From Eternity to Here

The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time

By: Sean Carroll

Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt

Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Time moves forward, not backward---everyone knows you can't unscramble an egg. In the hands of one of today's hottest young physicists, that simple fact of breakfast becomes a doorway to understanding the Big Bang, the universe, and other universes, too. In From Eternity to Here, Sean Carroll argues that the arrow of time, pointing resolutely from the past to the future, owes its existence to conditions before the Big Bang itself---a period of modern cosmology of which Einstein never dreamed.

Increasingly, though, physicists are going out into realms that make the theory of relativity seem like child's play. Carroll's scenario is not only elegant, it's laid out in the same easy-to-understand language that has made his group blog, Cosmic Variance, the most popular physics blog on the Net. From Eternity to Here uses ideas at the cutting edge of theoretical physics to explore how properties of space-time before the Big Bang can explain the flow of time we experience in our everyday lives. Carroll suggests that we live in a baby universe, part of a large family of universes in which many of our siblings experience an arrow of time running in the opposite direction. It's an ambitious, fascinating picture of the universe on an ultra-large scale, one that will captivate fans of popular physics blockbusters like Elegant Universe and A Brief History of Time.

©2009 Sean Carroll (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

Carroll writes with verve and infectious enthusiasm, reminding readers that science is a journey in which getting there is, without question, much of the fun.( Publishers Weekly)

Doesn’t listen like Sean’s other books.

+Sean Carrol’s writing
+Covers the big bang and entropy well
-Not read by Sean
-A bit rambling, redundant, and obscure for Sean

A Thought Provoking View of Cosmology and Time

Like many, I am fascinated by exploration into the nature of time and the long-term fate of the universe. Books on the subjects range from the extremely fuzzy to the fairly technical. I dislike mere handwaving, but I know that too formal a treatment can leave the layperson without an intuitive understanding of the topics involved.

Carroll's treatment is both concise and highly thought provoking. He strongly ties the characteristics of time as we perceive it to the second law of thermodynamics, so his discussion is driven by the concept of entropy. He does far better than most in giving a sense of how entropy is not merely "disorder", and uses understandable lines of logic to investigate some very deep questions of time and the history of the universe. He does the best job I've seen, for example, of arguing why the anthropic principle is insufficient to explain why we live in a universe where an arrow of time exists at all.

Carroll's exposition takes us through some careful thought about what we mean by "time" (at least three different things, which are in fact distinct), a discussion of the basics of special and general relativity, an introduction to the relevant aspects of quantum mechanics, some tantalizing glimpses into what we've learned about quantum gravity, and works toward answering the big question: how is it that we come to live in a universe that, at its genesis, had such startlingly low entropy. Along the way, he is careful to distinguish what is universally acknowledged in physics and cosmology, what is generally agreed upon, and what is speculative. His speculative but intriguing model of a universe that spawns baby universes seems both interesting and plausible to this layman.

For someone with some background in the subject, I think this an excellent read. After finishing it, I have a much better understanding of vacuum energy, quantum gravity, cosmological inflation, the issue of remembering the past and not the future, and many other topics. The narrator is interesting to listen to without being distracting, and the book is nicely paced. Overall, I found this to be one of the two or three best books I have read on the subject.

Difficult... for good reasons.

This is a difficult book to follow because cosmology is difficult. It requires close attention and the occasional retreat and repeat. I'll probably reread it next year to see if I get more out of it.

An adventure in the cosmos

A fascinating read, which has me thinking about entropy and our place in the universe. I've never thought so deeply about time, dark matter, or multiverses. A great overview not only of physics but also of the history of science. Complicated to follow at times, but these are difficult concepts, and there's plenty of places to catch a breath.

Great Book For Cosmology Lovers

The reader's biggest challenge is to understand the complex material. If you're a lay person who's curious about time and the universe and also willing to accept that you're unlikely to comprehend all of the highly technical concepts being presented, then this book is probably for you. I enjoyed it and am glad I bought it.

If you're a hard-core scientific type who believes that scientists have no right to engage in speculative thought about the ultimate nature of the universe, then the predictions in the last few chapters may rub you the wrong way. Traditional scientific wisdom treats speculation unsupported by data as belonging to the domain of naïve amateurs. Accepted scientific thought is that such speculation should be avoided at all costs by 'real' scientists. To my mind though, the author (Dr. Sean Michael Carroll, Ph.D.) is to be commended for engaging in just this type of speculation. To a lay person like myself, it is intriguing to hear a well-respected theoretical physicist make specific "predictions" about the ultimate nature of our universe. ("Predictions" is a word Dr. Carroll chooses carefully.)

