The Grand Design

图书标准信息

• 作者 Stephen、Leonard Mlodinow 著
• 出版社 Random House US
• 出版时间 2012-02
• 版次 1
• ISBN 9780553384666
• 定价 134.40元
• 装帧 平装
• 开本 16开
• 纸张 胶版纸
• 页数 208页
• 正文语种 英语

【内容简介】

THEFIRSTMAJORWORKINNEARLYADECADEBYONEOFTHEWORLD’SGREATTHINKERS—AMARVELOUSLYCONCISEBOOKWITHNEWANSWERSTOTHEULTIMATEQUESTIONSOFLIFEWhenandhowdidtheuniversebegin?Whyarewehere?Whyistheresomethingratherthannothing?Whatisthenatureofreality?Whyarethelawsofnaturesofinelytunedastoallowfortheexistenceofbeingslikeourselves?And,finally,istheapparent“granddesign”ofouruniverseevidenceofabenevolentcreatorwhosetthingsinmotion—ordoesscienceofferanotherexplanation?Themostfundamentalquestionsabouttheoriginsoftheuniverseandoflifeitself,oncetheprovinceofphilosophy,nowoccupytheterritorywherescientists,philosophers,andtheologiansmeet—ifonlytodisagree.Intheirnewbook,StephenHawkingandLeonardMlodinowpresentthemostrecentscientificthinkingaboutthemysteriesoftheuniverse,innontechnicallanguagemarkedbybothbrillianceandsimplicity.InTheGrandDesigntheyexplainthataccordingtoquantumtheory,thecosmosdoesnothavejustasingleexistenceorhistory,butratherthateverypossiblehistoryoftheuniverseexistssimultaneously.Whenappliedtotheuniverseasawhole,thisideacallsintoquestiontheverynotionofcauseandeffect.Butthe“top-down”approachtocosmologythatHawkingandMlodinowdescribewouldsaythatthefactthatthepasttakesnodefiniteformmeansthatwecreatehistorybyobservingit,ratherthanthathistorycreatesus.Theauthorsfurtherexplainthatweourselvesaretheproductofquantumfluctuationsintheveryearlyuniverse,andshowhowquantumtheorypredictsthe“multiverse”—theideathatoursisjustoneofmanyuniversesthatappearedspontaneouslyoutofnothing,eachwithdifferentlawsofnature.AlongthewayHawkingandMlodinowquestiontheconventionalconceptofreality,posinga“model-dependent”theoryofrealityasthebestwecanhopetofind.AndtheyconcludewitharivetingassessmentofM-theory,anexplanationofthelawsgoverningusandouruniversethatiscurrentlytheonlyviablecandidateforacomplete“theoryofeverything.”Ifconfirmed,theywrite,itwillbetheunifiedtheorythatEinsteinwaslookingfor,andtheultimatetriumphofhumanreason.Asuccinct,startling,andlavishlyillustratedguidetodiscoveriesthatarealteringourunderstandingandthreateningsomeofourmostcherishedbeliefsystems,TheGrandDesignisabookthatwillinform—andprovoke—likenoother.

【作者简介】

StephenHawkingwastheLucasianProfessorofMathematicsattheUniversityofCambridgeforthirtyyears,andhasbeentherecipientofnumerousawardsandhonorsincluding,mostrecently,thePresidentialMedalofFreedom.HisbooksforthegeneralreaderincludetheclassicABriefHistoryofTime,BlackHolesandBabyUniversesandOtherEssays,TheUniverseinaNutshell,andABrieferHistoryofTime.HelivesinCambridge,England.LeonardMlodinowreceivedhisdoctorateintheoreticalphysicsfromtheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley,andteachesatCaltech.Heisthe?NewYorkTimes?bestselling?authorof?TheDrunkard’sWalk:HowRandomnessRulesourLives,?Subliminal:HowYourUnconsciousMindRulesYourBehavior,?WaroftheWorldviews:ScienceversusSpirituality?(withDeepakChopra),?Feynman’sRainbow:ASearchforBeautyinPhysicsandinLife,and?Euclid’sWindow:TheStoryofGeometryfromParallelLinestoHyperspace.HealsowroteforStarTrek:TheNextGeneration.HelivesinSouthPasadena,California.

【目录】

1　 The Mystery of Being

2　 The Rule of Law

3　 What Is Reality?

4　 Alternative Histories

5　 The Theory of Everything

6　 Choosing Our Universe

7　　The Apparent Miracle

8　 Thc Grand Design

Glossary

Acknowledgments

Index