“Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions” by Sabine Hossenfelder

Main Index / Reviews Index / Nonfiction Reviews Index / 2023 Reviews Index

Rating: 3/5 Stars

An interesting book where the author tackles some of the essential questions, and what does physics have to say about them. The author is careful to state what current day physics can actually say, before pulling in more ideas that are, in her view, not supported by the data or evidence that we know about the workings of the universe.

In a series of chapters, questions about the past, present and future (time), how the universe began, free will and consciousness are asked and answered. More speculative questions posed include whether the universe itself can think and whether humans are predictable.

You may or may not agree with her conclusions, but posing and trying to answer the questions will give you an idea about the limits of current day physics. And perhaps we have to accept that some questions may never have adequate answers.

Book read from 2023/03/01 to 2023/03/09