The Order of Time
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Order of Time
Buy Now for $18.86
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Benedict Cumberbatch
-
Written by:
-
Carlo Rovelli
About this listen
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 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.
©2018 Carlo Rovelli (P)2018 Penguin AudioWhat the critics say
"[Benedict Cumberbatch's] velvety bass voice is a delight to listen to - comforting and companionable, with perfect cadences to signal when the difficult concepts he's speaking about need extra attention (or a 30-second skip-back to hear again). The result is a performance that feels like a conversation with Professor Rovelli himself steadily guiding you as he dismantles all notions of time and helps you rebuild your understanding of it." (AudioFile)
“Highly original.... Chapter by chapter, Rovelli shows how modern physics has annihilated common understandings of time...the many other excellent explanations of science, the heart and humanity of the book, its poetry and its gentle tone raise it to the level and style of such great scientist-writers as Lewis Thomas and Rachel Carson.” (Alan Lightman, New York Times Book Review)
“An elegant grapple with one of physics’ deepest mysteries.... A masterly writer.... In this little gem of a book, Mr. Rovelli first demolishes our common-sense notion of time...an ambitious book that illuminates a thorny question, that succeeds in being a pleasurable read.” (Wall Street Journal)
What listeners say about The Order of Time
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 2023-09-08
Interesting but occasionally dense
I found the order of time to be very interesting, and provided a good balance of introduction and details about the topic. There were times when I had to replay it over in order to catch the premise that was being presented, and I’m not entirely certain I understood it correctly. However, I did enjoy this and would recommend it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- delaney
- 2020-04-26
optimal explanation with a great reading
I can't say enough on this reading, it's alot of realizations fast. There's no missing thread for building a better understanding, or peaking interest. Benedict Cumberbatch has a great pacing for attention to detail, if there is a looking for deeper or different perspective this would be it for me. I am looking for more in this hard to accomplish category, but the authour has done so for me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-06-05
Rovelli + Cumberbatch = mind blown!
I don't think I'll ever understand everything in this book, but still one of the most important books I've listened to to date, and will be revisiting it many, many times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-10-06
Excellent!
The content and the narration will energize your sense of wonder about ‘Life, the Universe, and Everything’.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 2021-11-09
The Poetry of Physics
Rovelli beautifully illustrates the relationship between space, time and thermodynamics and provides a moving meditation on the loss of his friend. Dr. Carlo Rovelli really is the poet laureate of physics and in combination with narration from Benedict Cumberbatch this audiobook is a stunning work of art. There is nothing more I can say as Dr. Rovelli's work is more then capable of speaking for itself,
“This is time for us. Memory. A nostalgia. The pain of absence. But it isn't absence that causes sorrow. It is affection and love. Without affection, without love, such absences would cause us no pain. For this reason, even the pain caused by absence is in the end something good and even beautiful. Because it feeds on that which gives meaning to life.” - Carlo Rovelii
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-04-20
Worth your time!
While I did not understand much of the first part of the book, the one containing physics knowledge beyond my understanding, I grasped some priceless pieces of information from this book. The profound alterations in my perception of time and space make up for how challenging this book was to listen to at times.
The most important concept i took from this book is that the laws of physics in the way we think of them don't exist. Time and space can warp and operate at speeds unlike what we "normally" expect...and while most accept that a clock tells time and everything moves along in expected time frames, it is when we see BEYOND limited perspectives, perceptions and expectations that we can start to understand our own potential, within a reality that is much more malleable than we give it credit for.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eduardo C.
- 2023-10-20
Amazing content and incredible narrator
Rovelli has a marvellous way to simplify a difficult content, helped here by the mesmerizing voice of Benedict Cumberbatch.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jihane Mriouah
- 2019-04-19
More like this please
Stimulating, clear, and nicely written. It's really great when scientists can write and Carlo Rovelli is one of them. i would say it's the right balance between physics and philosophy.
And having Benedict Cumberbatch as a narrator makes this book so pleasing to listen to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Grantie
- 2020-04-06
IDeep dive into time.
I really enjoyed the first 3 chapters. After that, I found it very hard going. I wish I was smarter.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kelvin Ting
- 2021-11-28
Author will challenge our concept of time
Book breaks down why a universal objective time is not entirely true. Our interactions with the universe is only partial due to quantum indeterminacy,, giving rise to an entropy that gets captured in our shared memories. This apparent entropy is what we perceive as time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!