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)

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.

Typical Greene meaning typically very good

I have yet to grow tired of Brian Greene's books. As with his other two books that I've read this is an exciting read. He amazes me with his great analogies and he never seems to repeat himself from his other books even when he talks about that the same subject matter. If you only have time to read one of his books, I would recommend this one. It takes you to the recently prevalent acceptance of possible explanations for the creation of our universe within a multi-universe. His books on science listens like a well written exciting science fiction novel. They are always fun listens. Soon as he publishes something else, I'll end up buying it. Can hardly wait for his next.

Provocative Book -- Some Crazy Ideas Too

I have long been a fan of Brian Greene and his skillful attempts to bring extremely difficult topics in physics within the general understanding of a non-mathematical audience. I thought both The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos were tour de forces of both lucid and entertaining writing, and both were rich with information not easy to absorb in another form or from another writer. Now along comes The Hidden Reality. Now we have Brian Greene tackling arguably a far less known or understood, and in many ways far-fetched topic: multiple universes. Is our universe the only one, or “all there is”, (i.e. the meaning of “universe”), or is everything we have ever observed or conceived of existing only one of a multitude (perhaps an infinite number) of such universes? By taking on such a topic in the first place, Greene is upping the ante quite a bit, even in comparison with discussions of topics like string theory.

At this point, I begin to take issue with his approach. I can see that Brian chose to “put out there” a panoply of wild ideas proposed by others, without passing judgment on whether they are right, wrong, or just plain ridiculous. In particular, I have problem believing that the “quantum multiverse” of Everett, the simulation multiverse or the everything (mathematical) multiverse are more than human-inspired fantasies.

I find the idea of a multiverse in general very appealing and reasonable, as I could never accept the “fact” that a single Big Bang, before which there was “nothing” started it all. Brane collisions or Big Bang like bubble formations within a much larger overall field of some sort make more sense. It makes sense that our universe is neither special as being the only one in time or in “the space of spaces”. But it’s going out on a limb to “know” that the landscape in which they exist is infinite in time or spatial dimensions. Greene has written a thoughtful and provocative book that will stimulate lively discussion.

bran broken

I can't think but it was worth it, I really enjoyed his simplification but keeping the complexity.

A far more followable book audiowise

I'm not sure if it was the content of Greene's 'The Elegant Universe' or the organization of the content of his narrative, but this book as an audio experience is far more comfortable to follow and contemplate than the latter. Hmm or perhaps it was just that The Elegant Universe perhaps might have been a bit better consumed as a text.

Regardless of this or that...this book was a game changer on how I now look at Astrophysics, our multiverse, and Space and time in general. A brilliant piece of science and writing.

Theory of the Multiverse

Be prepared to hear an in-depth, 13+ hour long monologue about the theoretical basis of the multi-universe theory.