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A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe (Page-Barbour Lectures) Hardcover – August 8, 2007

by Freeman J. Dyson (Author)

12 customer reviews

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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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Physicist Dyson, now retired from Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, attempts too much in this brief volume. He addresses three themes: the human and ethical consequences of biotechnology; the place of life in the universe; and the implications of biology for philosophy and religion. The seven short chapters consist of recent speeches that are not particularly well linked. Unlike some of his earlier works (e.g., The Scientist as Rebel), which dazzle the reader with insight and make intellectual connections across a wide array of subjects, this volume is somewhat quirky and superficial. A self-professed heretic, Dyson argues that the fuss about global warming is grossly exaggerated, but his analysis is far from compelling. In proposing a simple way to prospect for life in the universe, he theorizes that herbivores and carnivores may be present on objects in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, and may be constantly migrating from object to object. Dyson is most interesting when he defines theofiction, a genre by writers such as Olaf Stapledon and Octavia Butler, that arises from science fiction but where the vision is primarily religious rather than scientific. But even here, he falls short of his previous high standard. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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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)

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Product details

Series: Page-Barbour Lectures
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: University of Virginia Press (August 8, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813926637
ISBN-13: 978-0813926636
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
Average Customer Review: 12 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,828,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9111 in History & Philosophy of Science
- #776 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)
- #1193 in Biotechnology (Books)

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F. G. Nobrega

Sometimes fooled by poetry

June 7, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

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.

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Theodore A. Rushton

To see the world in a grain of sand

July 22, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

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 sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And 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."

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R. MCCREARY

Enjoyed this

February 21, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

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

One person found this helpful

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Michael D. Fahey

5 stars

October 21, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

***** 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.

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Barton Zwiebach

Stimulating

July 3, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

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

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John C. Beckman DHL

Freeman Dyson knows his subjects and has the skills of ...

September 26, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

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

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John W. Brookbank Sr.

Another triumph for the author

October 15, 2009

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

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.

2 people found this helpful

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N. Szajnberg

Dyson

December 11, 2007

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

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

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A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe (Page-Barbour Lectures) Hardcover – August 8, 2007

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A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe (Page-Barbour Lectures) Hardcover – August 8, 2007

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