• Masters of the universe
  What is the purpose of existence? Is there an afterlife? Is there anyone else out there? It's not every day we confront the big questions about life, the universe and everything. But, seizing on our increased interest in this search for meaning, three of our finest thinkers - scientist Richard Dawkins, cosmologist Paul Davies and playwright Michael Frayn - are getting to grips with these existential dilemmas in their new books.
  in Science > Simulation with philosophy simulation universe
• Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the Participating Observer: Henry P. Stapp
  In his new book, Stapp insists that the "causal closure of the physical", in particular concerning quantum theory, is an untenable myth. He elaborates on ideas of Bohr, von Neumann, Heisenberg and, from a philosophical point of view, James and Whitehead to sketch a complex picture in which the physical and the mental are emphatically conditioned by each other. Stapp's wide-ranging proposal offers stimulating reading, a strong sense of conceptual coherence and intuitive appeal, and empirical predictions that deserve to be refined and tested.
  in Miscellaneous > Books > Want List with philosophy physics
• On Physics and Philosophy: Bernard d'Espagnat
  This highly credentialed French physicist applies the disciplines of quantum field theory and philosophy to refute assumptions commonly held by scientists, philosophers, and lay people about what is "real," and to sort out such views as are consonant with experimental data. I take pleasure in D'Espangnat's clean writing, his dedication to accuracy, and his insistence on addressing the ground from which our concepts arise. Here D'Espagnat expands on his earlier work regarding "veiled reality." The book is accessible to lay intellectuals who like to savor ideas and reflect on them.
  in Miscellaneous > Books > Want List with philosophy physics
• Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story
  Whether framed philosophically as “Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?”... the metaphysical mystery about how we came into existence remains the most fractious and fascinating question of all time. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt ... contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God vs. the Big Bang. Whether interviewing a cranky Oxford philosopher, a Physics Nobel Laureate, or a French Buddhist monk...
  in Miscellaneous > Books > Want List with books philosophy physics

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