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The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature
This is one of the most important books on quantum mechanics ever written for lay readers, in which an eminent physicist discusses and explains the core concepts of physics without resorting to complicated mathematics. "Can be read by anyone. I heartily recommend it!" €” New York Times Book Review. 1982 edition.
333 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 22, 2016
Pagels' work is probably one of the best layperson introduction to both understanding and "interpreting" Quantum Mechanics. The most remarkable part of this book is the description of Bell's Inequality. Bell's Theorem forever demolishes the Einsteinian views of of local hidden variable determinism.
It is (purposely) light on the maths side (for example, I would have appreciated some detail on fundamental items such as the Wave Equation, Bohr's model of the atom, Schroedinger Equation, wave phase invariance etc ..), but this is, overall, a very sound and pleasant introductory book.
Some parts of the book are also unfortunately a bit outdated (considering that the book was originally published in 1982, this is understandable) but most of the book is still highly relevant today.
The author also explores beautifully the deep philosophical implications of our current understanding of the quantum world, without resorting to cheap mysticism.
Highly recommended.
It is (purposely) light on the maths side (for example, I would have appreciated some detail on fundamental items such as the Wave Equation, Bohr's model of the atom, Schroedinger Equation, wave phase invariance etc ..), but this is, overall, a very sound and pleasant introductory book.
Some parts of the book are also unfortunately a bit outdated (considering that the book was originally published in 1982, this is understandable) but most of the book is still highly relevant today.
The author also explores beautifully the deep philosophical implications of our current understanding of the quantum world, without resorting to cheap mysticism.
Highly recommended.
August 10, 2014
Despite being written in 1982, this book is a wonderful non-mathematical introduction to Quantum Theory for the layperson. As for me, Pagels did a superb job in explaining quite a number of QM related concepts, such as randomness and probability distributions, the Bell's inequality, the Schroedinger's cat analogy and why the second law of thermodynamics cannot in fact be obtained from just the laws of motion of all the individual particles, as well as why infinities are obtained for the mass of the electron. And I really liked the author's sense of humor in dealing with the physicist's concept of nothing at all - the vacuum (please see my reading update for this book) and different 'interpretation offers' of quantum mechanics in the busy "Reality Marketplace".
Not surprisingly, though, considering that the author did not even try to use and explain the relevant maths minimum, the chapters dealing with the relativistic quantum field theory, symmetry, gauge field theory and the possibility that neutrinos could explain the 'dark mass' of the universe failed to give me a real a-ha moment.
Overall, The Cosmic Code seems an easy read at first glance thanks to the author's wonderfully enjoyable writing style. However, it requires some prior knowledge of physics, at least at high-school level, if you aspire to get a full grasp of what the author wanted to convey. For instance, I would have liked, for the sake of avoiding misinterpretations, that Pagels had defined what he meant by 'energy' in his sentence 'The visible world is the invisible organization of energy.'
Even so, I can highly recommend this book and I'm deeply sorry a tragic mountaineering accident in 1988 prevented this author to write an updated version.
Not surprisingly, though, considering that the author did not even try to use and explain the relevant maths minimum, the chapters dealing with the relativistic quantum field theory, symmetry, gauge field theory and the possibility that neutrinos could explain the 'dark mass' of the universe failed to give me a real a-ha moment.
Overall, The Cosmic Code seems an easy read at first glance thanks to the author's wonderfully enjoyable writing style. However, it requires some prior knowledge of physics, at least at high-school level, if you aspire to get a full grasp of what the author wanted to convey. For instance, I would have liked, for the sake of avoiding misinterpretations, that Pagels had defined what he meant by 'energy' in his sentence 'The visible world is the invisible organization of energy.'
Even so, I can highly recommend this book and I'm deeply sorry a tragic mountaineering accident in 1988 prevented this author to write an updated version.
October 7, 2020
-Great overview for the layman on quantum physics, special relativity and general relativity, with some smarting of philosophy as well. Most of the book is straight science. The author goes into the history of quantum physics and the discoveries of hadrons, gluons, quarks, gravitons etc. etc. and various theories to infer the existence of such particles; and the various states of quanta: charmed, strange, up, down, etc.
