The Hidden Reality

Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

De: Brian Greene

Narrado por: Brian Greene

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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)

Would make a great Community ed physics discussion

I guess this book about met my expectations. Even though at times it seems much like a text book, there really was not the depth and dry fact delivery I would hope to find in such a tome. I have recently read through a couple other universe reality books both scientific and philosophical and think that although this avoids the philosophical pursuits does use many of the same processes to prove a point.

Great read...though only if you are into deep astrophysical topics.

Science or Religion?

While the theories in this book are certainly interesting they are heavily based on conjecture and belief. Many times throughout the book the author starts his argument with "many scientists believe" or "the majority of scientists believe". While I give him kudos for at least starting off with this admission, it seemed to me that one set of beliefs were being built on another to develop theories that, while intriguing, are by their nature not likely to ever be provable or disprovable. To me, that is where the "science" becomes religion. I suppose that this is the source of my discomfort with the book. I enjoyed the discussion of the underlying science but the way it was presented made it seem that the author wanted the reader to accept as true, conclusions that are based on what amounts to a belief system. All in all this book did an excellent job in explaining the current thinking of some of our brightest scientists. On the other hand, it left me feeling that perhaps there is a line being crossed here that the author was not quite willing to admit it.

The fringes of Astrophysics

I've read and re-read Dr Greene previous books several times because their dense and the concepts are difficult but the underlying ideas are fascinating. The idea of parallel universes is just plain strange but as pointed out in this book it just keeps popping up. Don't read this book unless you read his previous book because is more a compendium of newer ideas and the fringe.

verr naice

Good book. I enjoyed it, as a physicist, and i suspect that interested non-physicists would/do as well.

Mind Expanding and Metaphysically Curious

Wonderful book and easy to understand for us that do not speak higher math. I found myself thinking of metaphysical writtings of Hindu Philosophy and the truths that they speak from the cusp of a higher age. God is an awesome God, this book gave me a glimpse of those things that are known to the Creator and that we are but scratching the surface of a deeper understanding of these Hidden Realities!.

Such a great book!

Exactly what I was hoping for, a clear overlay, description and titling of the 9 various Multiverses which humans have thus far concieved!

Very Focuses and Well Fleshed Out

The best book on the multiverse when compared to 'Parallel Worlds' and 'Mathematical Universe' (have not heard Hawkings take yet). Greene stays very tightly focused on the goal of threading together the disparate 'hints' points toward the multiverse. That is a key to enjoying this book, it's all about hints, and clues, and implications taken to their logical extremes; so, given that, it's important to note that arguments must be tightly followed to understand why this matters. There is no definite answers or experiments, just rational. But Greene handles this exceptionally, guiding the reader carefully along the path from implications of the cosmological constant/expanding universe/dark energy, to the Big Bang and the theory of inflation, to string theory and quantum gravity, to quantum mechanical wavefunction collapse and the many-worlds hypothesis, to black hole entropy and the holographic principle, to branes. Parts can seem unrelated to each other, but each offers a hint at 'something more', which is the central theme of the book. There is more to know, here's some ideas on how we'll get there and how we got to those ideas.

Wonderfully insightful

Great books. Does a wonderful job at taking complicated, often abstract, ideas and explaining them in a way accessible to most people.

This book & Greene's analogies connected Qs to As

This book brought not just answers to questions developed in my own mind, but also to questions my mind would have never generated. On more than one occasion the words which Greene was narrating brought not only understanding but joy and happiness to my being. Physics and math have never brought me as much overwhelming emotion as they did with this book, if anything they have been personal struggles for me. Yet through simple language and easily visualized analogies I have had my perceptions of reality and consciousness changed and expanded. Should & have & will continue to recommend this book and most likely his others.

Must read for the curious

If you are always trying to find out why, than this is a multi read. Can be a bit "WTF", but re-read, and a better understanding comes. Always keep in mind, that nobody knows.