A poet, a physicist, and a philosopher explore the greatest enigmas of the universe in this scintillatingly original book about the limits of human knowledge
A poet, a physicist, and a philosopher explore the greatest enigmas of the universe in this scintillatingly original book about the limits of human knowledgeHinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.
Introduction: Where Did It Go? Wherein we meet our three protagonists and are introduced to the problem that unites them
PART I. STANDING ON A SLIVER OF TIME 1. Unforgettable A man shows up in Moscow with an apparently flawless memory, and Borges writes a story pushing the idea to its extreme, touching on a paradox unearthed by Kant and explored by Heisenberg 2. A Brief History of This Very Instant Kant’s struggle with Hume leads us back to ancient Greece, where we encounter a very “queer creature,” the instant of change 3. Visualize This! Heisenberg discovers discontinuity at the heart of reality and defends his chunky model against Schrödinger’s smooth waves PART II. NOT BEING GOD 4. Entanglements Citing special relativity, Einstein sides with Schrödinger, and they come up with a crazy thought experiment that turns the physics world on its head 5. Sub Specie Aeternitatis Back in Prussia, Kant asks what knowledge would be like for an omniscient being, and we are transported to the warring factions of early Christianity 6. In the Blink of an Eye Borges turns to the kabbalistic idea of the aleph to get over Norah, and finds new love while exploring the paradoxes of simultaneity
PART III. DOES THE UNIVERSE HAVE AN EDGE? 7. The Universe (Which Others Call the Library) As his country flirts with fascism, Borges organizes the shelves of a municipal library he imagines to be without borders 8. Gravitas Heisenberg’s conversations with Einstein reveal an underlying reconciliation between relativity and quantum mechanics in a vision of the cosmos foreseen by Dante 9. Made to Measure Kant writes his third and final “Critique,” and his notion of beauty paves the way for an understanding of what guides inquiry in the physical sciences
PART IV. THE ABYSS OF FREEDOM 10. Free Will Kant’s search for free will in a deterministic cosmos conjures the Roman patrician Boethius, who salvages freedom from fate while awaiting execution for treason in a dungeon in Pavia 11. Forking Paths The physicist Hugh Everett has the wild idea that new universes are birthed continuously, and Borges explores the same idea in a spy story 12. Putting the Demon to Rest Heisenberg defends his decisions during the war, as we consider what his discovery meant for questions of free will and determinism Postscript Wherein we see how Borges, Kant, and Heisenberg, each in his own way, worked to undermine the e_ects of metaphysical prejudice Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Introduction: Where Did It Go? Wherein we meet our three protagonists and are introduced to the problem that unites them
PART I. STANDING ON A SLIVER OF TIME 1. Unforgettable A man shows up in Moscow with an apparently flawless memory, and Borges writes a story pushing the idea to its extreme, touching on a paradox unearthed by Kant and explored by Heisenberg 2. A Brief History of This Very Instant Kant’s struggle with Hume leads us back to ancient Greece, where we encounter a very “queer creature,” the instant of change 3. Visualize This! Heisenberg discovers discontinuity at the heart of reality and defends his chunky model against Schrödinger’s smooth waves PART II. NOT BEING GOD 4. Entanglements Citing special relativity, Einstein sides with Schrödinger, and they come up with a crazy thought experiment that turns the physics world on its head 5. Sub Specie Aeternitatis Back in Prussia, Kant asks what knowledge would be like for an omniscient being, and we are transported to the warring factions of early Christianity 6. In the Blink of an Eye Borges turns to the kabbalistic idea of the aleph to get over Norah, and finds new love while exploring the paradoxes of simultaneity
PART III. DOES THE UNIVERSE HAVE AN EDGE? 7. The Universe (Which Others Call the Library) As his country flirts with fascism, Borges organizes the shelves of a municipal library he imagines to be without borders 8. Gravitas Heisenberg’s conversations with Einstein reveal an underlying reconciliation between relativity and quantum mechanics in a vision of the cosmos foreseen by Dante 9. Made to Measure Kant writes his third and final “Critique,” and his notion of beauty paves the way for an understanding of what guides inquiry in the physical sciences
PART IV. THE ABYSS OF FREEDOM 10. Free Will Kant’s search for free will in a deterministic cosmos conjures the Roman patrician Boethius, who salvages freedom from fate while awaiting execution for treason in a dungeon in Pavia 11. Forking Paths The physicist Hugh Everett has the wild idea that new universes are birthed continuously, and Borges explores the same idea in a spy story 12. Putting the Demon to Rest Heisenberg defends his decisions during the war, as we consider what his discovery meant for questions of free will and determinism Postscript Wherein we see how Borges, Kant, and Heisenberg, each in his own way, worked to undermine the e_ects of metaphysical prejudice Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
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