-Einstein viewed the universe as a fixed set of rules that can be observed by man, a deterministic outlook and was uncomfortable with the notion that the law of physics at the quantum level differ from his theory of relativity, and thus the famous quote of the ‘God who plays dice’
-His theology is off, by the reference of “The God who plays dice”…because currently man cannot observe at the quantum level without affecting the desired particle (light particles cause the other quantum particles to move, hence, scientist can only create a range of probabilities about the location of particles) it does not follow that God is somehow limited to our methods of observation. The belief of an Omniscient God takes care of this dilemma.
-And an interesting turn in the book takes place in the last chapters, the author makes science into a religion, with scientist as the apostles, knowledge as the hope for mankind, and the ‘cosmic code’ is the gospel. All well and good but good bye to science that seeks to explain; according to this author it is the only path to full human potential.
-Einstein viewed the universe as a fixed set of rules that can be observed by man, a deterministic outlook and was uncomfortable with the notion that the law of physics at the quantum level differ from his theory of relativity, and thus the famous quote of the ‘God who plays dice’
-His theology is off, by the reference of “The God who plays dice”…because currently man cannot observe at the quantum level without affecting the desired particle (light particles cause the other quantum particles to move, hence, scientist can only create a range of probabilities about the location of particles) it does not follow that God is somehow limited to our methods of observation. The belief of an Omniscient God takes care of this dilemma.
-And an interesting turn in the book takes place in the last chapters, the author makes science into a religion, with scientist as the apostles, knowledge as the hope for mankind, and the ‘cosmic code’ is the gospel. All well and good but good bye to science that seeks to explain; according to this author it is the only path to full human potential.
October 21, 2016
You can face Pagel's "Cosmic Code" directly with Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" as a way of confronting the two sides of the most widely known fields of physics being investigated: quantum mechanics and astrophysics.
Pagel is able to discuss complex features of quantum mechanics through a simple approach and, even though the book is already somewhat old, the passion and the relevance of the chosen topics to approach render this book as an almost timeless effort.
For any fan of scientific literature and/or physics.
Pagel is able to discuss complex features of quantum mechanics through a simple approach and, even though the book is already somewhat old, the passion and the relevance of the chosen topics to approach render this book as an almost timeless effort.
For any fan of scientific literature and/or physics.
September 4, 2009
Great book if you are at all interested in physics, Einstein's theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics. This book explains things for the layman better than most although the book was written 27 years ago and some of his information is obviously out of date. Relativity and quantum mechanics have replaced Newtonian physics as the accepted reality of our universe. The Newtonian physics view of reality was based on the idea that once the universe started all following events were predetermined by specific unvarying laws--the orbital path of planets, death of stars, etc.--including human choice, which was not real since everything was predetermined. Quantum mechanics replaces this view of reality with one that says there is a statistical probability for events rather than a predetermined one. This leads to an interesting statement by Pagels at the end of chapter 8: "Nature knows nothing of imperfection; imperfection is a human perception of nature. Inasmuch as we are part of nature we are also perfect; it is our humanity that is imperfect. And, ironically, because of our capacity for imperfection and error we are free beings--a feedom that no stone or animal can enjoy. Without the possibility of error and real indeterminacy implied by the quantum theory, human liberty is meaningless." I think I recognize that statement from somewhere!!
June 20, 2009
I love this book to the point of sentimentality. I don't know how applicable the science still is. Physics has advanced in the years since Pagels wrote it. However, it is accessible to a neophyte, and yet, I think it does not do a terrible disservice to physics. Anyway, it left me with a love of the subject and a deep respect for the science.
I asked my favorite bookseller, and my prof, for a book that would give me a basic overview of quantum physics. Not the math, just the concepts facing physicists in the 1920's and on. So it's not quite as cheeky as it might seem.
I was reading an essay at the time on modern art called "Visualization Lost and Regained." The text assumed some basic knowledge of the subject. I eventually ground to a halt in the essay because I knew nothing of Bohr, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, et. al.
The Cosmic Code is the book that was recommended, and it was wonderful.
Pagels death from an accident at an early age was sad. I would have followed his writings like a squealing fangirl.
I asked my favorite bookseller, and my prof, for a book that would give me a basic overview of quantum physics. Not the math, just the concepts facing physicists in the 1920's and on. So it's not quite as cheeky as it might seem.
