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Dreams of a Final Theory

The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature

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Dreams of a Final Theory

By: Steven Weinberg
Narrated by: Stuart Langton
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About this listen

 This is the story of a grand scientific quest: the quest for a unifying theory of nature. Writing with dazzling elegance and clarity, Nobel Prize - winning physicist Steven Weinberg retraces the steps that have led modern scientists from relativity theory and quantum mechanics to the notion of superstrings and the idea that our universe may coexist with others. Along the way, he voices the questions that are always present: Why does each explanation of the way nature works point to other, deeper explanations? Why are the best theories not only logical but beautiful? And what implications will a final theory have for our philosophy and religious faith?

Intellectually daring, rich in anecdote and aphorism, Dreams of a Final Theory launches us into a new cosmos and helps us make sense of what we find there.

©1993 Steven Weinberg (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Environment Science String Theory Black Hole Feel-Good Genetics

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Critic reviews

"A splendid introduction to the nature and ambitions of modern physics and a brilliant and...moving essay on its philosophical implications." ( San Francisco Chronicle)
"Listening to this audiobook, one feels as if one has entered the classroom of a popular physics professor. With a clear tenor voice, [Langton] never falters in this reading, even when tackling the many difficult physics terms." ( AudioFile)
"This splendid book is as good reading about physics and physicists as this reviewer can name...clear, honest, and brilliantly instructive." ( Scientific American)
Most relevant  
This is a bit of a pot pourri of a book that discusses amongst other things science, the scientific method, politics and religion all in the context of the quest for the Final Theory and it's importance to humankind.

The book does this in a way that is entertaining, (unsurprisingly) highly intelligent, blunt and at times very funny. The authors personality is highly apparent in the book and (to me) the reader for the audio version was a very good match. It moves along at a clip and I would guess for most people would demand a fair amount of concentration to follow (it did for me anyway).

It's not a beginners guide, but if you do have a reasonable acquaintance/interest in physics and cosmology and would like to see it from an unusual and entertaining angle, then this book/recording does this very well.

Entertaining, different

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I do agree with the other reviewer about the reader but, personally I felt that the material was great.

Good Material

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Looking for the manual to life, nature, the cosmos, is a human construct and does not exist, even if "a final" solution be written and agreed by all present from everyday folk to everyday political and scientific folk, there is no prerequisite "manual" to compare with to say "yes, there, we have it" as all tomes of belief written by "sentient beings" over centuries of human existence have shown, they will be superceded by others and nausea and the innocently ignorant perpetual incompleteness remains. So, I hear the cry of "What do we do then, just stop and say there is nothing to be done?" the paradoxical irony of our collective consensus says "What will we do?"
I say what we have always done, we think, adapt and stay on our feet, then move on because there are no answers only clues. And just what does that mean, it means that sentient beings are not here to find ultimate truth, because there is no ultimate truth, the manual to all things past, present or future is a sentient construct a paradoxical irony of unbeginning unending beginnings and endings, perpetual uncertainty, perpetual indeterminacy, perpetual incompleteness, perpetual conflict in perpetual motion of eternal returnity. One suggestion is to slow down and adapt to our global collective innocent ignorance, but the paradoxical irony of such a state is itself ironic and perpetually indeterminate. A complete truth or absolute solution is not attainable, sentient constructs are collective and independent always have been always will be. So shall we we commit collective global suicide? no, even that cannot be achieved, the irony remains, entropy rules.
This is not gospel, this is not truth, this is but the eternal clue, love always
Tom O'Rourke 1953...?

Science

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Not a book to be listened to (so well read too) for more than 10 or so minutes at a time
Needs savouring in these small doses as it is so full of interesting facts/ideas.
I am a 76 year old and ‘ curious’ about a huge variety of things- so still have over 700 Audible titles to listen to- and need this slow savouring to let these beautiful(a word SW uses a fair amount in his fascination with his profession of Particle Physisist) thoughts percolate into my consciousness
Thoroughly recommended

Intriguingly Enjoyable

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Thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating book. The reading was also excellent. Highly recommended for anyone looking to expand knowledge on this subject.

Excellent

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A truly excellent book, beautifully written by one of the great figures of 20th century physics. Although it's been written 30 years ago, it's still very relevant. Highly recommended

A truly great book

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This book is out off date in terms of the scientific content as it’s over 20 years old! Also it is narrated by the human with the most boring tone of voice ever recorded!

Out of date!

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The terseness of the speaker is off putting for me, but I suppose he may be emulating the author's character - the words seem to indicate this.

terse

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