Description
Tackling the "darkest question in all of philosophy" with "raffish erudition" (Dwight Garner, New York Times), author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway bestseller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers, "testing the contentions of one against the theories of the other" (Jeremy Bernstein, Wall Street Journal). As he interrogates his list of ontological culprits, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God versus the Big Bang. This "deft and consuming" (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) narrative humanizes the profound questions of meaning and existence it confronts.
About the Author
Jim Holt, a prominent essayist and critic on philosophy, mathematics, and science, is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Review of Books. He lives in New York City.
Reviews
"Holt has a religious temperament, if not a religion, and he thinks the notion of God is a possible explanation of the mystery of being rather than the reverse or the refusal of one... [He] is an expert juggler of the paradoxes that go with so many kinds of negation...the fun of his quest has to do not only with what he wants to know but with his eagerness for live dialogue." -- Michael Wood "The author takes on the origin of everything in this wonderfully ambitious book encompassing mathematics, theology, physics, ethics and more." -- Michael S. Roth
Awards
Short-listed for National Book Critics Circle Award 2012. Long-listed for ALA Carnegie Medal 2013.
Book Information
ISBN 9780871403599
Author Jim Holt
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 277g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 23mm
About the Author
Jim Holt, a prominent essayist and critic on philosophy, mathematics, and science, is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Review of Books. He lives in New York City.
Reviews
"Holt has a religious temperament, if not a religion, and he thinks the notion of God is a possible explanation of the mystery of being rather than the reverse or the refusal of one... [He] is an expert juggler of the paradoxes that go with so many kinds of negation...the fun of his quest has to do not only with what he wants to know but with his eagerness for live dialogue." -- Michael Wood "The author takes on the origin of everything in this wonderfully ambitious book encompassing mathematics, theology, physics, ethics and more." -- Michael S. Roth
Awards
Short-listed for National Book Critics Circle Award 2012. Long-listed for ALA Carnegie Medal 2013.
Book Information
ISBN 9780871403599
Author Jim Holt
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 277g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 23mm