I was reading an essay at the time on modern art called "Visualization Lost and Regained." The text assumed some basic knowledge of the subject. I eventually ground to a halt in the essay because I knew nothing of Bohr, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, et. al.
The Cosmic Code is the book that was recommended, and it was wonderful.
Pagels death from an accident at an early age was sad. I would have followed his writings like a squealing fangirl.
June 7, 2016
This book was unbelievably amazing. I am a chemical engineer but have never taken a quantum physics class. This book described quantum physics in a way that I could easily understand and left me mind-blown, wishing there were more! This book challenged my faith and sparked a passion for pursuing knowledge about the quantum world.
January 24, 2025
Loving this so far. Recommended by the guy who wrote the other book that you love - on OCD and quantum physics.
"Einstein pioneered the transition from Newtonian physics to the quantum theory of atoms and radiation, a new non-Newtonian physics. But the irony was that Einstein, who opened the route to the new quantum theory that shattered the deterministic world view, rejected the new quantum theory. He could not intellectually accept that the foundation"
Einstein's role. He shattered determinism of newton but he could not accept it. This explains why you (nina) have relied on Einstein's relativity to prove against localism
"Even when I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality."
Same mate.
"The fact that observation can change what is being observed can be seen from examples drawn from ordinary life. The anthropologist who studies a small village isolated from modern life will by his mere presence alter village life. The object of his knowledge changes as a consequence of examination. The fact that people know they are being observed can alter their behavior."
THE LACANIAN BIG OTHER!
Pagels’ The Cosmic Code feels like someone cracking open the universe just enough for me to peek in, and what I see isn’t a neatly ordered cosmos but something trembling, uncertain, full of raw potential. It reminds me of Bohr’s insistence that the world at its core isn’t logical, not in the way we want it to be. Pagels doesn’t give me answers—thank God for that—but instead leaves me with a sense of awe that isn’t comforting, in fact, deeply terrifying. It destroys your ego. The kind of awe that burns, that makes me feel tiny and infinite at the same time.
I keep circling back to how Pagels describes the act of observation. That moment when reality splits, when a wave becomes a particle because we’ve looked at it. It’s like the universe itself is unstable, holding its breath, waiting for us to pay attention. There’s something profoundly unnerving about that—and something deeply familiar. It’s not far from the Kabbalistic idea of tsimtsum, where the infinite retracts itself to make space for creation. Observing, creating, breaking things down—it all feels like part of the same process. The world collapses into form only when we interact with it, but the cost of that is losing its infinite potential. The wave becomes a particle, the divine retracts into the mundane. How do you live with that trade-off? How do you not grieve it?
Pagels doesn’t dwell in the grief, though. He’s too focused on the beauty of it all, and that’s what stays with me. The way he writes about the double-slit experiment, for example. I’ve read about it a hundred times before, but the way he describes it—particles, behaving like waves, and then choosing, somehow, to become something solid—it hits differently. It’s not just an experiment; it’s a reminder that reality isn’t fixed. It’s alive, responsive, and fundamentally unknowable. I can’t think about it without feeling like my own life is less stable than I want to admit, like I’m as much wave as particle, shifting depending on who’s looking.
There’s a moment where Pagels writes about uncertainty, not as a problem to solve but as the core of everything. It’s not just physics; it’s a worldview. He says something about how the equations don’t give us reality itself, only probabilities. That thought sticks to me like a burr. If the universe is probability, then certainty is a lie we tell ourselves because we’re scared. I can’t decide if that’s freeing or terrifying. Maybe both.
I think about Bohr, too, and how much he’d love this book. Bohr’s whole life was about contradictions—wave and particle, life and death—not as things to resolve, but as things to hold. Pagels gets that. He’s not writing about quantum mechanics to make it digestible. He’s writing to show that it’s indigestible, and that’s the point. There’s no stable ground here, no neat resolution, and yet it’s beautiful in its instability. I can’t stop thinking about how that reflects the rest of existence: fragile, unpredictable, always on the verge of collapsing into something new. Also, he was a nice Danish Jew, like me....
What Pagels does better than anyone is connect the equations to the human experience. He doesn’t let the physics sit in a vacuum. When he writes about the uncertainty principle, it’s not just about particles. It’s about us—our choices, our fears, the way we interact with each other. He makes me think about how much of my life I spend trying to force things into certainty, into particles, when maybe I should let them stay waves. Maybe I should be okay with not knowing, with letting things be infinite for a little longer before I collapse them into decisions.
