» The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design
The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design Details
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 530
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2006-12-01
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Studio: Back Bay Books
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The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design Reviews
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: I picked up this book after reading Michio Kaku's Parallel Worlds. This book was a disappointing read compared to the before mentioned book - which is a clear and engaging read. The cosmic landscape jumps around a lot (especially in the beginning) and it simply isn't as readable as the before mentioned book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time
Comment: This book is so poorly written and illustrated that I had difficulty not just giving up. Apparently it was never seen by an editor. The text is rambling and not clear. The illustrations are mostly so simple as to not convey any information. As far as I can tell his premise supporting the anthropic principle is just silly. While he is a well known physicist he engages in a lot of name dropping in an apparent attempt to enhance his importance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Poorly written for the layperson and the enthusiast alike.
Comment: The author jumps around and changes subjects too much. He starts an explanation, then stops halfway through and says he's saving it for the next chapter. His analogies are absolutely terrible. He is pushing a theoretical agenda, so don't read this book if you're looking for just a simple, straightforward explanation of string theory. I understood most of what he had to say only because I had previous knowledge of string theory.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Evidence for the Multiverse
Comment: Susskind's vision of the cosmic landscape provides the most compelling evidence yet that our Universe is just one of many in an infinite spacetime.
This completely pulls the rug from under the "intelligent design" argument.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A new Law of Nature?
Comment: Thought provoking and fascinating book that gives a clear notion what anthropic principle is about. Have the physicists discovered a new fundamental law of nature? This book gives a definite impression that this indeed happened.
More Reviews for The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design
Editorial Review for The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design:
In his first book ever, the father of string theory reinvents our concept of the known universe and mans unique place within it. The beginning of the 21st century is a watershed in modern science, a time that will forever change our understanding of the universe, Leonard Susskind contends. Several decades ago, Susskind introduced the revolutionary concept of string theory to the world of physical science. In doing so, he inspired a generation of physicists who believed that the theory would uniquely predict the properties of our universe. Now, in his first book ever, Susskind argues that the very idea of such an elegant theory no longer suits our understanding of the universe, and that our narrow 20th-century view of a unique universe will have to give way to the much broader concept of a gigantic cosmic landscapea megaverse, pregnant with new possibilities. His other contributions to physics are too numerous to mention, but his recent victory in an argument with Stephen Hawking over the nature of black holes made headlines everywhere.