Krauss L. The Edge of Knowledge - Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos

Monograph. — New York: Post Hill Press, 2023. — 240 p.Lawrence Krauss explores the greatest unanswered questions at the forefront of science today, and likely for the coming century and beyond.Internationally known theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss explores science’s greatest unanswered questions.Three of the most important words in science are “I don't know.” Not knowing implies a Universe of opportunities—the possibility of discovery and surprise. Our understanding of science has advanced immeasurably over the last five hundred years, yet many fundamental mysteries of existence persist: How did our Universe begin? How big is the Universe? Is time travel possible? What’s at the center of a black hole? How did life on Earth arise? Are we alone? What is consciousness, and can we create it?These mysteries define the scientific forefront — the threshold of the unknown. To explore that threshold is to gain a deeper understanding of just how far science has progressed. Covering time, space, matter, life, and consciousness, Krauss introduces readers to topics that will shape the state of science for the next century, providing us all passport to our own journeys of exploration and discovery.Three of the most important words in science are: “I don’t know.” Therein lies the beginning of enlightenment because not knowing implies a universe of opportunities — the possibility of discovery and of surprise.If history is any guide, there is a lot more about the universe that we don’t know than we do. Sometimes that is incorrectly taken to imply that we know almost nothing. In truth, we know a great deal, and that guides us in our search to learn more. But the recognition that many cosmic mysteries still remain provides a long-term hopefulness to the scientific enterprise, not to mention a kind of cosmic job security.The limits of the world we understand have moved further and further beyond the universe of our direct experience over the past five hundred years of modern science. Yet the fundamental mysteries of existence persist: How did our universe begin, if it even had a beginning? How will it end? How big is it? What lies beyond what we can see? What are the fundamental laws governing our existence? Are those laws the same everywhere? What is the world of our experience made of? What remains hidden? How did life on earth arise? Are we alone? What is consciousness? Is human consciousness unique?“Krauss has a genius for making science understandable and exciting in equal parts. This account of some of the key puzzles in physics is a wonderfully lucid and stimulating introduction, which only a real scientist with an enthusiastic gift for communication could achieve. Krauss ticks both boxes handsomely. It adds to his remarkable body of work in making the world more scientifically literate and greatly more rational.”“Lawrence Krauss knows science. Even more impressive, Lawrence can explain science (even to me). This book is about the crucial stuff that Lawrence knows and some stuff that even Lawrence doesn’t know (and neither does anyone else). He explains clearly what no one knows, so we can all help figure it out.”“This fascinating book offers a highly readable exposition of the fundamental questions that perplex us most—those that lie on (or beyond) the current frontiers of human knowledge. Lawrence Krauss is a fine scientist with a broad perspective. And he’s also an excellent writer, able to expound deep mysteries in language that’s always clear, and often entertaining too. Anyone with an enquiring mind should enjoy this book—it deserves very wide readership.”"Krauss is a wonderful science communicator. His style is not at all intimidating and he has a knack for story telling that gives you all the context you need to keep up. If you are fascinated by how we got here and how we will meet our end, you'll find no better teacher than Lawrence Krauss.""Krauss does a brilliant job of setting forth the current state of our knowledge of fundamental aspects of nature, including not just from his own fields of research in physics but others as well. From those descriptions he proceeds logically to identify major mysteries that remain to be solved. His knowledge is encyclopedic and the book is highly engaging. I highly recommended it to anyone with an interest in science and human consciousness."Best Sellers Rank: #2 in Mars
#25 in Cosmology
#39 in EvolutionForeword
Time
Space
Matter
Life
Consciousness
Epilogue