Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

There are places in the world where rules are less important than kindness, and other thoughts on physics, philosophy and the world, Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Erica Segre and Simon Carnell

eng

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

There are places in the world where rules are less important than kindness

Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Erica Segre and Simon Carnell

and other thoughts on physics, philosophy and the world

"A delightful intellectual feast from the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time One of the world's most prominent physicists and fearless free spirit, Carlo Rovelli is also a masterful storyteller. His bestselling books have introduced millions of readers to the wonders of modern physics and his singular perspective on the cosmos. This new collection of essays reveals a curious intellect always on the move. Rovelli invites us on an accessible and enlightening voyage through science, literature, philosophy, and politics. Written with his usual clarity and wit, this journey ranges widely across time and space: from Newton's alchemy to Einstein's mistakes, from Nabokov's lepidopterology to Dante's cosmology, from mind-altering psychedelic substances to the meaning of atheism, from the future of physics to the power of uncertainty. Charming, pithy, and elegant, this book is the perfect gateway to the universe of one of the most influential minds of our age"--, Provided by publisher

Aristotle the scientist -- Lolita and the blue icarus -- Newton the alchemist -- Copernicus and Bologna -- My 1977, and that of my friends -- Literature and science: a continuing dialogue -- Dante, Einstein and the three-sphere -- Between certainty and uncertainty: a precious intermediate space -- Bruno de Finetti: uncertainty is not the enemy -- Does science need philosophy? -- The mind of an octopus -- Ideas don't fall from the sky -- The many errors of Einstein -- Some think, O King Hiero, that the grains of sand cannot be counted -- Why does inequality exist? -- Dramatic echoes of ancient wars -- Four questions for politics -- National identity is toxic -- Charles Darwin -- Marie Curie -- The master -- Which science is closer to faith? -- Leopardi and astronomy -- De rerum natura -- Do flying donkeys exist? David Lewis says yes -- We are natural creatures in a natural world -- Emptiness is empty: Nāgārjuna -- Mein Kampf -- Black holes I: the fatal attraction of stars -- Black holes II: the heat of nothingness -- Black holes III: they mystery of the center -- Kip and gravitational waves -- Thank you, Stephen -- Roger Penrose -- Dear baby Jesus -- Certainty and global warming -- Churchill and science -- The infinite divisibility of space -- Ramon Llull: ars magna -- Are we free? -- A stupefying story -- Why I am an atheist -- Hadza -- A day in Africa -- The festive season is over -- This short life feels beautiful to us, now more than ever

adult