The Hidden Reality

Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Brian Greene

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space: a multiverse in which you have an infinite number of doppelgängers, each reading this sentence in a distant universe; a multiverse comprising a vast ocean of bubble universes, of which ours is but one; a multiverse that endlessly cycles through time, or one that might be hovering millimeters away yet remains invisible; another in which every possibility allowed by quantum physics is brought to life. Or, perhaps strangest of all, a multiverse made purely of mathematics.

Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them.

©2011 Brian Greene (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“If extraterrestrials landed tomorrow and demanded to know what the human mind is capable of accomplishing, we could do worse than to hand them a copy of this book.” (Timothy Ferris, The New York Times Book Review)

“Few living writers write so lucidly about such complicated stuff. In Greene’s prose, cutting-edge cosmology and particle physics become something a plucky and well-rested reader can apprehend...Greene might be the best intermediary I’ve found between the sparkling, absolute zero world of mathematics and the warm, clumsy world of human language.” (Anthony Doerr, Boston Globe)

“Mr. Greene has a gift for elucidating big ideas...Exciting and rewarding...[The Hidden Reality] captures and engages the imagination.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

Goosebumps

What did you love best about The Hidden Reality?

Not since I was a little kid have I had a description of existence's "bigness" illustrated to me in such a way that it made my heart skip a beat... until this book. Listening to the author speak about the bizarre, extrapolated real-world implications of mathematical constructs that may well be accurate gave me a sense of wonder that I haven't had since I was a child reading fiction about magic. Only this time... it's (maybe) REAL!

"Cosmic cheese" and the triumph of poor analogies

The Hidden Reality contains some interesting information and is an entertaining read, but I do have a few quips with the style it was written in.

First is, that the author has an uncanny tendency to impose tidbits of information on you without first building a solid basis for them, with the apparent assumption that you'll be later satisfied with an explanation coming in a few chapters. This might work in a traditional textbook, where one can cross-reference things more easily. In audio, however, related subjects might be hours apart. If you don't plan to listen to everything in one go, the lack of cohesion becomes further magnified with the passage of time. At the same time, Brian Greene sometimes keeps iterating over and over the same things, summoning a plethora of (often poor) analogies to his aid.

That leads to my second complaint. The analogies in this book must be counted in hundreds. It would simply make more sense, if one only explained the science and thinking leading to specific theories, instead of trying to come up with a distant analogy for every occasion, which often only serves to make the obvious obscure. Maybe I'm a bit too harsh on Brian Greene for this, but it was a serious deterrent for me to keep on listening to the book, taking a much longer time than usual to finish.

Overall, though, I don't think this was a waste of time. I feel that I do have a bit more solid understanding of the current stance on the history of and physics behind our universe. Also, a few, mostly offhand, comments made some previously familiar concepts fit better together in my mind, for which I am grateful. Not sure if I'd be anxious to listen to another one of Brian Greene's books, though.

A deep thoughtful listen.

Makes my everyday thoughts seem quite trivial. I can't imagine his wife having breakfast with Brian. I'm sure he would see a universe in his scrambled eggs ! I listented to it twice on long car journeys alone, and was amazed at the discoveries made by cosmologists in recent times. You will look upon our world through different eyes after listening to this book. Some concepts went right over my head, but some also are clear, due to everyday analagies (SP?) presented by the author. I wish I would have paid more attention in Science class. Highly recommended.

Absolutely amazing book, very informal Brian!

He's very passionate about his work and really knows his material, really inspiring book here you guys!

Binge read

Kept me inthralled
I’m happy that he credited and explained those who influenced him and showed how they influenced his narrative

Interesting and very deep

Would you consider the audio edition of The Hidden Reality to be better than the print version?

Having this read by Brian Greene himself is a very nice touch. The concepts and principles are very well laid out. The concepts can get deep and there are a lot of implied assumptions and thought exercises. But the topic is founded on assumptions and thought exercises.

Highly recommend reading if only for the accepted pronunciation of various mathematical and science terms.

Physics 101

Brian makes physics enjoyable for all and challenges our perceptions of everything including what we think we know.

Stimulating brain-food, but...

I picked up The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos expecting it to be an exploration of Hugh Everett’s Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. The MWI is included, but there’s a whole lot more to this book. Greene explores nine multiverse theories arising from the math driving relativity, quantum mechanics, string theory, information theory, holography, artificial intelligence/the Simulation Hypothesis, and more. Using down-to-earth analogies, he does a terrific job of making these theoretical, and in some cases extremely speculative theories understandable. He’s quite open about the fact that most of what he’s describing is not only currently unproven, but likely *unprovable* as science stands today – though he seems cheerfully confident that at least one of these theories will eventually prove to be true, maybe hundreds of years from now as science evolves.

