The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?

by Leon Lederman (Author)

130 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0385312110

ISBN-10: 0385312113

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The "God particle" of the title is Lederman's term for what other physicists call a Higgs boson--a hypothetical particle that might hold a key to the subatomic world of quarks and leptons. To find out if a Higgs boson indeed exists, this Nobel laureate in physics conceived of the Superconducting Super Collider, which, if constructed, would be the world's most powerful particle accelerator. Writing with Teresi (coauthor of The Three-Pound Universe ), Lederman first surveys moments of discovery from Newton to Einstein in a breezy, folksy style that can be annoying ("Galileo was an irascible sort of guy . . . . He could be a pain in the ass"). This style, however, serves the reader well when Lederman and Teresi enter the complexities of subatomic physics, clarifying the search for squarks and winos, grand unified theories, superstrings and dark matter. $100,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Nobel Laureate and physicist Lederman is funny, clever, entertaining, and highly accessible as he charts the course of experimental physics from 430 B.C. to the planned opening of the Superconducting Supercollider (SSC), of which he is one of the principal architects. This book might be seen, in fact, as a sort of advertisement for the SSC, answering as it does the question, What is the SSC for ? Even allowing for Lederman's open bias toward big physics, his book is a delight to read and absorb, far more accessible than most books about contemporary physics, because it is rooted in the experimental; the "God particle" of the title is the missing link of experimental physics, just as this book is the missing link between a complex world and the general reader. By contrast, Amit Goswami (physics, Univ. of Oregon) is interested in the metaphysical, or perhaps the meta-metaphysical. Drawing heavily on New Age and Eastern philosophical concepts, he attempts to demonstrate that the world as we know it is but a construct of human consciousness; mind, not matter, is the stuff of which we are made. Where Lederman explains for the delight of knowing, Goswami explains only to support his thesis, making for a much more abstract and strange book. All but the converted will find this heavy sledding. The books are thus not interchangeable: Lederman will appeal to those interested in learning about science and the physical world, Goswami to those seeking a hip confirmation of their own sense of self-enlightenment.
- Mark Shelton, Athens, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product details

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Delta (January 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385312113
ISBN-13: 978-0385312110
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 130 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,942,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1804 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology
- #1851 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy & Astrophysics
- #4068 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Astronomy

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WOW! from a layman

ByDoubleMon March 31, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Mr. Lederman, thank you for putting IT all in plain language; I agree with your statement in Chapter 9: "the arguments were abstract, mathematical, and very lively. Most of it was over my head." Nevertheless, the presentation of a very complex subject (even those studying it do not know ALL the questions/answers) is so well done, this is on my to read again list.

This book presents the behind-the-scenes search for our origins, the before the Big Bang what?, the what is going to happen next; the brains, actions, competition, and risks of the participants in this enterprise are tremendous. The only thing they are not searching for is why humankind is so ignorant, violent, and self-centered.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this tome to those lay persons who are interested in physics, but are willing to let others do the heavy lifting, especially since Lederman sees the creator as female and has peppered a large dose of humor into his great work! Again, thanks, Mr. Lederman.

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The Search for the Ultimate Simplicity Continues

ByJCon December 27, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I love long books that peek my interest, challenge conventional ways of thinking, and sufficiently address / answer the author's main topic; the latter part is where I feel the book comes up short. Despite needing updating since it was originally written, it starts with a well articulated and interesting history of physics (I especially like his sense of humor) however following that, if your intent is to learn quantum physics, be prepared to read disproportionately about supercolliders and the authors's experiments, and throughout take notes to try to comprehend the science (also might help if you took an intro to physics course). Among many other terms, he explains and speaks fluently of anti-protons, baryons, bosons, dimensions, electrons, fermions, gluons, hadrons, ions, kaons, leptons, mesons, muons, neutrons, nucleons, photons, pions, protons, selectrons, sleptons, tevetrons, and upsilons. Don't get me wrong, I think (as apparently does the author) that he is brilliant, which is why, despite my degree in mathematics, the book makes me feel like a peon (so I do not feel bad about obtaining the book at a significant discount). If I have walked away with any lasting impressions, they are 1. physicists apparently like words that end in "on" and 2. I'm now convinced that they will not solve the Higgs Boson God Particle mystery until they have exhausted all the combinations and permutations of such words. ... Anon

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great patch for my ignorance of the last 50 years of physics

ByHal Gabowon March 28, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent introduction to the physics of subatomic particles, not to mention background
starting at the very beginning (ancient Greeks and Galileo). Well written - Lederman
has a wonderful sense of humor. As close to a page-turner as you can get, even when
progress slows to allow excursions to the Wikipedia or a handy physics text. (Supplementary
reading helps clarify the physics, and also gives more up-to-date info than the book, which was written
in 1993, but it really wasn't dated.) It also offers insights into
the lives and personalities of physicists (as well as entertaining quips about the
2 cultures of theorists vs. experimentalists). I even enjoyed the details of particle accelerators
and detectors, which I wasn't interested in beforehand.

My only complaint is the Kindle edition is poorly scanned. There are many misspellings and
even words that are incomprehensible, as well as technical terms (eg particle names) that are clearly wrong
and have to be guessed at.

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Excellent, worth reading in spite of shortcomings

Bystriboron December 14, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent and highly readable overview of modern and contemporary physics. Intelligent, clear and demystifying. Humor, even where it (rarely) misses the point, is exhilarating. There is not only humor, but passion too, which deserves respect. However, there are some shortcomings. For example, when the author criticizes Capra for making the unfounded parallels between contemporary physics and the Eastern mysticism, he actually does the same, only in different terms, making equally unfounded parallel between contemporary physics and Ionian philosophers and Democritus. Is Democritus' atom really closer to subatomic world of contemporary physics than the concepts of the ancient Chinese philosophy? Or is it just the name (atom) and the doubtful concept of basically linear progress - in spite of sporadic setbacks - of our civilization, beginning with the "birth of science" in ancient Greece? Equally problematic is the disqualification of Aristotle, by making him in fact responsible for the worldview ("medieval") based not on Aristotle but on the peculiar version of Aristotelianism. It's funny and interesting: it seems that great physicists have some problem with philosophy (e.g. S. Hawking closes his otherwise lovely and enjoyable book "A Brief History of Time" with quite unnecessary remarks about philosophy, proclaiming Wittgenstein "the most famous philosopher" of the 20th century. Wittgenstein is ok, but why "the most famous", for goodness' sake?). The physicists are great guys, especially those who are capable of writing such fine books. As for the philosophy, they probably do not have enough time to learn more about it. In conclusion I very much enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot.

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The book ends somewhere around 1997 though and you need a book like "The Particle at the End of The Universe" which ...

ByWilliam B. Elmeron May 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Lederman is a priceless teller of real stories. That is because he has lived through the development of particle physics. The book ends somewhere around 1997 though and you need a book like "The Particle at the End of The Universe" which takes you to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Do not cheat yourself by buying just the latter however! Lederman covers the entire history of Physics going back to Democritus. Even at that there is nothing boring about his writing and his experience telling good stories. He has a co-author, Dick Teresi.

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Witty and educational

ByO.Boukrinaon May 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Witty book about physics, full of jokes and subtle humor. I enjoyed reading it. The author gives a personal spin to the most important physics discoveries. THe only thing about it that I found frustrating was that the author tells you not to worry about certain concepts, and others he doesn't explain too well