Reading this doesn’t feel like learning. It feels like unraveling. Like Pagels is pulling threads I didn’t even know were there, showing me how tangled the fabric of reality really is. And maybe that’s what I’ve been drawn to all along. The instability, the paradoxes, the way reality is both here and not here, depending on how you look at it. It feels less like physics and more like a prayer. You're left not with "more knowledge", but somehow, significantly less, like somebody has just torn your eyeballs out your skull. Not the kind of prayer that asks for something, but the kind that just sits in the dark and listens. That’s what this book is for me: sitting in the dark, listening to the hum of the universe, and knowing I’ll never understand it—and that I’m not supposed to.
"Einstein pioneered the transition from Newtonian physics to the quantum theory of atoms and radiation, a new non-Newtonian physics. But the irony was that Einstein, who opened the route to the new quantum theory that shattered the deterministic world view, rejected the new quantum theory. He could not intellectually accept that the foundation"
Einstein's role. He shattered determinism of newton but he could not accept it. This explains why you (nina) have relied on Einstein's relativity to prove against localism
"Even when I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality."
Same mate.
"The fact that observation can change what is being observed can be seen from examples drawn from ordinary life. The anthropologist who studies a small village isolated from modern life will by his mere presence alter village life. The object of his knowledge changes as a consequence of examination. The fact that people know they are being observed can alter their behavior."
THE LACANIAN BIG OTHER!
Pagels’ The Cosmic Code feels like someone cracking open the universe just enough for me to peek in, and what I see isn’t a neatly ordered cosmos but something trembling, uncertain, full of raw potential. It reminds me of Bohr’s insistence that the world at its core isn’t logical, not in the way we want it to be. Pagels doesn’t give me answers—thank God for that—but instead leaves me with a sense of awe that isn’t comforting, in fact, deeply terrifying. It destroys your ego. The kind of awe that burns, that makes me feel tiny and infinite at the same time.
I keep circling back to how Pagels describes the act of observation. That moment when reality splits, when a wave becomes a particle because we’ve looked at it. It’s like the universe itself is unstable, holding its breath, waiting for us to pay attention. There’s something profoundly unnerving about that—and something deeply familiar. It’s not far from the Kabbalistic idea of tsimtsum, where the infinite retracts itself to make space for creation. Observing, creating, breaking things down—it all feels like part of the same process. The world collapses into form only when we interact with it, but the cost of that is losing its infinite potential. The wave becomes a particle, the divine retracts into the mundane. How do you live with that trade-off? How do you not grieve it?
Pagels doesn’t dwell in the grief, though. He’s too focused on the beauty of it all, and that’s what stays with me. The way he writes about the double-slit experiment, for example. I’ve read about it a hundred times before, but the way he describes it—particles, behaving like waves, and then choosing, somehow, to become something solid—it hits differently. It’s not just an experiment; it’s a reminder that reality isn’t fixed. It’s alive, responsive, and fundamentally unknowable. I can’t think about it without feeling like my own life is less stable than I want to admit, like I’m as much wave as particle, shifting depending on who’s looking.
There’s a moment where Pagels writes about uncertainty, not as a problem to solve but as the core of everything. It’s not just physics; it’s a worldview. He says something about how the equations don’t give us reality itself, only probabilities. That thought sticks to me like a burr. If the universe is probability, then certainty is a lie we tell ourselves because we’re scared. I can’t decide if that’s freeing or terrifying. Maybe both.
I think about Bohr, too, and how much he’d love this book. Bohr’s whole life was about contradictions—wave and particle, life and death—not as things to resolve, but as things to hold. Pagels gets that. He’s not writing about quantum mechanics to make it digestible. He’s writing to show that it’s indigestible, and that’s the point. There’s no stable ground here, no neat resolution, and yet it’s beautiful in its instability. I can’t stop thinking about how that reflects the rest of existence: fragile, unpredictable, always on the verge of collapsing into something new. Also, he was a nice Danish Jew, like me....
