The Goldilocks Enigma

by Davies, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780547053585
• ISBN10: 0547053584
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-04-29
• Publisher: Mariner Books

Summary

In the successor to his provocative bestseller "The Mind of God", the cosmologist Paul Davies tackles another big question: Why does the universe seem so well suited for life?Many aspects of the cosmos, from the properties of the humble carbon atom to the speed of light, seem tailor-made for biology. Why? One radical explanation is the "multiverse theory," which sounds like it came straight from a science fiction plot. It posits that our universe is just one of an infinite number of universes-each slightly different-and is biofriendly by accident. If certain factors were different, it would no longer be "just right."In "The Goldilocks Enigma" Davies ponders this and other seemingly bizarre answers to the grand question of existence. He offers lucid descriptions of the science behind these theories and delights in their philosophical implications. Once again, Davies invites us to think about the cosmos and our place within it in new and thrilling ways.

Author Biography

PAUL DAVIES is an internationally acclaimed physicist and cosmologist now at Arizona State University, where he is setting up a pioneering center for the “study of life, the universe, and everything.” In addition to his many scientific awards, he is the recipient of the 1995 Templeton Prize—the world’s largest annual prize—for his work on science and religion. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Mind of God, About Time, The Origin of Life, and How to Build a Time Machine. He also chairs the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence postdetection committee, so that if SETI succeeds in finding intelligent life, he will be among the first to know.
The asteroid 1992OG was officially renamed Pauldavies in his honor. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. ix
A Note on Numbers	p. xv
The Big Questions	p. 1
The Universe Explained	p. 18
How the Universe Began	p. 49
What the Universe Is Made of and How It All Holds Together	p. 85
The Lure of Complete Unification	p. 103
Dark Forces of the Cosmos	p. 116
A Universe Fit for Life	p. 129
Does a Multiverse Solve the Goldilocks Enigma?	p. 151
Intelligent and Not-So-Intelligent Design	p. 191
How Come Existence?	p. 222
Afterword: Ultimate Explanations	p. 261
Notes	p. 273
Bibliography	p. 293
Index	p. 297
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