Even though Dr. Carroll does a fantastic job of formulating his explanations using everyday language rather than mathematical formulas, the challenge to the reader's intellect is still substantial. These include concepts such as Boltzmann brains, Maxwell's demon, de Sitter space, white holes, the Planck length, Schrodinger's Cat, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Poincaré's recurrence theorem and many, many more. Thought experiments are high on Dr. Carroll's list of epistemological techniques.

One of the most rewarding aspects of Dr. Carroll's writing is that he goes to great lengths to distinguish between what is known fact, what is unproven theory and what is speculation. He is equally at ease admitting what is not known about our universe as he is with explaining what is known. The book also follows a very orderly progression of thought processes. Entropy and its entanglement with the arrow of time is introduced early on and remains the central theme throughout the book. Initially entropy is explained in the context of the second law of classical thermodynamics. The reversibility or irreversibility of physical processes is considered next. Then comes general relativity, quantum mechanics and quantum gravity.

If this book were a work of non-fiction, this paragraph would probably be labeled as a 'spoiler'. So consider yourself warned. Throughout the book, Dr. Carroll shows how the arrow of time always points in the direction of increasing entropy. He leaves the reader with the idea that this is the number one clue to the ultimate nature of our universe. Likewise, he leaves the reader with the feeling that the number two clue is the unlikely fact that our currently observable universe is in a low entropy state that was even lower at the 'big bang'. Using these two observations as stepping stones, he goes on to predict that our observable universe is merely a bubble, or "baby universe" that has pinched off from a parent universe. Collectively, Dr. Carroll calls the parent universe and all the baby universes a "multiverse". In this context, he describes how the multiverse is compatible with all the principles of entropy, thermodynamics, relativity, quantum mechanics ad quantum gravity that he has already described in the rest of the book.

In summary, this book is not for the faint of heart. If you're not prepared for a cerebral workout, don't buy it. If you like an intellectual challenge and enjoy musing about the nature of time and space, then this book is probably for you.

Two closing observations: On the 'upside', the narration by Erik Synnestvedt is very well done. On the 'downside' the narrative often refers to graphs and tables that are not accessible from the audio book file. This can be rather frustrating. The graphics should be bundled into the audio file download or a web page containing these images should be created for people who have purchased the audiobook.

Will listen again!

Carroll lays out complex physics and the mathematics behind them quite eloquently without deviating from the book's endeavor in theoretical physics about time, entropy, and cosmology. Using creative analogies and relatable metaphors, this book, while dense, can be understood by beginners in levels of understanding to intermediate to experts who just like to muse on various aspects of the science. I'll be listening again for sure!

Absolutely love it

explains concepts both advanced and simple in a beautiful way. Sean Carroll has a wonderful way of teaching you things whilst telling a compelling story.

I cant afford college just yet so this is the kind of content I use to learn a little bit more in my free time. thankyou!

best book on time!!

Brings together old and latest science in accessible way, linking gravity and cosmology to the arrow of time. Helps the reader understand that we have made progress in one of the great puzzles of existence.

Narrator is OK but should learn to pronounce technical terms properly; e.g. inflaton is not the same as inflation.

Time is truly disected like never before.

Would you consider the audio edition of From Eternity to Here to be better than the print version?

I love written books but I also love listenning to audio books while doing the mundane tasks required in the day to day grime. This book is great for the listener since hardly any math is mentioned and when it is required you dont feel overwhelmed.

What did you like best about this story?

Carroll has the best grasp of the meaning of

Which scene was your favorite?

The part I enjoyed most was the many descriptions of how time was defined throughout history. The author made each insight as clear as a cloudless summer day sky. This was also helped by having it read aloud by a very firm and warm voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book gave me a new view on the universe and how it came to be.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a scientific view of what time really is. The reader needs only a basic grasp of science to enjoy the views carroll lays out. I am studying quantum mechanics and while I knew many of the theories he took time to describe I still felt as though much of it was a better way to see how it all works without the use of mathematics.

Excellent.. learned a ton of information

Great topic - Time as defined by history, classical mechanics, relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology, and the 2nd Law... and Entropy

Awesome narrator... very well spoken, engaging, and easy to listen to.

Definitely worth the “time” to listen to this book...

Oh.. did I say the word Entropy? Yep, that word Entropy... mentioned only about 10^120,000 times in this book...