What Pagels does better than anyone is connect the equations to the human experience. He doesn’t let the physics sit in a vacuum. When he writes about the uncertainty principle, it’s not just about particles. It’s about us—our choices, our fears, the way we interact with each other. He makes me think about how much of my life I spend trying to force things into certainty, into particles, when maybe I should let them stay waves. Maybe I should be okay with not knowing, with letting things be infinite for a little longer before I collapse them into decisions.
Reading this doesn’t feel like learning. It feels like unraveling. Like Pagels is pulling threads I didn’t even know were there, showing me how tangled the fabric of reality really is. And maybe that’s what I’ve been drawn to all along. The instability, the paradoxes, the way reality is both here and not here, depending on how you look at it. It feels less like physics and more like a prayer. You're left not with "more knowledge", but somehow, significantly less, like somebody has just torn your eyeballs out your skull. Not the kind of prayer that asks for something, but the kind that just sits in the dark and listens. That’s what this book is for me: sitting in the dark, listening to the hum of the universe, and knowing I’ll never understand it—and that I’m not supposed to.
July 5, 2021
All chapters are great. A must read
August 5, 2019
A useful introduction
The Cosmic Code (the book) provides a thorough introduction to the field of quantum physics by exploring its historical development over the course of the 20th century, key questions, experimental breakthroughs, most impactful contributing scientists, and future directions.
Is it an easy book to read? While it's supposedly written for the lay person, it does contain a lot of scientific ideas and concepts, and it's not as easy to follow as say, your typical story book, self help book, or autobiography. But the challenge is rewarding.
In all, I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the field.
The Cosmic Code (the book) provides a thorough introduction to the field of quantum physics by exploring its historical development over the course of the 20th century, key questions, experimental breakthroughs, most impactful contributing scientists, and future directions.
Is it an easy book to read? While it's supposedly written for the lay person, it does contain a lot of scientific ideas and concepts, and it's not as easy to follow as say, your typical story book, self help book, or autobiography. But the challenge is rewarding.
In all, I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the field.
July 23, 2020
Enjoyed the book greatly. I am a chemical scientist and for the first time I was able to understand the physical concepts of the four forces that seem to govern the universe; gravity, the electromagnetic force, the weak force and the strong force. Additionally the description of the fundamental particles of matter such as hadrons, leptons, gluons and quarks and their interactions is simple to visualize, see Ch. 3 to 6. The book offers a superb philosophical ending.
May 29, 2016
Heinz Pagels wrote this with supreme clarity. Written in the 1980s, while it does not cover some of the latest thinking in quantum physics, it does a brilliant job of explaining the building blocks of quantum weirdness. This is not a pop science book - it's gets down into the weeds. The motivated reader, willing to put in the hard work, will be rewarded.
April 6, 2016
Read Chinese version. It is really a wonderful book, it is worth ten stars. Accurate concise thinking venation, goes down so deep humanistic concern, made bold imagination. the book is the source of most of Liu Cixin thoughts. Is really great. I am to read other works by the author.
January 19, 2025
The Cosmic Code by Heinz R. Pagels presents a fascinating idea that the world we experience is not just made up of matter or spirit, but rather an invisible organization of energy. This concept challenges our conventional understanding of reality and invites us to think deeply about the nature of existence.
One quote from the book that really resonated with me is:
This passage embodies a profound realization: the principle of life is indestructible, woven into the very fabric of the cosmos.
Pagels argues that understanding science is not just an intellectual pursuit, but essential for grasping the larger story of our civilization. What I truly appreciate about this book is that it avoids excessive mathematical formalism, instead using rich analogies and metaphors that make complex ideas accessible, even to a non-technical audience.
For anyone passionate about science and its role in shaping our understanding of the universe, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀. A must-read for science lovers, and I’m grateful to Open Library for providing access to this thought-provoking work!
Reproduced from my blog: The Cosmic Code by Heinz R. Pagels
One quote from the book that really resonated with me is:
"Lately I dreamed I was clutching at the face of a rock but it would not hold. Gravel gave way. I grasped for a shrub, but it pulled loose, and in cold terror I fell into the abyss… what I embody, the principle of life, cannot be destroyed … It is written into the cosmic code, the order of the universe. As I continued to fall in the dark void, embraced by the vault of the heavens, I sang to the beauty of the stars and made my peace with the darkness."
This passage embodies a profound realization: the principle of life is indestructible, woven into the very fabric of the cosmos.
