A religion professor elucidates the theory of the multiverse, its
history, and its reception in science, philosophy, religion, and
literature. Multiverse cosmologies imagine our universe as just one of
a vast number of others. Beginning with ancient Atomist and Stoic
philosophies, Mary-Jane Rubenstein links contemporary models of the
multiverse to their forerunners and explores the reasons for their
recent appearance. One concerns the so-called fine-tuning of the
universe: nature's constants are so delicately calibrated that it
seems they have been set just right to allow life to emerge. For some
thinkers, these "fine-tunings" are evidence of the existence of God;
for others, however, and for most physicists, "God" is an insufficient
scientific explanation. Hence the multiverse’s allure: if all
possible worlds exist somewhere, then like monkeys hammering out
Shakespeare, one universe is bound to be suitable for life. Of course,
this hypothesis replaces God with an equally baffling article of
faith: the existence of universes beyond, before, or after our own,
eternally generated yet forever inaccessible to observation or
experiment. In their very efforts to sidestep metaphysics, theoretical
physicists propose multiverse scenarios that collide with it and even
produce counter-theological narratives. Far from invalidating
multiverse hypotheses, Rubenstein argues, this interdisciplinary
collision actually secures their scientific viability. We may
therefore be witnessing a radical reconfiguration of physics,
philosophy, and religion in the modern turn to the multiverse.
“Rubenstein’s witty, thought-provoking history of philosophy and
physics leaves one in awe of just how close Thomas Aquinas and
American physicist Steven Weinberg are in spirit as they seek ultimate
answers.”—Publishers Weekly “A fun, mind-stretching read, clear
and enlightening.”—San Francisco Book Review
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780231527422
Publisert
2015
Utgiver
Vendor
Columbia University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter