The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far: Why Are We Here?
Written by Lawrence M. Krauss
Narrated by Lawrence Krauss
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Internationally renowned, award-winning theoretical physicist, New York Times bestselling author of A Universe from Nothing, and passionate advocate for reason, Lawrence Krauss tells the dramatic story of the discovery of the hidden world of reality-a grand poetic vision of nature-and how we find our place within it.
In the beginning there was light.
But more than this, there was gravity.
After that, all hell broke loose…
In A Universe from Nothing, Krauss revealed how our entire universe could arise from nothing. Now, he reveals what that something-reality-is. And, reality is not what we think or sense-it's weird, wild, and counterintuitive; it's hidden beneath everyday experience; and its inner workings seem even stranger than the idea that something can come from nothing.
In a landmark, unprecedented work of scientific history, Krauss leads us to the furthest reaches of space and time, to scales so small they are invisible to microscopes, to the birth and rebirth of light, and into the natural forces that govern our existence. His unique blend of rigorous research and engaging storytelling invites us into the lives and minds of the remarkable, creative scientists who have helped to unravel the unexpected fabric of reality-with reason rather than superstition and dogma. Krauss has himself been an active participant in this effort, and he knows many of them well. The Greatest Story challenges us to re-envision ourselves and our place within the universe, as it appears that "God" does play dice with the universe. In the incisive style of his scintillating essays for The New Yorker, Krauss celebrates the greatest intellectual adventure ever undertaken-to understand why we are here in a universe where fact is stranger than fiction.
Editor's Note
Scientific history…
A fascinating, yet dense, look at the history of scientific discovery and the cosmos, from Plato’s cave and Newton to the discovery of Higgs boson and more.
Lawrence M. Krauss
Lawrence M. Krauss is an internationally known theoretical physicist and the author of the New York Times bestselling books, The Physics of Star Trek, A Universe from Nothing and The Physics of Climate Change. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the Universe and has received numerous awards for his research and writing. He is currently President of the Origins Project Foundation and host of the Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss. He tweets @LKrauss1.
Related to The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far
Related audiobooks
Human Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Universe: Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Universe: The book of the BBC TV series presented by Professor Brian Cox Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cosmos: A Personal Voyage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conjuring the Universe: The Origins of the Laws of Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Instinct: How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Layman's Guide To Quantum Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Origin Story: A Big History of Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What is Life?: With Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Idea is Brilliant: Lost, Overlooked, and Underappreciated Scientific Concepts Everyone Should Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Science Does Not Disprove God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Explain the World: The Discovery of Modern Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Physics For You
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The World According to Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Interstellar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Spirituality: Science, Gnostic Mysticism, and Connecting with Source Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Brief History of Black Holes: And why nearly everything you know about them is wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quantum Computing: The Transformative Technology of the Qubit Revolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Einstein: His Life and Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magick of Physics: Uncovering the Fantastical Phenomena in Everyday Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far
102 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I can’t say that I truly understood much of the science but I don’t think I am alone in that even among physics insiders. I appreciated that the science was presented clearly in a straightforward manner and not totally watered down like the cutesy writings of some science authors . The philosophical insights provide a context that give the treatise a structure that gives meaning to the message that transcends a literal understanding of the science.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The book provides a direct narrative history from Plato's Myth of the Cave in his Republic, to the confirmation of the existence of the Higgs particle/field with analogies that allow non-scientist readers/listeners to understand fundamental concepts. Plato's Cave itself is the first analogy for our state of understanding of physics and incorporating the crucial role that exploration of the nature of light played in the evolution of physics from Galileo to finding evidence of gravitational waves just as the book was being finished in 2017. Highly recommended.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nice work thank you very much very educational really enjoy it
