The Janus Point: A New Theory of Time

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A ground-breaking challenge to our understanding of the universe and a brilliant solution with radical implications for our understanding of the nature of time itself. What is time The Janus Point offers a ground-breaking solution to one of the greatest mysteries in physics. For over a century, the greatest minds have sought to understand why time seems to flow in one direction, ever forward. In The Janus Point, Julian Barbour offers a radically new answer- it doesn't. At the heart of this book, Barbour provides a new vision of the Big Bang - the Janus Point - from which time flows in two directions, its currents driven by the expansion of the universe and the growth of order in the galaxies, planets and life itself. What emerges is not just a revolutionary new theory of time, but a hopeful argument about the destiny of our universe. 'Both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought' Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics 'Profound...original...accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time' Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal 'Takes on fundamental questions, offering a new perspective on how the Universe started and where it may be headed' Science Magazine

Reviews

Julian Barbour is a profound and original thinker with the boldness to tackle some of nature's deepest problems. He is also a fine writer, and this renders his book - despite its conceptual depth - accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time -- Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and former President of the Royal Society
With a rare humanity and a perspective based on a lifetime of study, Barbour writes a book that is both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought -- Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics
The origin of the arrow of time is arguably the most important conceptual problem in cosmology, and the prospect that it can be solved in a universe where time flows "backward" in the far past is as exciting as it is provocative. In this engaging book, Julian Barbour conveys this excitement admirably -- Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here
The Janus Point shows history-in-the-making: a project to recast the foundations of all of cosmology, gravity, thermodynamics and the arrow of time. The book has given me a lot to ponder. As Gauss said of Riemann's habilitation lecture, '[it] exceeded my expectations' -- Bill Unruh, Professor of Physics at University of British Columbia
Julian Barbour has no peer when it comes to explaining scientific ideas in a way that is accessible without being simplistic -- Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash

Author Bio

Julian Barbour is a former Visiting Professor in Physics at the University of Oxford and author of the highly regarded The Discovery of Dynamics and the bestseller The End of Time. His papers have been published in the world's most prestigious scientific journals, including Nature, Proceedings of the Royal Society and Physical Review Letters and he has made numerous appearances on national radio, television and in various documentaries. The Janus Point is his first book in twenty years and the culmination of five decades' work.