Sort of corny to say something is life-affirming, but Badiou's work on mathematics has been such an essential touchstone for me recently when it comesSort of corny to say something is life-affirming, but Badiou's work on mathematics has been such an essential touchstone for me recently when it comes to reading & reflecting on my own ways of thinking. Loved, thank you Mr. Badiou...more
Gowers has a lot of fascinating ideas about abstraction in mathematics but he's by no means an excellent writerGowers has a lot of fascinating ideas about abstraction in mathematics but he's by no means an excellent writer...more
in many ways the first six chapters function as an updated-with-bonus-history-content version of Kaku's Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Hin many ways the first six chapters function as an updated-with-bonus-history-content version of Kaku's Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos, which is neither a good nor a bad thing. but the last chapter is more of what i was expecting from the title: situating our quest for a theory of everything within a greater human quest for meaning, or for God. in that sense this book was perfect, but i did wish the book did more to challenge our reliance on the gold standard of the Scientific Method as opposed to embracing other forms of truth--like beauty, which he touches on, or pure mathematics. i also think his conflation of symmetry with beauty is not only inaccurate but also probably a direct result of his preoccupation with the string theory. wish there was more credence given to other "theories of everything," but as string theory/M-theory are his wheelhouses it's expected for him to mostly remain there. thank god he's good at what he does!...more
quantum mechanics & special relativity are almost too cursory in their overview and the lessons lack a true sense of coherence despite Rovelli's attemquantum mechanics & special relativity are almost too cursory in their overview and the lessons lack a true sense of coherence despite Rovelli's attempts to unify them. the parts about loop quantum gravity are of particular (hah) interest -- which makes sense as Rovelli is one of the founders of the theory. i wish the articles stayed articles and we got an entry-level book on just loop quantum gravity! once again Rovelli takes on super interesting ideas with an easy to grasp writing style, yet his inability to imbue his writing with purpose or clarity causes it to fall short of success....more
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