Read Online When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought Jim Holt 9780374538422 Books

Download As PDF : When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought Jim Holt 9780374538422 Books

From Jim Holt, the New York Times bestselling author of Why Does the World Exist?, comes an entertaining and accessible guide to the most profound scientific and mathematical ideas of recent centuries in When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought.

Does time exist? What is infinity? Why do mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down? In this scintillating collection, Holt explores the human mind, the cosmos, and the thinkers who’ve tried to encompass the latter with the former. With his trademark clarity and humor, Holt probes the mysteries of quantum mechanics, the quest for the foundations of mathematics, and the nature of logic and truth. Along the way, he offers intimate biographical sketches of celebrated and neglected thinkers, from the physicist Emmy Noether to the computing pioneer Alan Turing and the discoverer of fractals, Benoit Mandelbrot. Holt offers a painless and playful introduction to many of our most beautiful but least understood ideas, from Einsteinian relativity to string theory, and also invites us to consider why the greatest logician of the twentieth century believed the U.S. Constitution contained a terrible contradiction―and whether the universe truly has a future.

Read Online When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought Jim Holt 9780374538422 Books

"Only the introduction describes how the two great men walked together at Princeton. The rest of the chapters are the author's simplified explanations of his understanding of the latest thinking in relativity and mathematics. He asserts Godel said time does not exist but doesn't explain the notion well. Time need not be a factor in Einstein's equations. But that doesn't mean it isn't a consequence of being in a particular frame of reference. Otherwise rocket scientists wouldn't be able to reach their targets!"

Product details Paperback 384 pages Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Reprint edition (May 14, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0374538425

Tags : When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought [Jim Holt] on . <b>From Jim Holt, the New York Times</i> bestselling author of Why Does the World Exist?</i>,Jim Holt,When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought,Farrar, Straus and Giroux,0374538425,010102 FSG Paper,Cosmology,Essays,GENERAL,General Adult,Literary Collections/Essays,MATHEMATICS / Essays,Mathematics/Essays,Non-Fiction,PHILOSOPHY / Essays,Philosophy/Essays,SCIENCE / Essays,Science/Cosmology,Science/Math,science writing; science essays; scientific essays; quantum physics; quantum mechanics; logic; books about logic; cosmology; physics; philosophical essays; philosophical books; philosophy; mystery of the universe; popular science; string theory; essays; essay collections; science biography; scientists biographies; mathematics; math; books for math lovers; higher math; science history; math history

When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought Jim Holt 9780374538422 Books Reviews :

When Einstein Walked with Gödel Excursions to the Edge of Thought Jim Holt 9780374538422 Books Reviews

• Three men – Werner Heisenberg, Kurt Godel, and Noam Chomsky – walk into a bar and order a drink. Heisenberg says, “Well there’s three of us and we’re ordering drinks so we must be inside a joke. I just can’t tell if it’s funny or not.”
  Godel replies, “Even if it’s funny, the three of us won't be able to prove it.”
  Chomski says, “What are you talking about? Of course it’s funny. You’re just telling it wrong!”
  
  Simply put, if you find the above amusing (BTW this joke is not in the book), then you are the type of person who will enjoy this volume. Holt presents a compendium of essays he has written over the past two decades for The NYROB, The New Yorker, The NY Times and other various periodicals.
  
  He displays his usual wit and ability to cut to the core of various metaphysical and ethical issues and foundational issues in physics. There is always a refreshing point of view or unique distillation of core concepts in each of his essays.
  
  This is a highly entertaining volume and the essays can be read at leisure and out-of-sequence without any loss of enjoyment. Also highly recommended is Holt’s previous volume WHY DOES THE WORLD EXIST?
• When Einstein Walked with Godel is a competent and articulate survey of contemporary problems in physics, mathematics and philosophy. It contains biographical insights into some of the most interesting intellectuals of the twentieth century. And one cannot doubt the fact that the author is genuinely interested in describing what would otherwise be academic arcana in a palatable fashion to the public. And yet, I think the book is unintentionally evil. Let me describe why.
  
  Holt states that he intends his essays to go to the depth of a cocktail party discussion. But, as one reads on and on, it becomes increasingly obvious that the book is discussing some of the most important questions that can be asked. What is truth? What is the likely end of the universe? Can the human mind fathom the underlying laws of nature? Why does mathematics describe the world so well? And on and on.
  
  If you are the kind of person who thinks these questions are mainly good for entertainment at dinner parties then you will enjoy the hor dourves sized essays in this book. Ultimately however, while these questions may be irresolvable with the common consent of the human race, it is necessary for every person to try to answer these as best they can. Our answers may be partial—might even contradict one another—but at least we can be fully mature human beings who can give a reasonable account of our life.
  
  To relegate the deepest questions to cocktail party subjects is, paradoxically, to provide an answer I only care about how much fun I can have at cocktail parties.
  
  So while I actually enjoyed reading the book and getting an hor dourves sized taste of some subjects I hadn’t known about, I don’t recommend purchasing it. There is too much of a flippant attitude--of “Oh isn’t it interesting. This scientist just proved the universe will end in a reverse of the Big Bang called the Big Crunch. Can you pass the stuffed mushrooms?”
  
  Well written, interesting material but with an essentially pernicious attitude. Not recommended.
• A wonderful set of essays, principally covering mathematical topics. Where he reached into philosophy, principally in the final 50 pages, my interest faded somewhat. The author clearly has two assets which so rarely go hand in hand (i) a deep understanding of his subject matter and (ii) a splendid ability to explain. I shall return to individual essays frequently.
• Only the introduction describes how the two great men walked together at Princeton. The rest of the chapters are the author's simplified explanations of his understanding of the latest thinking in relativity and mathematics. He asserts Godel said time does not exist but doesn't explain the notion well. Time need not be a factor in Einstein's equations. But that doesn't mean it isn't a consequence of being in a particular frame of reference. Otherwise rocket scientists wouldn't be able to reach their targets!
• Excellent book, that opens your mind to new possibilities. And you will never look at mathematics the same way. Same goes for mathematicians. It’s written in an easy to understand manner. Not highly technical, but I found it challenging, also never thought of philosophy and science being so closely aligned. But now I do. I will say though, the chapters on infinity seem to go on forever and get really long at the end.
• This book seems to be just a collection of independent and disjointed essays on physics and math, most supplying some history and then a nexus with a more recent player. If read separately, each section, chapter, whatever, tells a story that may have interest or may not. The tales range from anecdotes on Einstein, Turing, Pascal, and the list goes on. There are a back to back pieces, one on infinity and the other on the infinitesimal. There seems to be a need in each to supply some humorous anecdote containing the topic at hand, then some historical context and then some recent contributor.
  
  Overall some are of interest, some are rather dull and they all seem hung together wanting a reason for even being there. The book briefly discusses Einstein and Godel but only so briefly. Thus I would strongly agree with other reviewers that the Title is deceptive at best.
  
  It has some interesting parts, what is new and of interest may be the sections on current day players. Yet I was disappointed in the rather disjointed nature of the work, as if it were just a cut and paste of previous writings.
• A superb collection of short essays on a wide-ranging set of subjects in science, mathematics and philosophy. Holt’s skills as a writer are unmatched and he communicates his understanding of the different subjects so well that readers fooled into thinking they are geniuses. Best book I have read this year.