A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe (Page-Barbour Lectures) by Freeman J. Dyson (PDF)

Description

Freeman Dyson’s latest book does not attempt to bring together all of the celebrated physicist’s thoughts on science and technology into a unified theory. The emphasis is, instead, on the myriad ways in which the universe presents itself to us–and how, as observers and participants in its processes, we respond to it. “Life, like a dome of many-colored glass,” wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley, “stains the white radiance of eternity.” The author seeks here to explore the variety that gives life its beauty. Taken from Dyson’s recent public lectures–delivered to audiences with no specialized knowledge in hard sciences–the book begins with a consideration of the practical and political questions surrounding biotechnology. As he seeks how best to explain the place of life in the universe, Dyson then moves from the ethical to the purely scientific. The book concludes with an attempt to understand the implications of biology for philosophy and religion. The pieces in this collection touch on numerous disciplines, from astronomy and ecology to neurology and theology, speaking to the lay reader as well as to the scientist. As always, Dyson’s view of human nature and behavior is balanced, and his predictions of a world to come serve primarily as a means for thinking about the world as it is today.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review Dyson, a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, is no lightweight. Although personally humble, he has made fundamental contributions to quantum physics and mathematics. His scientific status and his pacifist views have made him a darling of left-wing opinion outlets like The New York Times. But in these books, Dyson demonstrates that his ability to think critically and skeptically and his commitment to the truth often outweighs his politics…Dyson’s great strength, whether he realizes it or not, is his ability to find problems we didn’t think of, and imagine outlandish and sometimes impractical solutions…His powerful imagination sees the world as a spectacular explosion of irreducible phenomena. (T.J. Nelson, brneurosci.org) Review Dyson, a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, is no lightweight. Although personally humble, he has made fundamental contributions to quantum physics and mathematics. His scientific status and his pacifist views have made him a darling of left-wing opinion outlets like The New York Times. But in these books, Dyson demonstrates that his ability to think critically and skeptically and his commitment to the truth often outweighs his politics…Dyson’s great strength, whether he realizes it or not, is his ability to find problems we didn’t think of, and imagine outlandish and sometimes impractical solutions…His powerful imagination sees the world as a spectacular explosion of irreducible phenomena. Review “Dyson, a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, is no lightweight. Although personally humble, he has made fundamental contributions to quantum physics and mathematics. His scientific status and his pacifist views have made him a darling of left-wing opinion outlets like The New York Times. But in these books, Dyson demonstrates that his ability to think critically and skeptically and his commitment to the truth often outweighs his politics…Dyson’s great strength, whether he realizes it or not, is his ability to find problems we didn’t think of, and imagine outlandish and sometimes impractical solutions…His powerful imagination sees the world as a spectacular explosion of irreducible phenomena. “―T.J. Nelson, brneurosci.org About the Author Freeman J. Dyson, Professor Emeritus of Physics from the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton University, is a member of the national Academy of Sciences and fellow of the Royal Society of London. His books include Infinite in All Directions, Origins of Life, and The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book is a rare delight. There are two types of science books. Most explain how and why we know something about what we know. The other questions what we assume we know, which is generally the path to new, expanded and sometimes very new fields of scientific knowledge. Al Gore, for example, who realizes no one gets major headlines by being modest or unsure about one’s ideas, says we must end our reliance on fossil fuels within a decade. Dyson says, in effect, wait a minute, we’re already overdue for an ice age, maybe global warming is keeping us from freezing. In contrast to Gore’s certainty, Dyson questions, probes, doubts and considers alternatives. In a world overun by people who are dead certain about politics, progress, art, theology, music and almost everything, it’s a treat to find educated and thoughtful ideas by someone who admits, “I am trying to reconcile the theoretical law of increasing disorder in the universe with the evidence for increasing order in the universe as we observe it.” On that basis, Dyson will upset people who know things. Granted, once upon a time he was young, immature, impatient and brashly confident of his wisdom. In 1945, when he was 22 years old, he advised Francis Crick not to give up physics in favour of a new career in biology. Fortunately, Crick didn’t take Dyson’s advice; instead, within seven years he discovered the double helix structure of DNA which gave birth to molecular genetics. Suffice to say, Dyson learned, “Even a smart 22-year-old is not a reliable guide to the future of science. And the 22-year-old has become even less reliable now that he is 82.” Great stuff, if you like the idea that science is a continual search for knowledge and not a platform for politically correct dogmas. Science doesn’t freeze what little we believe is true into rigid orthodoxies that cannot be doubted, challenged or modified. Dyson writes that it is the poets who sometimes have a greater insight into science, such as William Blake, who was once “this crazy poet” but who also invited us”To see the world in a grain of sandAnd a heaven in a wild flower,Hold Infinity in the palm of your handAnd Eternity in an hour.”Fortunately, those who see more and question more than most in today’s world are not crazy. They are merely gifted with a different and sometimes better insight. From them we learn new concepts, or strengthen our own ideas. This intellectual approach creates a rare book when someone such as Dyson share ideas in a clear, concise and provocative style. This book is a dialogue of ideas. It begins with philosophy of the fox and the hedgehog by Isaiah Berlin and Archilochus, and ends with a beautiful portrait of an autistic child who grew into a wonderful woman. This delightful tour of ideas, questions and observations closes with the thought “… there may be more things in heaven and earth than we are capable of understanding.”

