Carlo Rovelli

The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics illuminates the nature of science by exploring the revolutionary ideas of one of its great forefathers: the Greek philosopher AnaximanderOver two millennia ago, a Greek philosopher had a number of wondrous insights that paved the way to cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and biology, setting in motion a new way of seeing the world. Anaximander's legacy includes the revolutionary idea that the earth floats in a void, that the world can be understood in natural rather than supernatural terms, that animals evolved, and that universal laws govern all phenomena. He introduced a new mode of rational thinking with an openness to uncertainty and to the progress of knowledge. In this elegant work, acclaimed physicist Carlo Rovelli brings to light the importance of Anaximander's overlooked legacy to modern science. He examines Anaximander as a scientist interested in shedding light on the deep nature of scientific thinking, which Rovelli locates in his rebellious ability to reimagine the world again and again. Now widely available in English for the first time, Anaximander celebrates the radical lack of certainty that defines the scientific quest for knowledge.

A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Anaximander is a delight and so is this book' -- James McConnachie, Sunday TimesNow widely available in English for the first time, this is Carlo Rovelli's first book: the thrilling story of a little-known man who created one of the greatest intellectual revolutions Over two thousand years ago, one man changed the way we see the world. Since the dawn of civilization, humans had believed in the heavens above and the Earth below. Then, on the Ionian coast, a Greek philosopher named Anaximander set in motion a revolution. He not only conceived that the Earth floats in space, but also that animals evolve, that storms and earthquakes are natural, not supernatural, that the world can be mapped and, above all, that progress is made by the endless search for knowledge. Carlo Rovelli's first book, now widely available in English, tells the origin story of scientific thinking: our rebellious ability to reimagine the world, again and again. Translated by Marion Lignana Rosenberg

»Möt den nya Stephen Hawking«– The Sunday TimesVärlden består inte av individuella objekt utan av relationer. Sedan kvantteorin formulerades har den förändrat vår förståelse av verkligheten i grunden. Men den motsägelsefulla världsbild som framträdde var så gåtfull att fysiker lade frågan om kvantfysikens innebörd åt sidan i över ett halvsekel. I Helgoland ger Carlo Rovelli gåtan ett svar som är lika elegant som omvälvande. Han visar fram en annan och mer nyanserad verklighet än den som är grundad i elementarpartiklarnas schematiska materialism. En verklighet vars fundamentala grammatik stavas processer, händelser – och relationer.

Sommeren 1925 tilbrakte den unge fysikeren Werner Heisenberg på Helgoland, en forblåst øy i Nordsjøen, for å slippe unna plagene med høysnue, og for å tenke i fred. Her kom han opp med den viktigste innsikten bak kvantemekanikken, læren om universets minste bestanddelers oppbygning og dynamikk. I Helgoland forteller den italienske fysikeren og populærvitenskapelige stjerneforfatteren Carlo Rovelli den fascinerende historien om kvantefysikken og dens grunnleggere. De siste hundre årene har teorien gitt oss forståelse av sammenhenger innen atomkraft, moderne medisin, kommunikasjon og annen teknologi, men den er fortsatt gåtefull og omdiskutert. Rovelli tar oss med på en reise full av undring og oppdagelser, og deler også sin egen teori: den «relasjonelle» tolkningen av kvantemekanikken, som ser verden bygget opp av relasjoner og hendelser i stedet for permanente stoffer. Helgoland er en bemerkelsesverdig og inspirerende bok som snur opp ned på vår forståelse av universet og vår egen plass i det.

