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Einstein's Unfinished Revolution

The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum

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Einstein's Unfinished Revolution

Written by: Lee Smolin
Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
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About this listen

A daring new vision of quantum theory from one of the leading minds of contemporary physics.

Quantum physics is the golden child of modern science. It is the basis of our understanding of atoms, radiation, and so much else, from elementary particles and basic forces to the behavior of materials. But for a century, it has also been the problem child of science: It has been plagued by intense disagreements between its inventors, strange paradoxes, and implications that seem like the stuff of fantasy. Whether it's Schrödinger's cat - a creature that is simultaneously dead and alive - or a belief that the world does not exist independently of our observations of it, quantum theory challenges our fundamental assumptions about reality.

In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems that have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved and unsolvable, for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete. There is more to quantum physics, waiting to be discovered. Our task - if we are to have simple answers to our simple questions about the universe we live in - must be to go beyond quantum mechanics to a description of the world on an atomic scale that makes sense.

In this vibrant and accessible audiobook, Smolin takes us on a journey through the basics of quantum physics, introducing the stories of the experiments and figures that have transformed our understanding of the universe, before wrestling with the puzzles and conundrums that the quantum world presents. Along the way, he illuminates the existing theories that might solve these problems, guiding us toward a vision of the quantum that embraces common-sense realism.

If we are to have any hope of completing the revolution that Einstein began nearly a century ago, we must go beyond quantum mechanics to find a theory that will give us a complete description of nature. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, Lee Smolin brings us a step closer to resolving one of the greatest scientific controversies of our age.

©2019 Lee Smolin (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Physics Science Thought-Provoking
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What the critics say

“Smolin is an extremely creative thinker who has been a leader in theoretical physics for many years. He is also a gifted writer who manages to translate his own insights about how science works into engaging language and compelling stories...Smolin's description of how quantum mechanics works is both elegant and accessible.” (NPR)

"[A]mbitious...upbeat and, finally, optimistic...Smolin is a lucid expositor.” (Nature)

“Lee Smolin has written a superb and sweeping book. He takes us to Bohr, Bohm, Everett and far beyond in a masterful assessment, then on to the struggle to go beyond quantum mechanics towards quantum gravity. Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution is truly a fine work.” (Stuart Kauffman, author of At Home in the Universe)

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Great!

Enjoyed every word. Very interesting book. Science needs more Lee Smolins. Thank you very much.

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Amazing

My favorite book in a long time. It has answered many questions and leaves me inspired to figure out many more.

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Fantastic, interesting, inspiring.

I had a great time wrapping my mind around the concepts in this book. I didn't feel like skipping even the most basic parts, which I already knew but now it's even better. That's a great sign. Thank you. I feel like this work will affect my future thinking a great deal.

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We need more books like this

Too few people are aware of the problems with quantum mechanics. Every time I hear QM cited it's accompanied with words like "now that we know for certain that QM is undeniable" and "face it, we are living in a quantum world" and "it has to be so, because quauntum uncertainty" and "the most rigorously tested theory ever"… few people, including physicists, realize that it's not understood. Maybe because it took 100 years for science to finally accept it that we now see people invested so deeply that it's as if the case were closed and there were nothing left to explain.

I used to enjoy the fact that Einstein was "wrong". It made him human. But more and more it seems like we have to see why Einstein was so skeptical.

For sure, quantum mechanics isn't going to be "wrong". Just like how Relativity didn't make Newton wrong, it just made it more precise and explained the mechanism. The current interpretation of QM is just one of many that used to be equally debated. For example, some people are still looking for hidden variables or some other explanation to why QM has uncertainty at its heart. Let those people speak so that we may possibly learn more about gravity and how to reconcile QM and Relativity. Let people shed light on the problem of measurement and the observer.

And please somebody look into The Randell Mills Unified Theory. I want to hear what great minds have to say. When QM theorists can only say "shut up and calculate", it's an admission that there's still work to do.

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