Probable impossibilities : musings on beginnings and endings / Alan Lightman.
"Before the discovery of quarks, we hadn't imagined anything smaller than protons and neutrons. Are quarks the end of the line, the smallest imaginable objects in nature? Can the universe be divided into infinitely smaller units in the same way the universe is ever-expanding? Alan Lightman explores these questions in his characteristic accessible and lyrical prose, considering the igniting element behind consciousness, the origin of life, the anatomy of a smile, our fickle memories. Probable Impossibilities brings together recently published and four original essays. Throughout, Lightman guides a discussion on what we know of the universe, life, the mind, and the conception of things vastly larger than ourselves in time and space"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781524749019
- ISBN: 152474901X
- Physical Description: 197 pages ; 20 cm
- Edition: First edition
- Publisher: New York : Pantheon Books, [2021]
- Copyright: ©2021
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-197).
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Probable impossibilities -- Between nothingness and infinity -- What came before the big bang? -- On nothingness -- Atoms -- Modern Prometheus -- One hundred billion -- Smile -- The anatomy of attention -- Immortality -- The ghost house of my childhood -- In defense of disorder -- Miracles -- Our lonely home in nature -- Is life special? -- Cosmic biocentrism -- The man who knows infinity.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Cosmology.
Metaphysics.
Philosophy of mind.
Physics > Philosophy. - Genre:
- Essays.
Available copies
- 15 of 16 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 16 total copies.
Show All Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | 523.1 LIG (Text) | 36015000391561 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