Named a Best Book of 2021 by the Financial Times and a Best Science Book of 2021 by The Guardian "Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator... This is the place where science comes to life." ―Neil Gaiman "One of the warmest, most elegant and most lucid interpreters to the laity of the dazzling enigmas of his discipline... a] momentous book" ―John Banville, The Wall Street Journal A startling new look at quantum theory, from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Anaximander. One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution. Full of alarming ideas (ghost waves, distant objects that seem to be magically connected, cats that appear both dead and alive), quantum physics has led to countless discoveries and technological advancements. Today our understanding of the world is based on this theory, yet it is still profoundly mysterious. As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory, Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances. We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another. This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness. Rovelli makes learning about quantum mechanics an almost psychedelic experience. Shifting our perspective once again, he takes us on a riveting journey through the universe so we can better comprehend our place in it.

A delightful intellectual feast from the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Anaximander One of the world's most prominent physicists and fearless free spirit, Carlo Rovelli is also a masterful storyteller. His bestselling books have introduced millions of readers to the wonders of modern physics and his singular perspective on the cosmos. This new collection of essays reveals a curious intellect always on the move. Rovelli invites us on an accessible and enlightening voyage through science, literature, philosophy, and politics. Written with his usual clarity and wit, this journey ranges widely across time and space: from Newton's alchemy to Einstein's mistakes, from Nabokov's lepidopterology to Dante's cosmology, from mind-altering psychedelic substances to the meaning of atheism, from the future of physics to the power of uncertainty. Charming, pithy, and elegant, this book is the perfect gateway to the universe of one of the most influential minds of our age.

Sommeren 1925 tilbrakte den unge fysikeren Werner Heisenberg på Helgoland, en forblåst øy i Nordsjøen, for å slippe unna plagene med høysnue, og for å tenke i fred. Her kom han opp med den viktigste innsikten bak kvantemekanikken, læren om universets minste bestanddelers oppbygning og dynamikk. I Helgoland forteller den italienske fysikeren og populærvitenskapelige stjerneforfatteren Carlo Rovelli den fascinerende historien om kvantefysikken og dens grunnleggere. De siste hundre årene har teorien gitt oss forståelse av sammenhenger innen atomkraft, moderne medisin, kommunikasjon og annen teknologi, men den er fortsatt gåtefull og omdiskutert. Rovelli tar oss med på en reise full av undring og oppdagelser, og deler også sin egen teori: den «relasjonelle» tolkningen av kvantemekanikken, som ser verden bygget opp av relasjoner og hendelser i stedet for permanente stoffer. Helgoland er en bemerkelsesverdig og inspirerende bok som snur opp ned på vår forståelse av universet og vår egen plass i det.

In this short book, renowned theoretical physicist and author Carlo Rovelli gives a straightforward introduction to Einstein's General Relativity, our current theory of gravitation. Focusing on conceptual clarity, he derives all the basic results in the simplest way, taking care to explain the physical, philosophical and mathematical ideas at the heart of “the most beautiful of all scientific theories”. Some of the main applications of General Relativity are also explored, for example, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology, and the book concludes with a brief introduction to quantum gravity. Written by an author well known for the clarity of his presentation of scientific ideas, this concise book will appeal to university students looking to improve their understanding of the principal concepts, as well as science-literate readers who are curious about the real theory of General Relativity, at a level beyond a popular science treatment.

In this short book, renowned theoretical physicist and author Carlo Rovelli gives a straightforward introduction to Einstein's General Relativity, our current theory of gravitation. Focusing on conceptual clarity, he derives all the basic results in the simplest way, taking care to explain the physical, philosophical and mathematical ideas at the heart of “the most beautiful of all scientific theories”. Some of the main applications of General Relativity are also explored, for example, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology, and the book concludes with a brief introduction to quantum gravity. Written by an author well known for the clarity of his presentation of scientific ideas, this concise book will appeal to university students looking to improve their understanding of the principal concepts, as well as science-literate readers who are curious about the real theory of General Relativity, at a level beyond a popular science treatment.

