Ultimate Explanations Of The Universe

Book Summary

We humans are collectively driven by a powerful yet not fully explained instinct a " to understand. We would like to see everything established, proven, laid bare. We want nothing to remain without rationale, such that all suspicion, all doubt, all questions are removed. The more important an issue, the more we desire to see it clarified, stripped of all secrets, all shades of grey. Yet this longing for "ultimate explanations" is in itself immune from being the subject of an "ultimate explanation," for when we try to understand it, we are immediately faced with the following question: what does it mean "to understand"? This sophisticated but nontechnical book addresses our attempts to find ultimate explanations using rational argument, mathematics and physical law. It demonstrates that we have come a long way but that the "ultimate" may remain elusive.

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