I had one huge problem with this book, though. After about the third multiverse theory, I started to get a nagging sense of familiarity. By the seventh or so (probably Everett’s MWI, the reason I bought the book in the first place) I recognized what it was. Reading one increasingly speculative theory after another, I was beginning to hear echoes of Thomas Aquinas asking “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” (the real Aquinas quote is a bit different, but that’s the phrasing everybody knows). While every multiverse theory offered stimulating brain-food, it was impossible for this Humanities-fed mind to miss the religious undertones of all this, both positive and negative, and that’s what I didn’t expect from a science book. It’s really not the book, so much, nor Greene as an author, as it is theoretical physics itself.

Here’s a positive example (positive as in “adding” something unproven/unprovable, in a religious way, on faith). Several of the multiverse theories Greene presents rely on the action of a quantum field called the inflaton field which under certain conditions produces repulsive gravity and causes spacetime to expand/inflate on a massive scale. Except the inflaton field is 100% speculative, has never been observed, may not exist, and theories relying on it are junk without it. Physicists see the inflaton field IN THE MATH (but not in Nature), and so proceed in their theorizing as though it really exists. Compare that to the common meme of a religious believer filling a chalkboard with equations, and at certain point inserting – {THEN A MIRACLE HAPPENS!}. I don’t see the difference. I know physicists take their math seriously, but faith in the math over observation of Nature doesn’t look different to me from religious believers having faith in Scripture over observation of Nature. They both look like examples of accepting a proposition on faith in order to preserve the authority of one’s chosen object of reverence, for physicists math, for believers, Scripture.

Here’s a negative example (negative as in building castles in the air in order to escape a conclusion one doesn’t like). The Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, which most physicists have accepted for many decades, says that, in this one universe, quantum fields interact probabilistically, and when we measure a particle in the lab, our act of measuring causes that particle’s probability field to collapse. A particle that, before measurement, was at every possible location at once in its probability field is found to be in just one place. Our measurement caused that to happen. This is the “observer effect.” Consciousness is somehow directly shaping reality. Things only move from probable to actual when they are observed. Hugh Everett formulated his Many Worlds Interpretation specifically to refute that. The idea that consciousness shapes reality was too “spooky” and seemed to challenge materialism, the foundational philosophy of science. So Everett proposed, instead, that an infinite number of times every second, an infinite number of universes come into being, in which every possible position in every probability field of every particle is realized. So your act of measurement (consciousness) didn’t collapse the probability field. You just exist in the one unique universe where the particle you measured happened to be in that location. All the other positions got their own universes to be measured in, too. Alternate “yous” in alternate universes are observing all of those measurements now. And that wildly counterintuitive proposition appeared rational to many physicists who would rather accept an infinite number of infinitely multiplying universes over any explanation that challenges materialism. That doesn’t look different to me from when religious believers accept complex though unlikely propositions (miracles, reincarnation, the Resurrection, gods) to avoid contradicting their foundational philosophy.

This book made amply clear to me that all multiple universe theories are specters of advanced mathematics that have never been demonstrated to exist in reality, and may very well not exist in reality. For all their sparkle, they’re just ideas, and to a large and perhaps unconscious degree, ideas formulated to defend against having to acknowledge the fundamental role of consciousness in shaping the material universe. A hundred years from now, 22nd Century scientists may look back on 21st Century theoretical physicists the way today’s physicists look back on Aquinas.

In spite of my issues with theoretical physics, and in fairness to Brian Greene, I’m awarding The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos five stars for very ably living up to the promise of its title and subtitle. Readers seeking a thorough yet approachable explication of the science behind a variety of multiverse theories, look no further. I also heartily recommend this book to readers seeking to intelligently refute some of this stuff. You are powerless against scientific speculations you don’t understand. Learn them here.

I listened to the Random House Audio audiobook of The Hidden Reality, narrated by Brian Greene himself. I thought he did a terrific job. His pacing was even, his annunciation sharp, and his enthusiasm level high throughout the full 13+ hours. It was very much like listening to a confident, engaging professor lecture on his specialty. 5 stars for the narration, too.

Great listen, in common sense language

Brian gave a very good performance as usual. His way of communicating quantum physics is right on the mark with someone who is above newbie level to the ideas being presented. He does not try and push any particular idea, although he has some scientific bias. I recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the possibilities that our present understanding of quantum physics have brought.

Amazing Glimpse into Reality

Dr. Brian Greene provides an amazing and beautiful peek into the secrets of reality in a way that brings tears to the eyes.