Third Thoughts : The Universe We Still Don’t Know

**A wise, personal, and wide-ranging meditation on science and society by the Nobel Prize–winning author of __To Explain the World__.** For more than four decades, one of the most captivating and celebrated science communicators of our time has challenged the public to think carefully about the foundations of nature and the inseparable entanglement of science and society. In __Third Thoughts__ Steven Weinberg casts a wide net: from the cosmological to the personal, from astronomy, quantum mechanics, and the history of science to the limitations of current knowledge, the art of discovery, and the rewards of getting things wrong. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and author of the classic __The First Three Minutes__, Weinberg shares his views on some of the most fundamental and fascinating aspects of physics and the universe. But he does not seclude science behind disciplinary walls, or shy away from politics, taking on what he sees as the folly of manned spaceflight, the harms of inequality, and the importance of public goods. His point of view is rationalist, realist, reductionist, and devoutly secularist. Weinberg is that great rarity, a prize-winning physicist who is entertaining and accessible. The essays in __Third Thoughts__, some of which appear here for the first time, will engage, provoke, and inform―and never lose sight of the human dimension of scientific discovery and its consequences for our endless drive to probe the workings of the cosmos. \*\* This Is The Third In A Series Of Volumes Of Essays By Steven Weinberg, The Previous Two Having Also Been Published By Hup (facing Up In 2001, And Lake Views In 2010). Weinberg, Recipient Of The Nobel Prize (1979) With Abdus Shalam And Sheldon Glashow For Their Contributions To The Electroweak Unification Theory, Is Well Known Not Only For His Groundbreaking Work In Physics, But Also For His Efforts In Popularizing Science And The History Of Science, And For His Stances On Various Matters In Politics, Public Policy, And Religion. This Volume, Like The Previous Two, Runs A Wide Gamut, From The Cosmological To The Personal. Specific Topics Include Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Astronomy, Big Science, The History Of Science, Space Flight, Science Funding, The Limits Of Current Knowledge, And Several Other Subjects Ranging From The Art Of Discovery To Being Wrong. Nearly All Of The Work Included Here, Again As With The Previous Two Volumes, Has Been Previously Published. The Author Has Added Introductions To The Volume As A Whole And To Each Essay, Putting The Material In Context And Adding Further Explanation Where Necessary. He Has Also Added A Number Of Explanatory Notes.-- I. Science History: The Uses Of Astronomy -- The Art Of Discovery -- From Rutherford To The Lhc -- Educators And Academics, Underground In Texas -- The Rise Of The Standard Models -- Long Times And Short Times -- Keeping An Eye On The Present: Whig History Of Science -- The Whig History Of Science: An Exchange -- Ii. Physics And Cosmology: What Is An Elementary Particle? -- The Universe We Still Don't Know -- Varieties Of Symmetry -- The Higgs, And Beyond -- Why The Higgs? -- The Trouble With Quantum Mechanics -- Iii. Public Matters: Obama Gets Space Funding Right -- The Crisis Of Big Science -- Liberal Disappointment -- Keep Loopholes Open -- Against Manned Space Flight -- Skeptics And Scientists -- Iv. Personal Matters: Change Course -- Writing About Science -- On Being Wrong -- The Craft Of Science, And The Craft Of Art -- New York To Austin, And Return. Steven Weinberg. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. “The phrase ‘public intellectual'is much bandied about. Just a few real heavyweights in the world merit the title, and Steven Weinberg is preeminent among them.”—Richard Dawkins“Weinberg has a knack for capturing a complex concept in a succinct, unforgettable image... One of the smartest and most diligent scientists around.”—NatureIn this wise and wide-ranging meditation, one of the most captivating science communicators of our time challenges us to reconsider the entanglement of science and society. From the cosmological to the personal, from astronomy and quantum physics to the folly of manned spaceflight and the rewards of getting things wrong, Steven Weinberg shares his views on the workings of the universe and our aspirations and limitations. Third Thoughts aims to provoke and inform and never loses sight of the human dimension of scientific discovery.“One of the 20th century's greatest physicists...shares his strongly-held opinions on everything from the Higgs boson to the state of theoretical physics and the problems of science and society.”—Forbes“This book should be read not only for its insightful and illuminating explanations of a wide range of physical phenomena but also for the opportunity it affords to follow the wanderings of a brilliant mind through topics ranging from high-energy physics and the makeup of the cosmos to poetry, and from the history and philosophy of science to the dangers of economic inequality... [A] captivating book.”—Mario Livio, Science "For more than four decades, one of the most captivating and celebrated science communicators of our time has challenged the public to think carefully about the foundations of nature and the inseparable entanglement of science and society. In Third Thoughts Steven Weinberg casts a wide net: from the cosmological to the personal, from astronomy, quantum mechanics, and the history of science to the limitations of current knowledge, the art of discovery, and the rewards of getting things wrong. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and author of the classic The First Three Minutes, Weinberg shares his views on some of the most fundamental and fascinating aspects of physics and the universe. But he does not seclude science behind disciplinary walls, or shy away from politics, taking on what he sees as the folly of manned spaceflight, the harms of inequality, and the importance of public goods. His point of view is rationalist, realist, reductionist, and devoutly secularist. Weinberg is that great rarity, a prize-winning physicist who is entertaining and accessible. The essays in Third Thoughts, some of which appear here for the first time, will engage, provoke, and inform--and never lose sight of the human dimension of scientific discovery and its consequences for our endless drive to probe the workings of the cosmos."--Dust jacket

One of the world's most captivating scientists challenges us to think about nature's foundations and the entanglement of science and society. Steven Weinberg, author of The First Three Minutes, offers his views on fascinating aspects of physics and the universe, but does not seclude science behind disciplinary walls, or shy away from politics.