SCIENCES

Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality

by Anthony Aguirre
Norton. May 2019. 384p. illus. notes. index. ISBN 9780393609219. $27.95; ebk. ISBN 9780393609226. SCI
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Aguirre's (physics, Univ. of California-Santa Cruz; cofounder, Foundational Questions Inst.) first book uses Zen-like storytelling as a framing device to explain all areas of physics. Each chapter begins with a journey, making this somewhat reminiscent of Jon Butterworth's Atom Land, which uses the journey metaphor, but in a map-oriented style, to explain physics. Aguirre focuses on the importance (and limitations) of human perception in understanding the physical world, and aims to show how we all can contribute to a shared knowledge. His conversational style makes the complex issues he discusses easier to grasp; however, this is still fairly rigorous for a popular science book. He adds interest by bringing in ideas about the physical world posited by philosophers from ancient Greece to the modern day.
VERDICT This intriguing, though dense, account should be of interest to readers interested in a deeper comprehension of the physics of the world in which we live.
Reviewed by Sara R. Tompson, Lawrence, KS , May 01, 2019
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