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Dry, with nothing new to the debate. He was dogmatic.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Following up on his previous book, A Universe from Nothing, Dr. Krauss walks us through why (meaning "how") we attained our current level of understanding of the natural world and the cosmos. Beginning with the properties and laws governing light and motion, Krauss then takes several chapters to delve into an overview of theoretical physics, covering electromagnetism, particle physics, quantum mechanics, and the purpose, development, and construction of such devices as the Large Hadron Collider and LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). Through it all, Krauss shows diligence in crediting many of his Nobel-prize winning predecessors and mentors who advanced our collective knowledge of the universe, sometimes offering entertaining anecdotes into their personalities and, in a few cases, his own personal encounters with them as a student or colleague. Despite the book's bold title, Krauss is not as openly scornful of theology this time around and in fact, opens each chapter with a quote from the Bible apropos of the topic.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Can't think of anything worse (saw Krauss once in ridicule mode and couldn't take the man seriously after that - any person who tries to win an argument involving ridicule - which is a kind of imposition of your own will over others - doesn't deserve the respect to be listened to - full stop).Although happy to read and listen to fair-minded atheists. There's burden on the believer, for sure. Just as there's burden on every person to impart something that they believe will be of benefit to others. But there's, also, burden on the part of the non-believer to listen to the arguments the believer tries to make (many atheists do make a real effort and but they still just have absence of belief - but some atheists will mock believers when those believers are trying to impart something that they genuinely - they might be wrong about the truth they're trying to communicate - believe in and believe to be beneficial to others).Awareness of truth, and perforce the presumption of truth, is not superstition. Attributing this primordial knowledge to aspects of the perceived is superstition. Similarly, any scientist who closes his or her mind to the possibility that the current conclusions of a particular specialty are no longer subject to reevaluation may be said to be beset by a form of superstition. Religion and science are not incompatible; they are simply two forms of human inquiry struggling to overcome an insurmountable epistemological error. I enjoy science precisely because I know that tomorrow there's going to be a surprising breakthrough, a paradigm shift, a totally unexpected result. I enjoy spirituality (not religion - though the outfits are admittedly spiffy) because from it flow arts unburdened by the constraints of logic.Human creativity's a marvel but its manifestations have nothing to do with truth.I think Krauss is as almost always lazy, cheap and insulting. If you really believe something, and you really believe it's beneficial to others (i.e. that there's no god), then you would approach believers with respect and patience. Ridicule is just a cheap and easy way to get control over others as quickly as possible (and with a boot in the chin for having put up some opposition to their argument).
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Readable, but for the nuclear stew. Let that pass deeper understanding and focus on the history lesson. Krauss builds the intellectual pyramid from Newton’s base layering insights of Rutherford, Einstein, Dirac, Pauli, Feynman, the teams that built CERN, didn’t build the SSC, at last built the Large Hadron Collider. He puts discovery of the Higgs boson at the peak and offers problems with the view.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's largely snippets of biographies of famous (and less so) scientists. Falls short of its promises.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neat explanation to understand the causes of all the great discoveries.The reference image PDF which was supposed to be included in this audio book is missing. It would have been easier to relate topics with those images.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After reading this book, I feel smarter but also still incredibly stupid. I am fascinated by the study of physics and by the amazing discoveries still being made in the field, but, no matter how much I read, I still feel like I just don't really understand physics. And that's okay. I'll just keep reading, as long as patient (and passionate) scientists like Krauss continue to write books that attempt to explain the field to laypersons like myself.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fascinating and in the end overwhelming explanation of particle physics. That the properties of the universe aren't intuitive I readily accept. I wonder if contemporary physics isn't in need of a great understanding and simplification just as the Copernican understanding have is a simpler understanding of astronomy. Of course Einstein warned against oversimplifying. Thought provoking.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely amazing! So glad Lawrence voiced the audiobook as well, he did a great job of staying in 'the pocket', or 'flow' if ya know what I mean..
This is one of those that you'll want to listen to a couple times. I listen to LOTS of audiobooks and this is definitely going to be one I recommend!4 people found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5good physics book but I feel the author failed his thesis to replace the Christian's Gospels with his Gospel. He treats the Bible like a science book but it is a theology book. I feel his attack on the Christian faith was a marking ploy.
2 people found this helpful