a low-voltage journalist who splits his time between New York and Paris. I write mainly about philosophical and scientific subjects, occasionally also producing what could charitably be described as "humor." I contribute fairly regularly to The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Slate, The New York Review of Books, The American Scholar, etc. For about ten years I did a weekly radio spot on BBC Wales called "Living in America, with Jim Holt." I used to appear on TV now and then--William Buckley's "Firing Line," NBC News with Brokaw, CNN--but I write about such esoteric subjects that I am rarely asked anymore. For one year (1997) I was the editor of a venerable and pinkoid political magazine called The New Leader. And I have a book forthcoming on the history of the idea of the infinitesimal, "Worlds Within Worlds." I knew Andy Warhol fairly well. I have a girlfriend in Paris and a miniature dachshund named Renzo. That is undoubtedly more than you wished to know.
In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddle of existence from the ancient world to modern times.
Whether framed philosophically as “Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?” or more colloquially as “But, Mommy, who made God?” the metaphysical mystery about how we came into existence remains the most fractious and fascinating question of all time. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt emerges with an engrossing narrative that traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. As he takes on the role of cosmological detective, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God vs. the Big Bang. Whether interviewing a cranky Oxford philosopher, a Physics Nobel Laureate, or a French Buddhist monk, Holt pursues unexplored and often bizarre angles to this cosmic puzzle. The result is a brilliant synthesis of cosmology, mathematics, and physics—one that propels his own work to the level of philosophy itself.
發表於2024-05-31
Why Does the World Exist? 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載
綜閤瞭神學、哲學、邏輯學、數學、物理生物等自然科學各個領域古今各路學者對這個世界終極命題的探索和討論。或許這世上每個人,不論去不去思考,最後的結局都會得到答案。結局無非有與無,二選一。但這個過程是我們用盡所知所識去對未知的探索求證,可能沒有結果,但不會沒有...
評分 評分閱讀這本書可以讓人們從職場傢庭經濟健康等煩惱憂慮中脫離齣來。當心思從形而下的事物過度到形而上時,世俗的煩惱似乎就不值一提瞭。本體論和認識論是擺在人類麵前的兩座不可逾越的大山。人類文明誕生以來這兩個問題就一直盤亙在古今大師的心中。本體論談論的是世界究竟是什麼...
評分綜閤瞭神學、哲學、邏輯學、數學、物理生物等自然科學各個領域古今各路學者對這個世界終極命題的探索和討論。或許這世上每個人,不論去不去思考,最後的結局都會得到答案。結局無非有與無,二選一。但這個過程是我們用盡所知所識去對未知的探索求證,可能沒有結果,但不會沒有...
評分圖書標籤: 哲學 科普 美國 世界觀 Philosophy 形而上學 現象學 偵探小說
今年讀到的最好的英文書。我最擊賞的是作者“嚴肅的業餘愛好者”的態度。因為嚴肅所以能盡思辨的樂趣;因為是業餘愛好,所以灑脫,不必“捍衛”任何一傢之言。這和張中行先生的《禪外說禪》是相似的。作者在書中采百傢之言,卻不是為瞭取長補短,而純粹是要欣賞一道思辨的風景,贊嘆在世界起源這樣一個簡潔有力的問題上,人類的思考可以如此得多姿多彩。
評分哲學課老師推薦的第一本書。嚴肅活潑地讓我們思考:“Why there is something rather than nothing?”
評分boring
評分更像綜述性質
評分更像綜述性質
Why Does the World Exist? 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載