Sign in with Facebook
Infinite in All Direct...
Loading...
Infinite in All Directions
"One of the world's great theoretical physicists . . . explains, in a way that is understandable . . . what past and recent scientific theories tell us about the beginning, ending, and present state of the universe."--USA Today
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
February 1st 1989
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published 1988)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
352)
Apr 21, 2013
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Dyson fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
sciences
Having much of Freeman Dyson in old copies of The New York Review of Books and knowing him to be an engaging writer, I snapped this up upon finding it in a local bookstore.
Contained are a series of lectures delivered in 1985 on a variety of topics. Since the lecture series was ostensibly about natural theology, Dyson makes efforts to address philosophical and theological themes such as eschatology, freedom of the will, ethics, and the origins and purposes of life and consciousness.
The position t...more
Contained are a series of lectures delivered in 1985 on a variety of topics. Since the lecture series was ostensibly about natural theology, Dyson makes efforts to address philosophical and theological themes such as eschatology, freedom of the will, ethics, and the origins and purposes of life and consciousness.
The position t...more
Very interesting global perspective on science and its role in changing eras. Covers the micro to the macro and is lucid to even non-scientists like myself. Closest comparison would be to Hawking's books but less technical with a Sagan-like emphasis placed on teaching complex concepts to the masses. Even beyond the science, it's interesting as an abstract biographical account of how brilliant and pervasive Dyson's mind truly is.
Dyson is amongst the few who not only walked side by side with giants, he is considered one of them - his theories about the universe are well structured usually, his interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, for example, is one of the few that is not mainstream but isn't defunct by the community.
Anyhow, Dyson is a great lecturer and knows how to deliver his message very well - a thing that made this book very good and solid, but I got the feeling that he is a bit pretentious while considering big is...more
Anyhow, Dyson is a great lecturer and knows how to deliver his message very well - a thing that made this book very good and solid, but I got the feeling that he is a bit pretentious while considering big is...more
Freeman Dyson is an independent thinker at a time when, suprisingly, many scientists are slaves to the science establishment's orthodoxy. However, he doesn't just take contrarian positions--he shows why there is more to most issues than first meets the eye and the importance of not letting preconceptions get in the way of innovative solutions.
Still reading this. It's nice. He's brilliant, and being so, writes about everything. But, as he says, writes about both scientific and human problems "from the point of view of a lover of diversity." Along for the ride.
Goes far beyond "just" physics. This is a great read for those of us who look for the best science has to offer humanity, and when it comes to giving meaning to science, Dyson is one of the best.
Freeman Dyson's presents a series of profound ideas that ground the reader in a reality few know exists... One of my favorites.
This is a must ad for physics fans, amateur and pros. The simplicity of language makes it a easier read than Green or Hawkins. The lucid way of stringing the macro to the micro has stayed with me over two decades, which is when I had read the book. It is one that I have chosen to reread because every time you are gripped in Dyson's artful way of depicting science.
Part two somewhat dated as Soviets collapsed the next year after publication
May 13, 2013
Timothy Quinn
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“We must be careful not to discourage our twelve-year-olds by making them waste the best years of their lives preparing for examinations.”
—
34 people liked it
“The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple. A good example of a simple technology with profound historical consequences is hay. Nobody knows who invented hay, the idea of cutting grass in the autumn and storing it in large enough quantities to keep horses and cows alive through the winter. All we know is that the technology of hay was unknown to the Roman Empire but was known to every village of medieval Europe. Like many other crucially important technologies, hay emerged anonymously during the so-called Dark Ages. According to the Hay Theory of History, the invention of hay was the decisive event which moved the center of gravity of urban civilization from the Mediterranean basin to Northern and Western Europe. The Roman Empire did not need hay because in a Mediterranean climate the grass grows well enough in winter for animals to graze. North of the Alps, great cities dependent on horses and oxen for motive power could not exist without hay. So it was hay that allowed populations to grow and civilizations to flourish among the forests of Northern Europe. Hay moved the greatness of Rome to Paris and London, and later to Berlin and Moscow and New York.”
—
14 people liked it
More quotes…