Pagels argues that understanding science is not just an intellectual pursuit, but essential for grasping the larger story of our civilization. What I truly appreciate about this book is that it avoids excessive mathematical formalism, instead using rich analogies and metaphors that make complex ideas accessible, even to a non-technical audience.
For anyone passionate about science and its role in shaping our understanding of the universe, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀. A must-read for science lovers, and I’m grateful to Open Library for providing access to this thought-provoking work!
Reproduced from my blog: The Cosmic Code by Heinz R. Pagels
March 30, 2020
A stern jaunt through through the development and rudiments of the quantum world and the emergent physics seeking to explain it. As such, a book of popular science--but a queer one at that. Pagels assumes a lay audience, but one prepared, after single paragraphs of description, to thereafter carry the technical terms across the finish line [see: the use of "quant" or "quantized" in relation to other elements]. Unlike other popsci, he also favors technical description--albeit written in smooth, clear prose [I can't quite say lucid]--over metaphor or thought experiment [although, obviously, these are here]. The commitment to not talking down to his audience is rather commendable, in fact, and more likely a function of his bigger intellectual project: reconciling the impossibility of visualizing quantum processes with a remit to communicate the science to non-scientists who, lacking the requisite mathematical literacy, necessarily require metaphor, universal human logics, and everyday comparisons to grasp most science in the first place. To some extent, then, the degree to which his audience does or does not "follow" the information is beyond his control, a difficulty in assessing the work on its merits, considering the inevitable fact that the book eventually serves as a proxy for quantum literacy, and I can imagine how often that turns out not in Pagels favor [full disclosure: I'm at the level of understanding quantum conclusions, their implications, and their placement within a larger history of science trajectory, but mostly in the dark regarding the actual this-then-this means by which they're reached, or how scientific certainty relates to the actual experimental science being done. So take that for what you will regarding all the former].
December 17, 2022
"The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature" (1984) was written by Heinz R. Pagels - an American physicist. The author insightfully summarizes progression in quantum physics spanning from roughly 1900 to 1980. Although obviously outdated with respect to current perspectives, this book never-the-less presents a comprehensive analysis of foundational concepts and the contributions of scientists upon which this field of study was built. Pagels also describes the process of scientific insight and advancement - the importance of collaboration through the free exchange of ideas and data, as well as individual genius manifest through creativity, intuition, and imagination. Collaboration and individual genius are important in any field of science but especially so with respect to the apparent “weirdness” or “craziness” of various aspects of quantum physics (such as “observer created reality” and quantum randomness). Pagels ends his book with a brief discussion of his mountain climbing excursions, in part as a metaphor for scientific inquiry by comparing the desire for “infinite knowledge” to the seemingly infinite scenic view from a mountain top. Ironically, Pagels essentially wrote his own epitaph as he described his dreams of falling while mountain climbing. He died on July 23, 1988 at the age of 49 in a climbing accident. Despite the danger of mishap while climbing, from his closing words in this book, he appeared to be at peace with his possible demise as he described falling in one of his dreams: “…I sang to the beauty of the stars and made my peace with the darkness” (page 313). To those interested in the historical developments in quantum physics, I recommend this book.
March 10, 2022
A review by Mermin pointed out he gets the central point entirely wrong of the EPR experiment.
Also, Bell was not the first to find a flaw in von Neumann’s argument. Grete Hermann did.
Finally, I cannot disagree more that God playing dice somehow gives humans freedom. If I flip a coin in my brain on whether or not to kill a baby every time I see a baby, instead of computing based on my internal values, is that really free will or am I slave to dice?
Also, Bell was not the first to find a flaw in von Neumann’s argument. Grete Hermann did.
Finally, I cannot disagree more that God playing dice somehow gives humans freedom. If I flip a coin in my brain on whether or not to kill a baby every time I see a baby, instead of computing based on my internal values, is that really free will or am I slave to dice?
July 6, 2018
Those who wants to learn a world inside the world can read this book. The spectacular world of microcosmos consisting of proton, positron, electron, gluon, lepton, hadron, neutrino, quarks so on and on....just passing through us unnoticed silently.
After reading this book, I feel accuracy of Vedanta. The world is a playing field of Shiva - Shakti.
