One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade “Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book.” –The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, and Helgoland, comes a concise, elegant exploration of time.Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to “flow”? Do we exist … we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to “flow”? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike.
For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe.
Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.
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Physics, Metaphysics, and Poetry. I read the Audible version of this while driving to my hometown in another State (a solid book for such a mid-distance, 6 ish hr drive) and thus had the unique pleasure of having Alan Turing himself (as played in The Imitation Game and read here by Benedict Cumberbatch) lecture me on theoretical physics, metaphysics, philosophy, and poetry. If you’re looking for a more concrete look at the exact theoretical physics at hand… this isn’t the book you’re going to want to pick up. If you’re looking for more of an easy-read, high-level, pop science level look at whether or not time exists… this is a very good book from that perspective. And indeed, ultimately the text is all about perspective. At the most distinct levels, time simply does not exist, according to Rovelli. And yet obviously we humans experience time. So how can these two prior statements be resolved? Read this book for Rovelli’s solid examination into the question and attempt at resolving this seeming paradox. Very much recommended. Particularly the Audible. 🙂
Well-written and fascinating; I love how the author weaves bits of poetry into a book about time and space…it seems appropriate, since many of the concepts he discusses require a poetic frame of mind to grasp. I have to say, by the end of the book I was thoroughly confused about exactly what “time” is…but that was the author’s goal, and it was a wonderful ride.
wonderfully nerdy but readable, poetic at times
Dense but worthwhile examinations.
Another fascinating book by Carlos Rovelli, which explores the dynamic of time. I found the physics explanation of time fascinating. The author does a good job of making the material approachable and provides some useful insights into time and how we experience it. If you’re interested in the physics of time, this is a good book to read.
“Time is an expression of a moving universe, nothing more. It has a beginning and an end like any dimension you measure. You only imagine that it exists independently because you lack imagination.” (Al-Ghazali, Baghdad, 1100 A.D.)
“Time does not exist.” (Rovelli, 2018)
I always enjoy reading books discussing scientific ideas without indulging into formulas, equations, and technicalities. Carlo Rovelli did a great job in this book. Just read it. I believe all people need to understand this concept.
Sophisticated, erudite, and worth reading. It may be light on the mathematics but that makes it accessible and readable. I would definitely recommend.
Some of the most poetic and thought-provoking science writing I have ever encountered. Kudos also to the translators – Erica Segre and Simon Carnell.
We start with familiar territory – time-dilation due to gravity and near-light-speed travel – and move though into aspects of time that make its true nature harder and harder to grasp…until we find ourselves in a landscape altogether without time, asking ourselves what this thing is, that we so take for granted.
And to crown it all, is time somehow dependent upon we who percieve it..?
An excellent explanation of how time is viewed by a contemporary physicist. I wish it went a little deeper into the theory of loop quantum gravity,