One of the most inspiring thinkers of our age, the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics transforms the way we think about the world with his reflections on science, history and humanityIn this collection of writings, the logbook of an intelligence always on the move, Carlo Rovelli follows his curiosity and invites us on a voyage through science, history, philosophy and politics. Written with his usual clarity and wit, these pieces range widely across time and space: from Newton's alchemy to Einstein's mistakes, from Nabokov's butterflies to Dante's cosmology, from travels in Africa to the consciousness of an octopus, from mind-altering psychedelic substances to the meaning of atheism. Charming, pithy and elegant, this book is the perfect gateway to the universe of one of the most influential scientists of our age.

Den bestselgende forfatteren av Syv korte leksjoner i fysikk og Virkeligheten er ikke slik vi tror tar oss med på en fantastisk reise for å forstå hva tid egentlig er. Tiden er et mysterium som ikke slutter å fascinere oss. Filosofer, kunstnere og diktere har opp gjennom historien utforsket tidens natur, mens forskere har oppdaget at tidens struktur er helt annerledes enn slik vi umiddelbart opplever den. Fra Newton til Einstein, til kvantemekanikken og sløyfe-gravitasjonsteorien (hvor Rovelli selv er en av de viktigste teoretikerne), har vår forståelse av tid endret seg radikalt. Tiden flyter med ulik hastighet på forskjellige steder, fortiden og fremtiden er ikke motsatser, og selve forestillingen om nåtiden blir meningsløs i det store universet. Med nysgjerrighet og sjarm bruker Rovelli vitenskap, filosofi og kunst til å bryte ned tidens mysterium. Boka viser at for å forstå oss selv, må vi reflektere over tid - og for å forstå tiden, trenger vi å reflektere over oss selv.

Quantum gravity is among the most fascinating problems in physics. It modifies our understanding of time, space and matter. The recent development of the loop approach has allowed us to explore domains ranging from black hole thermodynamics to the early Universe. This book provides readers with a simple introduction to loop quantum gravity, centred on its covariant approach. It focuses on the physical and conceptual aspects of the problem and includes the background material needed to enter this lively domain of research, making it ideal for researchers and graduate students. Topics covered include quanta of space; classical and quantum physics without time; tetrad formalism; Holst action; lattice QCD; Regge calculus; ADM and Ashtekar variables; Ponzano-Regge and Turaev-Viro amplitudes; kinematics and dynamics of 4D Lorentzian quantum gravity; spectrum of area and volume; coherent states; classical limit; matter couplings; graviton propagator; spinfoam cosmology and black hole thermodynamics.

Vi tæller dagene og tænker over tiden, der går. Men hvad er tid egentlig? Den populære teoretiske fysiker Carlo Rovelli er tilbage med en lille bog om dette fascinerende store mysterium. Med poetisk præcision og stor klarhed præsenterer han fysikkens tidligere og nye teorier om fænomenet tid iblandet litterære henvisninger og filosofiske overvejelser. For tiden rejser store spørgsmål. Er den overhovedet virkelig, eller er det bare en brugbar måde at måle forandring på? Hvorfor kender vi fortiden, men ikke fremtiden? Hvad betyder det, at tiden går? Findes vi i tiden, eller findes tiden i os? Carlo Rovelli formår at formidle kompleks videnskab, så alle kan være med og indbyder os til at tænke over tidens natur, som bliver ved med at forundre både fysikere og filosoffer – og nok os alle.

One of TIME's Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade "Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, Helgoland, and Anaximander comes a concise, elegant exploration of time. Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe. Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.

Time is a mystery that does not cease to puzzle us. Philosophers, artists and poets have long explored its meaning while scientists have found that its structure is different from the simple intuition we have of it. From Boltzmann to quantum theory, from Einstein to loop quantum gravity, our understanding of time has been undergoing radical transformations. Time flows at a different speed in different places, the past and the future differ far less than we might think, and the very notion of the present evaporates in the vast universe. With his extraordinary charm and sense of wonder, bringing together science, philosophy and art, Carlo Rovelli unravels this mystery. Enlightening and consoling, The Order of Time shows that to understand ourselves we need to reflect on time -- and to understand time we need to reflect on ourselves.