Amazon.ca:Customer reviews: Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 29, 2014

As a theoretical physicist, I can truly appreciate Dr. Tegmark's task and his innovative approach to address it. Most physicists of my acquaintance have a lifelong quest to understand Nature - to have a glimpse into the "mind of God". This curiosity is usually the catalyst for embarking on the study of physics, and is almost always the motivation for continuing the study of physical "laws" which are often characterized by abstract (and, for most of us, difficult) mathematics. But one of my pet peeves is when those same physicists believe they have found a "fundamental law" or "correct theory" which describes some aspect of how Nature truly works. Physicists develop theories, which are models of the world. A model is not "the world". If a theory closely matches observation, it's a good model. That doesn't mean the model is reality. Reality is the elusive holy grail which we can only approach - and I doubt that we'll know if we ever reach it. Particle physics (where Nature is described by particles interacting with other particles through the exchange of particles, but we don't know what a particle is) and Quantum Field Theory (where Nature is described by excitations in fields permeating space, but we don't know what a field is) are two models. Both work reasonably well (in that their predictions are good). Is one "correct" - in terms of the way the world is actually created? No one knows!

I can create a theory (model of the world) in which gravity is caused by 21 angels pushing matter together. Ridiculous? You can only say that once you see my mathematics! If my mathematics (based on the angel concept) predicts everything from quantum gravity fluctuations to gravitational lensing to black holes, then my theory is a good one! May not be "reality", but it works. So what is "reality"?

This is where Tegmark's approach is so refreshing. He doesn't pretend to understand "reality" or "Nature", but describes his own quest to understand it. And "quest" is a good term. It implies a never-ending journey. But along the journey, Tegmark makes interesting observations and interpretations of those observations which give some insight into his conclusions. But, by all means, make your own conclusions. I believe they'll be all the more sound after reading this book.

6 people found this helpful

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Tu

A great read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 7, 2019

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Extremely interesting ideas in the later 1/3 of the book. The first 2/3 explains the most up-to-date advances in physics, while the later 1/3 explores the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis (came up with by the author himself). The book should make sense to any science lover, not just those educated in higher math/physics.

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orocam

If you are into this stuff, you have to read this one.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 30, 2014

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This is a ride on the wild side. A fabulous and brave exploration of the meaning of it all. Perhaps the best book I have ever read on science and I have read many by such greats as Hawking, Dawkins, Krauss, Green and Smolin. This is not to say that I think it is all necessarily true, but he does take the reader through the multiple universe quagmire and bravely attempts to say what it all might mean to us humans. He writes in a friendly style with several personal anecdotes. He ends with a brilliant and uplifting climax. Wow!

8 people found this helpful

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Peter Pickett

Great but complicated

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 14, 2017

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I bought this book because i wanted to have a book that was a little more complex than most but still be interesting and understandible, and it deliverd. It was very interesting and i would read it for hours on end. My only complaint is that it was a little too conplex at times and was somtimes hard too follow.

3 people found this helpful

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Taylor Hornby

This is now my favorite book. Even if you aren't interested in Tegmark's ...

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 22, 2015

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This is now my favorite book. Even if you aren't interested in Tegmark's mathematical universe hypothesis, get this book just for the popular-science explanation of inflation theory and how it implies the existence of a multiverse. The writing is very logical and makes it extremely clear what's currently accepted as mainstream and what isn't, something I feel is lacking from some other popular science books.

I wrote a longer review here:

https://bqp.io/review-our-mathematical-universe.html

3 people found this helpful

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Gary

A great book so far

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 21, 2017

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A great book so far, I am on chapter 6 right now, If you hate math dont worry its not like that :) He has melted my mind several times already, I already know I will be reading this book at least 3 or 4 more times. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Guy Isabelle

Parfait

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 16, 2019

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Très bon service: livraison rapide et livre en parfait état. Sujet passionnant et facile à lire.Livre une réflexion excessivement pertinente à l'état de la société actuelle. Oeuvre d'un maître en physique.

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Susan McFadden

Thoughtprovoking and strange

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 1, 2016

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Starts with a very useful primer on the discoveries of modern science including relativity, quantum mechanics and Big Bang cosmology. Then goes off into less well established territory exploring different kinds of parallel universes. It's as though science fiction were being corrected and turned into a high school textbook.

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Anthony Tse

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 10, 2018

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Easy to read and informative.

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Sneih

Non-mathematical review of the mathematical universe.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

It is a very good book, but not an easy reading. I have not finished it as yet because it is a slow reading. I am enjoying it thoroughly, but I am not reading from the first to the last page without going to other books. I go back to it once in a while.

One person found this helpful

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5 star		71%
4 star		18%
3 star		6%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality

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Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality

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