After reading this book, I feel accuracy of Vedanta. The world is a playing field of Shiva - Shakti.
March 28, 2022
The waffle just drowned out the science. Couldn't even finish it. Did not enjoy how it was written.
Only thing I remember is some scientist went to some island because he had hay fever and Einstein thought everyone was wrong... But actually he was.
Only thing I remember is some scientist went to some island because he had hay fever and Einstein thought everyone was wrong... But actually he was.
August 19, 2022
Libro adatto anche ai neofiti, per avvicinarsi al meraviglioso mondo della fisica.
Mi capitò di leggerlo a 15 anni, e grazie a questa lettura anni dopo decisi di laurearmi in fisica. L'ho riletto dopo la laurea, e l'ho trovato ancora interessante, elegante e profondo.
Mi capitò di leggerlo a 15 anni, e grazie a questa lettura anni dopo decisi di laurearmi in fisica. L'ho riletto dopo la laurea, e l'ho trovato ancora interessante, elegante e profondo.
November 5, 2018
Interesting and I wonder how much holds up 40 years later.
November 15, 2022
I read this book as a grad student in the 1980s and it blew my mind. Can't recommend it highly enough.
February 3, 2025
Of the three parts of the book, the first and third parts are great. The second part (about quants and other parts of atoms etc) was a bit of a snoozefest.
Quantum physics is one of those subjects that people stay away from (like organic chemistry) because it is so complicated. Pagels does a great job in describing the origins of quantum physics. It almost felt like I was living through that period of time.
I did not know how important quantum physics was for our modern life. I always thought of it as an abstract science, but it was used in a lot of practical applications such as the Internet.
I'm very glad that I read this book and highly recommend it to any scientist.
Quantum physics is one of those subjects that people stay away from (like organic chemistry) because it is so complicated. Pagels does a great job in describing the origins of quantum physics. It almost felt like I was living through that period of time.
I did not know how important quantum physics was for our modern life. I always thought of it as an abstract science, but it was used in a lot of practical applications such as the Internet.
I'm very glad that I read this book and highly recommend it to any scientist.
December 12, 2019
I substantially read this book in the late 1990s and have picked it up again in my current study of the issue of free will versus determinism. The book is an excellent and accessible introduction to quantum mechanics by a quantum physicist who died at age 49 in 1988. I especially like his discussion of determinism and indeterminism. As he states on page 123: "Without the possibility of error and real indeterminacy implied by the quantum theory, human liberty is meaningless. [new paragraph] The God that plays dice has set us free." This view, contrary to that of Einstein and other determinists, is consistent with those expressed by other quantum physicists, most notably Henry Stapp, whose works I am also currently studying.
Alan E. Johnson
November 8, 2019
Alan E. Johnson
November 8, 2019
March 22, 2015
May be the last quantum physics book I attempt to digest. "No look, really it's very simple...even though not visualizable. But it's rational...and sure, maybe sometimes it just looks like we're playing word games with you and the rest of the universe...but this is how the world really works...even though all our theories aren't really discoveries but inventions..." Eek. Got a bit eerie btw for those last couple of paragraphs with him talking about his fears/dreams of a mountaineering accident (considering his ultimate fate and all). And boy, that Steven Weinberg sure sounds like a fun date (the only things truly "pointless and meaningless" were his quotes).
February 9, 2009
The first popscience physics book i read. started the slowish journey to realizing that not only could i get the basic concepts in quantum physics but that they totally blew my mind in the very best of ways- making me curious & in awe. so unlike my highschool physics teacher who just made me feel dumb.
December 21, 2013
From as much as I read Pagels presents a reasonable survey of quantum theory, but nothing that I hadn't encountered elsewhere. The lack of any new ideas or perspectives and the uneven writing led me to drop the book halfway through. Nothing wrong with what's here, but there are better options available.
May 23, 2014
It's been 28 years since I last read this. I recall that I thought it excellent but will need to re-read it to be certain. I'm sure a few things are out-dated (the discover of the tau neutrino, for example, post dates the edition I have). Vive la science!
May 17, 2015
Best introduction to Quantum Physics I've read. Clear, light on the maths, good analogies for the more mind-bending concepts. Finally think I get Bell's Inequality and implications, and settling on a favourite interpretation of the measurement problem, which is a win for this book.
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