Road to Reality:A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe

[Telos]

I have never seen a book like this.

Some of you may have heard of Penrose for his leadership in the theory of quantum consciousness via microtubules. However, you may be surprised that this same person also thinks that string theory and similar "theories of everything" are actually quite... well, let's just say this book is NOT about a theory of everything. ;)

"The Road to Reality" is a massive tome. Spanning 1,047 pages, this book takes the reader into the heart of physics. Amazingly, and in my opinion refreshingly, you will find bounteous examples of math. There is so much math in this book that the author spends the first 16 chapters just on mathematical principles so that the reader will have an easier time engaging the complex quantum mechanical calculations described later. In the preface Penrose discusses his decision to make this primarily a math book, saying that one simply cannot fully appreciate the beauty of the physical universe without recognizing the beauty of the mathematical formulae that physicists use to describe it. He recognizes the drop in potential readership that this decision entails, but he also recognizes some of the reasons people shy away from math in first place. He is very detailed and very open about educating the mathematical principles of physics to the populace.

I know I probably shouldn't have started this post, because I have very little on which to write a review. I have only read the intro and the preface, but I am deeply excited for this book. The diagrams look beautiful and the math presentations take the reader seriously. I want to take my spirituality to the next level by bringing it to the Earth level, and I want to know exactly how physicists see this universe. I want to know what basis physicists have for saying the universe has extra dimensions, if it is not a spiritual basis. I doubt I will be able to fully digest this book before the end of the year, but it will be nice to finally elevate my left brain alongside my right.

I hope others in the new age community dare themselves to take the same challenge.

[Antranik]

Read more of this book Telos?

[Telos]

Sorry I took so long to reply. I guess I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting that the book would be more rigorous than it actually was. It was surprisingly indirect and meandering. Things didn't flow smoothly. The author hurdled from one major topic to the next, and answers to the homework problems were supposed to be given online, but never were as far as I can tell. Talk about frustrating.

And the author uses the word "magical" far too often for me to appreciate it. I know he's just trying to communicate his excitement for the topic and dress up mathematics so that people become interested in it, but I don't need that.

Anyway, I became very frustrated that I didn't know exactly what a Riemann sphere was, or what the Riemann hypothesis actually stated, etc., and left the book many times to try to learn more.

I may have to go back to school.