Until the End of Time : Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe

From the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe comes this captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose. Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time, from our most refined understanding of the universe's beginning, to the closest science can take us to the very end. He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos, and how our minds, in coming to understand their own impermanence, seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and our longing for the timeless, or eternal. Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality?from quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes?Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed. With this grand tour of the universe, beginning to end, Brian Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmos "From the world-renowned physicist, co-founder of the World Science Festival, and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe comes this utterly captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose. Brian Greene takes readers on a breathtaking journey from the big bang to the end of time and invites us to ponder meaning in the face of this unimaginable expanse. He shows us how, from its original orderly state the universe has been moving inexorably toward chaos, and, still, remarkable structures have continually formed: the planets, stars, and galaxies that provide islands in a sea of disorder; biochemical mechanisms, including mutation and selection, animate life; neurons, information, and thought developed into complex consciousness which in turn gave rise to cultures and their timeless myths and creativity. And he describes, as well, how, in the deep reaches of the future, the nature of the universe will threaten the existence of matter itself. Through a series of nested stories Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed. Taken together, it is a completely new perspective on our place in the universe and on what it means to be human"-- Provided by publisher NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose f rom the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe "Few humans share Greene’s mastery of both the latest cosmological science and English prose." — The New York Times Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal. From particles to planets, consciousness to creativity, matter to meaning—Brian Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmos. Also by Brian Greene Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Preface 1. The Lure of Eternity: Beginnings, Endings, and Beyond 2. The Language of Time: Past, Future, and Change 3. Origins and Entropy: From Creation to Structure 4. Information and Vitality: From Structure to Life 5. Particles and Consciousness: From Life to Mind 6. Language and Story: From Mind to Imagination 7. Brains and Belief: From Imagination to the Sacred 8. Instinct and Creativity: From the Sacred to the Sublime 9. Duration and Impermanence: From the Sublime to the Final Thought 10. The Twilight of Time: Quanta, Probability, and Eternity 11. The Nobility of Being: Mind, Matter, and Meaning Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography A Note About the Author