Is the Universe an App?

Exploring the Physics of Awareness

By: Andrea Diem-Lane, David Christopher Lane

Narrated by: James Killavey

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

The idea that the world is an illusion that betrays its real origin has a long tradition and can be found in the writings of Hindu rishis, early Greek philosophers, and Christian Gnostics. What is perhaps surprising is to find such a rich literature on the subject in neuroscience and quantum physics. The latest, and perhaps most provocative, idea to gain some currency in varying scientific disciplines is the hypothesis that the universe is the result of a computational simulation and, as such, is an incredibly rich and detailed illusion that has ultimately tricked us into believing otherwise.

©2014 David Christopher Lane (P)2016 David Christopher Lane

Saved Me

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes...listening was much easier than trying to read it on my own.

What did you like best about this story?

Not a story...A had to read this for a course I'm taking. Found it very tough going.
It made a lot more sense to me listening than reading on my own. Narrator helped me make sense of some difficult concepts. Trying to "parse" the sentences and pronounce some difficult words on my own was not working for me.

Which scene was your favorite?

No scenes...non-fiction.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I doubt is this would be a film.

Any additional comments?

Narrator did a very good job of helping me to understand this. I actually had to listen twice to really "get" it. Good thing was, I was able to do it driving to school every day so that was a big time saver. Another big advantage of the audio was pronunciations. During class discussion I was able to pronounce some of the Indian names and word correctly, earning approving looks from the Prof and a bit of envy from other students. Many thanks to the publisher for making this available in audio. It saved my butt! :)

Useful

What made the experience of listening to Is the Universe an App? the most enjoyable?

The Lanes put together an accessible and entertaining overview of current theories of consciousness.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

James Killavey, at least in this book, has one of the strangest reading cadences and end-sentence inflections I've ever heard. I put the chances at about 50/50 he's an AI.

Any additional comments?

One of the Lanes has an annoying preoccupation with a particular East Indian guru and a contemporary writer who espouses mystical dualism. A little of these two goes a long way, and they are used more than a little.

Not at all what I had hoped for

When buying this book as Audible format, I had, reading the brief description expected an open minded investigation into the nature of the Universe, Life and Everything. Sadly it is only a sustained rant against all things Spiritual and Religious, and anyone supporting spiritual or religious teachings or beliefs.

The authors' faith in science in general is itself almost religious in fervour and does not bother to paper over cracks; it just ignores them. In an age when the Big Bang theory, Dark Matter theory and Dark Energy theory are teetering on the edge of collapse with even NASA now adopting a pro-Plasma Universe stand having denied it for so many years, their blind faith in science, particularly Reductionst Science, is touching, but not very convincing.
Theories in the fields of medicine, biology and every other scientific field besides physics are also being disproved or discarded.
The authors launched a cowardly attack on the historical Jesus and Christianity in general. Islam was briefly mentioned, but not specifically attacked. I wonder why.

I was left wondering how I ever managed to listen to such rubbish for over five and a half hours.
No doubt the likes of Richard Dawkins and the "Amazing" James Randi who were mentioned affectionately in this series of essays would approve of them.

The narrator increasingly jarred on my nerves, sounding pompous and patronising, but then I suppose he was being faithful to the patronising and pompous content. His delivery was somewhat quirky and I found it offputting. He made a few mistakes in, notably pronouncing "Nuclear" as "Newkiller" - aaaaghrr, and referring to Protons, Electrons and "Neurons"!