Comments on: Booked Up, with Eric J. Herboth: 'In Search of the Multiverse' http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse Seriously, this could not be more beta Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:20:54 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: HiredGoons http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41109 HiredGoons Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:40:27 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41109 The Self-Aware Universe is an interesting look at Quantum Physics and Consciousness. The Self-Aware Universe is an interesting look at Quantum Physics and Consciousness.

]]> By: Vulpes http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41042 Vulpes Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:43:32 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41042 Oh, and I can't believe I forgot two of my favorite popular science books of the year: Is God A Mathematician? by Mario Livio and In Search of Time by Dan Falk. Excellent, excellent books. P.S. I apologize for being all obnoxiously prolific in the comments here; this is a subject I have a lot of passion for. I'm a total NERD, and I'm damn proud of it. Oh, and I can't believe I forgot two of my favorite popular science books of the year: Is God A Mathematician? by Mario Livio and In Search of Time by Dan Falk. Excellent, excellent books.

P.S. I apologize for being all obnoxiously prolific in the comments here; this is a subject I have a lot of passion for. I'm a total NERD, and I'm damn proud of it.

]]> By: Vulpes http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41040 Vulpes Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:32:41 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41040 Human logic may, and probably doesn't, have much application to things like this, especially on the quantum level where little things like causality are murky to say the least. Human logic may, and probably doesn't, have much application to things like this, especially on the quantum level where little things like causality are murky to say the least.

]]> By: Vulpes http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41039 Vulpes Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:31:21 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41039 To be fair, I've read Gribbin talk about how embarrassed he is by that whole thing now. To be fair, I've read Gribbin talk about how embarrassed he is by that whole thing now.

]]> By: Vulpes http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41038 Vulpes Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:30:34 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41038 I'm a nutcase for these kind of books, and raised on a diet of Star Trek mad about multiverses, but I found this book rather ho-hum. Little too much string evangelizing for my taste. I think I've been reading Woit far too long. I think E=mC^2 by Brian Cox and You Are Here by Christopher Potter are the standouts of this past year for popular science, though they don't exactly aim for the same things as Gribbin. Before the Big Bang by Brian Clegg is more in In Search of the Multiverse's line, and it's pretty good as well. New Awl column plz!!!!!! I'm a nutcase for these kind of books, and raised on a diet of Star Trek mad about multiverses, but I found this book rather ho-hum. Little too much string evangelizing for my taste. I think I've been reading Woit far too long.

I think E=mC^2 by Brian Cox and You Are Here by Christopher Potter are the standouts of this past year for popular science, though they don't exactly aim for the same things as Gribbin. Before the Big Bang by Brian Clegg is more in In Search of the Multiverse's line, and it's pretty good as well. New Awl column plz!!!!!!

]]> By: katalist http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41035 katalist Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:22:57 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41035 T-shirt T-shirt

]]> By: Vulpes http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-41033 Vulpes Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:12:55 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-41033 The Everetts are a very tragic family. Hugh Everett was apparently kind of a bastard of a father and died young, and the daughter killed herself. The Everetts are a very tragic family. Hugh Everett was apparently kind of a bastard of a father and died young, and the daughter killed herself.

]]> By: HiredGoons http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40992 HiredGoons Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:56:30 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40992 AND! AND! If there is a universe in which no alternate universes exist THEN logic dictates that THIS must be that universe (as no others would exist) and THEREFORE... there are no alternate universes. AND! AND! If there is a universe in which no alternate universes exist THEN logic dictates that THIS must be that universe (as no others would exist) and THEREFORE… there are no alternate universes.

]]> By: HiredGoons http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40990 HiredGoons Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:50:43 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40990 What about an alternate universe in which there are no other alternate universes? Riddle me that! What about an alternate universe in which there are no other alternate universes? Riddle me that!

]]> By: brent_cox http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40982 brent_cox Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:31:50 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40982 Is this gonna count towards our final grade? Is this gonna count towards our final grade?

]]> By: Eric J Herboth http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40969 Eric J Herboth Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:05:03 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40969 Yeah, I know. This isn't the first article I've written! That's called misdirection, sucka! Yeah, I know. This isn't the first article I've written! That's called misdirection, sucka!

]]> By: OuackMallard http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40942 OuackMallard Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:23:33 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40942 There was a really good Nova a while back where the frontman for the band Eels, who happens to be Hugh Everett's son, talks to various scientists to try to understand his father's many worlds theory. There was a really good Nova a while back where the frontman for the band Eels, who happens to be Hugh Everett's son, talks to various scientists to try to understand his father's many worlds theory.

]]> By: HiredGoons http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40937 HiredGoons Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:16:51 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40937 Sometimes my mind feels like Schrodinger's litter box. Sometimes my mind feels like Schrodinger's litter box.

]]> By: propertius http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40905 propertius Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:12:17 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40905 I stumbled across the term "multiverse" a few years ago when I accidentally found one of Max Tegmark's papers "Parallel Universes". I was pretty amazed to find this passage in it: This is the Level IV multiverse. It can be viewed as a form of radical Platonism, asserting that the mathematical structures in Plato's realm of ideas, the Mindscape of Rucker (1982), exist "out there" in a physical sense (Davies 1993), casting the so-called modal realism theory of David Lewis (1986) in mathematical terms akin to what Barrow (1991; 1992) refers to as pi in the sky". Amazing ... David Lewis and Plato vindicated by a physicist in one and the same paragraph. Things are indeed getting strange out on the frontiers of physics. I stumbled across the term "multiverse" a few years ago when I accidentally found one of Max Tegmark's papers "Parallel Universes". I was pretty amazed to find this passage in it:

This is the Level IV multiverse. It can be viewed as a
form of radical Platonism, asserting that the mathematical
structures in Plato's realm of ideas, the Mindscape
of Rucker (1982), exist "out there" in a physical sense
(Davies 1993), casting the so-called modal realism theory
of David Lewis (1986) in mathematical terms akin to
what Barrow (1991; 1992) refers to as pi in the sky".

Amazing … David Lewis and Plato vindicated by a physicist in one and the same paragraph. Things are indeed getting strange out on the frontiers of physics.

]]> By: Dickdogfood http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40901 Dickdogfood Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:01:04 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40901 UGH. To clarify, had you mentioned his authorship of TJE in the first couple paragraphs, I probably wouldn't've read this whole thing. I'm glad you didn't. UGH. To clarify, had you mentioned his authorship of TJE in the first couple paragraphs, I probably wouldn't've read this whole thing. I'm glad you didn't.

]]> By: Dickdogfood http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/booked-up-with-eric-j-herboth-john-gribbins-in-search-of-the-multiverse#comment-40900 Dickdogfood Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:59:20 +0000 http://www.theawl.com/?p=19588#comment-40900 You know, had you mentioned that Gribbin wrote <i>The Jupiter Effect</i>, I don't think I would've read your entire essay on his new book. You know, had you mentioned that Gribbin wrote The Jupiter Effect, I don't think I would've read your entire essay on his new book.

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