The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Frank J. Tipler (Author), John A. Wheeler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

`an engaging book ... practically a universal education in both the history of modern science and the history of the Universe ... will be much quoted, much debated and much praised' Nature

`a feast: the kind of book which tells you everything you want to know about everything' The Economist

`I was infuriated by it, disagreed with it and loved reading it.' Timothy Ferris, New York Times Book Review

`in the speculative and intellectual richness of its pages, this book is probably unsurpassed' Peter Atkins

`a masterly exposition of what seems bound to become one of the most important developments to have taken place in physical science' TLS

`Intriguing analysis of new scientific thinking.' Sydney Times

`unique and wide-ranging book ... The reader is taken on an eclectic study of many scientific disciplines and is presented with a revealing picture of the structure of the physical world solely in terms of its invariant constants. There are also fascinating chapters on the definition and nature of life, the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence and the interpretation of quantum theory in relation to the existence of observers.' Europe and Astronomy 1992

`If you get a kick out of cosmic coincidences The Anthropic Cosmological Principle ... is definitely for you. The "anthropic" idea, which is that our very existence may explain why the Universe is the way it is, is an extraordinary one. So too is Barrow and Tipler's account.' New Scientist

Product Description

Ever since Copernicus, scientists have continually adjusted their view of human nature, moving it further and further from its ancient position at the center of Creation. But in recent years, a startling new concept has evolved that places it more firmly than ever in a special position. Known as the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, this collection of ideas holds that the existence of intelligent observers determines the fundamental structure of the Universe. In its most radical version, the Anthropic Principle asserts that "intelligent information-processing must come into existence in the Universe, and once it comes into existence, it will never die out."

This wide-ranging and detailed book explores the many ramifications of the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, covering the whole spectrum of human inquiry from Aristotle to Z bosons. Bringing a unique combination of skills and knowledge to the subject, John D. Barrow and Frank J. Tipler--two of the world's leading cosmologists--cover the definition and nature of life, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the interpretation of the quantum theory in relation to the existence of observers. The book will be of vital interest to philosophers, theologians, mathematicians, scientists, and historians, as well as to anyone concerned with the connection between the vastness of the universe of stars and galaxies and the existence of life within it on a small planet out in the suburbs of the Milky Way.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (August 25, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192821474
• ISBN-13: 978-0192821478
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent-A profound look past the dogmas of modern physics., September 30, 1998

By	Thomas A Mulligan (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

Two respected physicists take a chance with their professional reputations by presenting a text that is simultaneously lucid, brilliant, mathematically sound, and honest (gasp!). This is a work in both physics and biology. It centers around the "Anthropic Principle"-roughly, that our existence necessarily puts some constraints on the evolution of the universe. Indeed, as Barrow and Tipler elucidate, these restrictions can be signifigant. As someone privileged to study under the latter physicist, I can personally attest to the convinction with which Tipler adheres to his beliefs, in the face of contemporary animadversion. Most importantly though, underlying this whole work are some very important concerns about philosophy of science (although maybe the authors might reel back at the notion of any sort of "philosophy" in their work). Perhaps this is for you, the future reader, to determine. My highest recommendation.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Should be Famous but Isn't., May 17, 2001

By	galloamericanus "galloamericanus" (Podunk, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This book is a revolutionary treatise on cosmology and the fate of the human species. It is frankly the most breathtaking book I have ever read, more exhilarating than Penrose's "Road to Reality" or than related efforts by Victor Stengers, John Barrow writing alone, Lee Smolin, or Eric Chaisson. I agree with the reviewer who asserts that this book's breadth of erudition is astounding. While quite technical in parts, other parts are definitely within the grasp of anyone who learned high school science well and is comfortable with algebra. There is much here beyond physics: chemistry, earth science, and biology. The book also contains a superb and lengthy discussion of many fascinating topics in the history and philosophy of science. This discussion remains valuable regardless of the future evolution of our understanding of cosmology. This is the book John Wheeler would have liked to have written but did not.

Among the suprising topics included in this book are:
*A detailed discussion of the large number coincidences of Eddington and Dirac;
*An extensive discussion of the handful of dimensionless constants that ground modern physics: fine structure (137), ratio of the rest masses of the proton to that of the electron (1836), the coupling constant for gravitation (at most 10^-39), etc;
*An anthropic defense of the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics against the Copenhagen interpretation;
*The most extensive discussion I know of why why our universe has 4 dimensions, 3 of space and 1 of time;
*A chapter on biochemistry and the biosphere. In it, Barrow and Tipler agree that because photosynthesis has very gradually increased the fraction of the atmosphere made of oxygen, that fraction will, within a few hundred million years, reach a level such that vegetation will ignite spontaneously, making continued life on earth impossible;
*A chapter on why we are probably the only intelligent species in the Milky Way (Simon Conway Morris's "Life's Solution" concurs), and why it is our fate to colonise our home galaxy.

The above and more should have led to a cover story in Time or Newsweek. It did not, even though at the time of first publication, Tipler was nowhere near as controversial as he since became.

Barrow and Tipler incline to the Big Crunch. If Perlmutter et al are correct, so that it is the case that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and that there is not enough mass in the universe to reverse the process, then the Big Crunch is in trouble. Also, the other great visionary among modern physicists, Freeman Dyson, has been known to disagree with Tipler.

This book was written 20 years ago and has its share of typos. Would the authors please give us a thoroughly revised second edition?

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good addition to the big piles of space books, September 22, 2001

By	Martijn13Maart1970 (Husavik Iceland) - See all my reviews

There is a lot to say about this one: I first thought it was a sort of New Age hippie book, but it is not. This book, written by 2 scientist, mainly deals about the question whether the universe is as it is, exactly because we are here to observe it.
This book should be famous but it isnt, wrote one reviewer. I totally agree.

Every chapter you can read separately, therefore you dont have to be an Einstein to catch the full graps of all formula's presented, but each chapter adds more and more you could say evidence that maybe the theory that we are unique really is all too much of a coincidence NOT to be true: I started really sceptical, but in the end I almost had to agree that maybe the universe and us are really connected much more than we think. After all, science is so separated in disciplines now, e.g. we cannot explain biology with physical laws, so we are not really ready yet to fully understand whats going on in the universe, if we ever will. This book gives a nice objective! opinion, with load of interesting facts in all kinds of disciplines that allow you to make up your mind yourself about it. And a a reviewer also said, along the way you get a nice education about science, astronomy, chemistry and biology!
A very good book.