John

Deepak Chopra actually made a good argument for consciousness preceding matter, using Quantum Theory as support. This was unexpected and very welcome to hear because I was assuming that Mlodinow was going to "wipe the floor" with Chopra.

In contrast, I thought that Leonard Mlodinow only had a few good moments. He spent most of his time decrying the notion of a deity, even though Chopra did the exact same thing in his argument. Even more damning was Mlodinow's insistence on experimental proof, except, conveniently, where we are technologically incapable of experimentation in regards to several key concepts in physics.In other words, throw this theory out, but keep this other one, even though neither can be proven and both are accepted by different parts of the scientific community. Overall, Mlodinow only supports a few of his points with evidence. The rest is conjecture.

When Chopra stated that religion has failed human civilization, and that spirituality requires one to embrace science.

Thought Chopra made an excellent argument, and supported it with sound scientific theories and experimental proof.

Thought Mlodinow could have been much better. One shining moment for him was the chapter about physical human brain function near the end of the book.

The NEW discussion about who we are and where we came from.

This book was much better than I expected it to be. I recommend it to anyone interested in science, spirituality, or both.