Year of publication: 2016 Number of pages: 467 Reviewer: Clive Novis ([email protected]) ean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at the discussed in detail. Statistics and the laws of carbon dioxide so as to release the free energy SCalifornia Institute of Technology. He was probability are vital for trying to get as close contained within that molecule? born in 1966 and is a master at simplifying to the truth as possible. This is especially Part five: Thinking, neuroscience, and and explaining difficult physics concepts so important in the biomedical fields where so theories of consciousness. The controversial that the intelligent layman can get some sort much uncertainty exists. Cognitive biases topic of free will has been discussed by of understanding of these things. need to be avoided. Doctors need to have a philosophers and scientists for a long time. What is ‘naturalism’? Naturalism is the good grasp of these concepts in order to make Poetic naturalism has a very satisfying belief in natural laws (of physics), rejecting judgements about issues that affect the health solution: there is no such thing as free will any supernatural beliefs and superstitions. and well-being of our patients and of society if you are talking about atoms, sub-atomic ‘Poetic naturalism’ is what this book is all as a whole. particles and quantum wave functions, which about and is Dr Carroll’s main world view. Part three is entitled ‘Essence’ and here is the underlying stuff of which our brains Poetic naturalism is a philosophical approach Dr Carroll tries to explain the ‘Core Theory’ are made. But there sure is free will if you’re to naturalism which encourages a variety of of reality. The core theory consists of two talking about the brain as an organ of a ways to talk about the world, using language parts: ‘the standard model’ which is the human being alive in the natural world today. dependent on what’s being discussed. model of quantum mechanics, quantum Part six: Caring. Now Dr Carroll softens This book is divided into six parts: fields, particles and forces. The other part of the rigorous scientific thinking to discuss Part one discusses the fundamental nature the core theory is general relativity and the morality and the meaning of human life. In of reality (philosophers call this the study explanation of gravity. the penultimate chapter of the book (chapter of ontology), time, and the evolution of the Part four is entitled ‘Complexity’, with 49), Dr Carroll uses the Ten Commandments cosmos as a whole. Also discussed are the entropy being the focus of attention (back to as a basis for an updated ‘Ten Considerations’ second law of thermodynamics, the laws of the second law of thermodynamics). The only for us modern humans. He says that conservation of momentum and determinism reason complex structures (like living things) the important distinction is not between in general. These give rise to very deep form, explains Carroll, is that the universe ‘naturalists’ (like himself) and ‘theists’ but it’s questions and Carroll says that we have every is undergoing a gradual evolution from very between people who care enough about the right to ask them, but we have no right to low to very high entropy. The difficult concept universe to make an effort to understand it demand answers that will satisfy us! of ‘energy’ is discussed, including how living and those who simply take it for granted. Part two is all about understanding and things store energy in the form of ATP If another lockdown comes and I am how we learn about the world. Principles of molecules inside mitochondria. Did you know granted only one book to read or re-read, this statistics are explained, and Bayes theorem is that the ‘purpose’ of life is to hydrogenate book would definitely be on my short list. .