Space and time are the most fundamental features of
our experience of the world, and yet they are also the
most perplexing. Does time really flow, or is that
simply an illusion? Did time have a beginning? What does
it mean to say that time has a direction? Does space
have boundaries, or is it infinite? Is change really
possible? Could space and time exist in the absence of
any objects or events? Are our space and time unique, or
could there be other, parallel worlds with their own
space and time? What, in the end, are space and time? Do
they really exist, or are they simply the constructions
of our minds? Robin Le Poidevin provides a clear, witty,
and stimulating introduction to these deep questions,
and many other mind-boggling puzzles and paradoxes. He
gives a vivid sense of the difficulties raised by our
ordinary ideas about space and time, but he also gives
us the basis to think about these problems
independently, avoiding large amounts of jargon and
technicality. His book is an invitation to think
philosophically rather than a sustained argument for
particular conclusions, but Le Poidevin does advance and
defend a number of controversial views.He argues, for
example, that time does not actually flow, that it is
possible for space and time to be both finite and yet be
without boundaries, and that causation is the key to an
understanding of one of the deepest mysteries of time:
its direction. ''Travels in Four Dimensions'' draws on a
variety of vivid examples and stories from science,
history, and literature to bring its questions to life.
No prior knowledge of philosophy is required to enjoy
this book. The universe might seem very different after
reading it. |
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