Until the End of Time

Oct 11, 2024 2:25 PM

Author:Brian Greene

From the world-renowned physicist and bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, a captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose

In both time and space, the cosmos is astoundingly vast, and yet is governed by simple, elegant, universal mathematical laws.

On this cosmic timeline, our human era is spectacular but fleeting. Someday, we know, we will all die. And, we know, so too will the universe itself.

Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time, from our most refined understanding of the universe's beginning, to the closest science can take us to the very end. He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos, and how our minds, in coming to understand their own impermanence, seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in story, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and our longing for the timeless, or eternal. Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality-from the quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes-Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed.

Yet all this understanding, which arose with the emergence of life, will dissolve with its conclusion. Which leaves us with one realization: during our brief moment in the sun, we are tasked with the charge of finding our own meaning.

Let us embark.

Reviews

A cracking read...Greene serves up plenty of revelatory detail... If you want to know how everything got here and where it's going, read this book.

—— Stephen Bleach , Sunday Times

Until the End of Time is encyclopaedic in its ambition and its erudition, often heartbreaking, stuffed with too many profundities that I wanted to quote, as well as anecdotes from Greene's own life - of which we should wish for more - that had me laughing ... A love letter to the ephemeral cosmic moment when everything is possible.

—— Dennis Overbye , New York Times

It takes a storyteller to explain the sciences, and few are as gifted as Brian Greene. There's real wonder in his descriptions of galaxies and planets forming, and of life blooming after that. It is all part of a fleeting moment in the cosmos - one that will eventually end - yet Greene finds meaning and optimism in everything around us.

—— Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

With charm, unwavering enthusiasm, and a lot of cartoons, Math Without Numbers waltzes the reader through a garden of higher mathematics

—— Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not To Be Wrong

Math Without Numbers explores deep mathematical topics-and shows how mathematicians think-in completely readable prose. The puzzles and games are bonuses. Very enjoyable

—— Will Shortz, crossword editor , The New York Times

The book's accessible language and illustrations makes understanding some of the most complex (and possibly most intimidating) math concepts feel as effortless as breathing. Beckman's approachable writing and Erazo's delightful illustration combine to tell an insightful and entertaining story about math

—— Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, co-authors of Dear Data

This is the book for you if you've ever been curious about the wonderful ideas and concepts underlying modern math, but been too frightened to make a start. Milo Beckman gives us a friendly introduction to unfamiliar concepts and ideas that show why modern math is such a fascinating and rewarding branch of human thought

—— Graham Farmelo, author of The Universe Speaks in Numbers

Math Without Numbers offers an accessible and whimsically illustrated glimpse of what pure mathematicians study, all while capturing the playful spirit with which they do it

—— Grant Sanderson, creator of 3blue1brown

A playful paean to the pleasures of studying higher math...Readers with an abundance of curiosity and the time to puzzle over Beckman's many examples, riddles, and questions, will make many fascinating discoveries

—— Publishers Weekly

A remarkably wide-ranging new meditation on quantum theory. . . With the light touch of a skilled storyteller. . . Rovelli is not afraid to mix quantum physics and eastern philosophy

—— Manjit Kumar , Guardian

A great tonic for long-isolated minds . . . a thrilling story, written with Rovelli's accustomed wit and panache. After reading him, you'll look at the grains of beach sand between your toes with an entirely new eye

—— Irish Independent

Inspiring. . . Without mathematics or experiment, by page 81 your thoughts are at the frontier of quantum theory

—— Alexander Masters , Spectator

A delight . . . it is a pleasure to travel in Rovelli's company

—— New Statesman

Travelogue meets biography meets a masterful explanation of quantum theory in this warm and fascinating account

—— Guardian

Explained with uncanny insight and lyrical grace

—— Time

A new vision, one with a remarkable power in delivering new answers to old quantum riddles. . . original and graceful

—— Jenann T. Ismael , TLS

Bracing and refreshing. . . Rovelli is offering a new way to understand not just the world but our place in it, too

—— NPR

Carlo Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator. . . What I love about his writing is that it always comes back to people -- people interacting with other people, who are interacting with their world. This is the place where science comes to life

—— Neil Gaiman

When life feels strange, Rovelli's books remind me that there is beauty in the strangeness

—— Johny Pitts

Rovelli is a brilliant and lucid teacher who uses his understanding of theoretical physics and the quantum world to talk about the complexity of our everyday reality

—— Russell Brand

Carlo Rovelli's imaginative rigour, his lively humour and his beautiful writing are inspiring

—— Erica Wagner

Rovelli opens windows onto the imagination for all of us

—— Antony Gormley

I always find with Carlo Rovelli's books that there are moments when you get a real hit of understanding -- a jigsaw in your mind that just falls into place

—— Robin Ince

Helgoland is a wonderful guide to the most extraordinary story in physics. It will reset your view of the universe

—— Marcus du Sautoy

Hooked me so hard I read the entire book in one sitting. And then twice more

—— Lisa Feldman Barrett , Chronicle of Higher Education

The old, solid world, if you believed in it at all, breaks into a glorious shimmer of limitless potential

—— Brian Morton , Tablet

Rovelli has an uncanny knack for instilling wonder and explaining complex theories in plain, entertaining ways

—— Irish Times

I'm keen for everyone to read Helgoland: a wonderfully lucid and poetic account of the foundations of quantum physics. It combines a compelling history with Rovelli's own intriguing - and for me very appealing - views about the basis of all things

—— Anil Seth, author of Being You

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