A Beautiful Question: Finding Nature's Deep Design

(Paperback)

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Description

A Nobel Prize-winning physicist argues that beauty is the fundamental organizing principle for the entire universe In this scientific tour de force, world-class physicist Frank Wilczek argues that beauty is at the heart of the logic of the universe. As the quest to find the beauty embodied in the universe has connected all scientific pursuit, from Pythagoras to Einstein, Wilczek shows us just how deeply intertwined our ideas about beauty and art are with our understanding of the cosmos. A Beautiful Question is a mind-expanding book combining the age-old human quest for beauty with the age-old human quest for truth.

Reviews

A truly beautiful book ... Why do physicists call their theories beautiful Immerse yourself in this book, wallow in it, sit back and relax as you wander through it, and you'll soon understand. -- Richard Muller, author of Physics for Future Presidents
Anyone who wants to see how science and transcendence can be compatible must read this book. Wilczek has caught the winds of change, and his thinking breaks through some sacred boundaries with curiosity, insight, and intellectual power. -- Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Illuminating ... A fresh perspective on modern scientific thinking from an expert with a flair for jargon-free exposition ... Wilczek writes A Beautiful Question with bracing pizzazz ... Contains more beef than many a finely written scientific potboiler. -- Graham Farmelo * Guardian *
The first book I've read in which I've felt that almost vertiginous sensation of peering through layers of theories down to the true nature of the universe ... At times this is a challenging text, but it is well worth the effort. Wilczek is admirably clear in his explanations. -- Lewis Dartnell * Telegraph *
It's rare that scientists as brilliant as Wilczek give us a glimpse of what goes on inside their heads ... Expect to come away pretty dazzled. * BBC Focus *
[A] searching and earnest book ... The book of a love-struck physicist ... A Beautiful Question is a meditation. -- Amy X. Wang * Slate *
A Beautiful Question is both a brilliant exploration of largely uncharted territories and a refreshingly idiosyncratic guide to developments in particle physics. * Nature *
Wilczek's sheer pleasure in the beauty of mathematics is the engine and joy of this book ... [A] rewarding read ... There is a lot of food for the mind here, but also some for the eye. -- Andrea Wulf * Financial Times *
[An] eccentrically brilliant book -- Steven Poole * Spectator *

Author Bio

Born in New York, Frank Wilczek studied at the University of Chicago and gained his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University. Frank won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 for work he did as a twenty-one-year-old graduate student. His writing has featured twice in Best American Science Writing and his exposition of modern physics, Longing for the Harmonies was named New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Frank is currently Herman Feshbach Professorship of Physics at MIT. He lives in Massachusetts, with his wife, Betsy Devine.