⭐Dyson is always interesting. His consistency varies along the text as when complaining against monoculture and Monsanto at the same time that he wishes to unleash all the power of genetic engineering to DIY garages everywhere…. He got the message of Carl Woese and used it as a springboard for a imaginative voyage into biology, equating the supposedly more free genetic exchange at the dawn of life with generosity (horizontal gene transfer) and Darwinian evolution by mutation and speciation as a less generous form of creating diversity. It is always inappropriate to impart meaning and moral to what nature does. But Dyson, a lover of poetry, easily falls into that kind of imagery. When he comments about the treat of global warming we learn immensely from his explanation about how “scarse” is CO2, about the interglacial cycles and natural changes in local weather and vegetation with a green Sahara 6 million years ago. I loved his comments about the role of phase changes and symbiosis in the genesis of order in nature. But he cannot move me when using the physical concept of complementarity to support religion next to science.

⭐I have read most if not all of Freeman Dyson’s books, starting with Disturbing the Universe and on to A Many Colored Glass. All were delights. His writings are notable for his style and clarity. The Chapter on Heresy was especially thought provoking. I certainly might preser a climate where the “Sahara is wet”.EDITOR AMAZON. I HAVE BOUGHT MANY THINGS AND BOOKS FROM AMAZON, INCLUDING BOOKS BY F. DYSON. I AM NOT SURE THAT THIS BOOK IS ONE COMING FROM AMAZON. I FIND IT TAWDRY TO REQUIRE ME TO VERIFY THE PURCHASE OF A SPECIFIC WORK. I WROTE THE REVIEW BEFORE I FIND ITS A PRODUCTION PLOY FOR AMAZON. I REVIEW ON THE UNQUESTIONED VALUE OF THIS TEXT.I TOTALLY REJECT USING ME AS A VEHICLE TO PUSH AMAZON AGENDA.JOHN W BROOKBANK, PhD (California Inst. of Technology) I won’t be looking for it in any of your attachments.

⭐***** 5 stars for sure! Dr Dyson provides an entertaining and thought provoking read. It’s all good but his comments on heretics, climate, and Dr. Gold’s contributions are especially worthwhile.I listened (text to speech) on my Kindle while working, a good way to multitask if getting information turns you on.

⭐Inspiring thoughts about many important topics.Dyson has something original to say about global warming, religion, science and life in the future.

⭐Freeman Dyson knows his subjects and has the skills of writing with clarity, authenticity and purpose. His lifetime of communicating his insightsis a an important contritbution to his profession

⭐Fascinating and very helpful for those of us who seek a deeper faith and understanding

⭐Crystalline writing and thinking in this book that goes beyond disciplinary boundaries.Nathan Szajnberg

⭐Not as good , I think, as Disturbing the universe’ where he has remarkable courage to doubt Bomber Commands mission, but some good descriptions of scientific processes here. As always it is instructive to be able to enter into the mind of a great thinker. Not new, but still current, as this kind of thinking transcends change.

⭐Freeman Dyson is a self-effacing giant of theoretical physics whose interests span a range of scientific and non-scientific disciplines. This 2007 collection of some of his lectures and essays has the loose theme of life’s place in the universe; but in a mere 154 pages he covers such diverse topics as the future dangers and opportunities of bio- and nano-technology, the need for scientists to constantly be challenging accepted orthodoxy (such as the importance of anthropogenic global warming), the evolution of the universe and life, the potential for alien life evolving outside a planetary home, how those with autism and other mental disabilities view the world and what that means for our own view of it, forms of science fiction that reflect human spirituality and the relationship between science and religion. He writes with an engaging and humorous warmth that makes you feel you are having a discussion with a charming man of great knowledge and wisdom, but who is also challenging of authority and yet ready to concede when the evidence is against him. This is a book which will send you down paths of enquiry that you didn’t expect and the useful bibliographic references at the back are of great assistance. Although an atheist myself (Dyson is a believer, albeit an idiosyncratic one as one might expect), I find that his calm appeal of how science and religious/spiritual experience can work in a complementary way rather than being antagonistic is a much more constructive approach than the tiresome, often trite and frequently cowardly fundamentalism of Dawkins. If only there were more like Dyson in the world.

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