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Cosmology is in crisis. In this book, philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger and physicist Lee Smolin, world-renowned for their radical ideas in their fields, argue for a revolution in our cosmological ideas. The book is readily accessible to non-scientists as well as to the physicists and cosmologists whom it challenges.
List of contents
Introduction; Part I. Roberto Mangabeira Unger: 1. The science of the one universe in time; 2. The context and consequences of the argument; 3. The singular existence of the universe; 4. The inclusive reality of time; 5. The mutability of the laws of nature; 6. The selective realism of mathematics; Part II. Lee Smolin: 1. Cosmology in crisis; 2. Principles for a cosmological theory; 3. The setting: the puzzles of contemporary cosmology; 4. Hypotheses for a new cosmology; 5. Mathematics; 6. Approaches to solving the metalaw dilemma; 7. Implications of temporal naturalism for philosophy of mind; 8. An agenda for science; 9. Concluding remarks; A note concerning disagreements between our views.
About the author
Roberto Mangabeira Unger is a philosopher, social and legal theorist, and politician. His engagement with cosmology and natural philosophy in this book deepens and generalizes ideas that he has developed in False Necessity, The Self Awakened, and The Religion of the Future among other writings.Lee Smolin is a theoretical physicist who has made important contributions to quantum gravity. He was educated at Hampshire College and Harvard University. He is a founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His earlier books explore philosophical issues raised by contemporary physics and cosmology: Life of the Cosmos, Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, The Trouble with Physics, and Time Reborn. Lee Smolin was awarded The Buchalter Cosmology Prize 2014 for his co-authored paper 'The Universe as a Process of Unique Events'.
Summary
Cosmology is in crisis. In this book, philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger and physicist Lee Smolin, world-renowned for their radical ideas in their fields, argue for a revolution in our cosmological ideas. The book is readily accessible to non-scientists as well as to the physicists and cosmologists whom it challenges.
