New Carlo Rovelli book challenges science's understanding of reality and the universe
Physicist Carlo Rovelli's new book, 'On the Equality of All Things,' challenges traditional scientific views of an objective, 'God's-eye' reality. Rovelli argues that modern physics, particularly quantum mechanics, suggests that reality is relational rather than absolute.
Why it matters
The book invites a broader public discussion on the philosophical implications of modern physics and how we perceive the universe.
Scribner I have a book on my shelf called Physics and Ultimate Reality. The title perfectly expresses the dream many physicists like me have when we begin our studies as young students. We yearn for perfect, objective knowledge of a perfectly knowable universe.
This "God's-eye view" is also what's claimed as the purpose and promise of physics in many popular books on the subject. But, now, comes a new book by physicist Carlo Rovelli that explicitly rejects any path to an ultimate reality. The force with which Rovelli -- one of the leading researchers and popularizers in the field – argues for this seemingly heretical view is what makes his On the Equality of All Things such a compelling, exciting and important read.
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