Third Thoughts

by Steven Weinberg Narrated by John Lescault

Overview

A wise, personal, and wide-ranging meditation on science and society by the Nobel Prize-winning author of To Explain the World.

For more than four decades, one of the most captivating and celebrated science communicators of our time has challenged the public to think carefully about the foundations of nature and the inseparable entanglement of science and society. In Third Thoughts, Steven Weinberg casts a wide net: from the cosmological to the personal, from astronomy, quantum mechanics, and the history of science to the limitations of current knowledge, the art of discovery, and the rewards of getting things wrong.

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and author of the classic The First Three Minutes, Weinberg shares his views on some of the most fundamental and fascinating aspects of physics and the universe. But he does not seclude science behind disciplinary walls, or shy away from politics, taking on what he sees as the folly of manned spaceflight, the harms of inequality, and the importance of public goods. His point of view is rationalist, realist, reductionist, and devoutly secularist.

Weinberg is that great rarity, a prize-winning physicist who is entertaining and accessible. The essays in Third Thoughts, some of which appear here for the first time, will engage, provoke, and inform—and never lose sight of the human dimension of scientific discovery and its consequences for our endless drive to probe the workings of the cosmos.

Editorial Reviews

Scientific American - Andrea Gawrylewski

This collection is an easily digestible glimpse into the mind of a thoughtful scientific communicator and shows the truly all-encompassing nature of theoretical physics.

Physics Today - N. David Mermin

A stimulating and admirable book.

Edward Witten

Steve Weinberg’s essays are fascinating and thought-provoking as always. Readers will find a lot to think about on a wide range of topics.

Richard Dawkins

The phrase ‘public intellectual’ is much bandied about. Just a few real heavyweights in the world merit the title, and Steven Weinberg is preeminent among them. His collection ranges from deep science on the very frontier of human comprehension, through his trenchant views on public policy, to history and the arts. Compelling reading.

Graham Farmelo

Weinberg’s finest collection yet—chock-full of informative content, wise opinion, and intelligent comment. He is an extreme rarity—a great physicist whose writings are entertaining and accessible for both experts and non-specialists. Superb.

Science - Mario Livio

This book should be read not only for its insightful and illuminating explanations of a wide range of physical phenomena but also for the opportunity it affords to follow the wanderings of a brilliant mind through topics ranging from high-energy physics and the makeup of the cosmos to poetry, and from the history and philosophy of science to the dangers of economic inequality…[A] captivating book.

Forbes - Ethan Siegel

One of the 20th century’s greatest physicists, in this collection of essays, shares his strongly-held opinions on everything from the Higgs boson to the state of theoretical physics and the problems of science and society. If you’re a big Steven Weinberg fan, you won’t want to miss his latest.

Nature - Robert Crease

Weinberg has a knack for capturing a complex concept in a succinct, unforgettable image…[He’s] one of the smartest and most diligent scientists around.

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

John Lescault provides a clear, inviting performance of Weinberg’s audiobook on the nature of science. Weinberg, the 1979 Nobel Prize winner in physics, provides a series of engaging essays, some debuting in this audiobook, covering the realm of scientific research and quantum physics. Some perspectives are controversial; for example, Weinberg does not see the value in extensive manned space flight as much more important data is collected from unmanned missions. Listeners familiar with the basics of physical science will enjoy the thoughts and details here. What’s more, the overall tone is accessible, and unfamiliar listeners should not have trouble making this audiobook their entry into Weinberg’s work. Throughout, Lescault's performance is warm and comfortable as he delivers these essays with clarity. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191829418
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	08/06/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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