Synopsis
Presents a synthesis of four areas of modern scientific theory--parallel universes, epistemology, evolution, and universal computation--showing how they are linked by the idea of multiple universes
Reviews
One major school of quantum theory posits a multiplicity of universes; but what does that imply about the reality we live in? A simple experiment, familiar to every student of physics, involves light passing through slits in a barrier; its results, according to Oxford physicist Deutsch, lead inevitably to the idea that there are countless universes parallel to our own, through which some of the light must pass. This ``many worlds'' interpretation of quantum theory has gained advocates in recent years, and Deutsch argues that it is time for scientists to face the full implications of this idea. (After all, the entire point of science is to help us understand the world we live in--the ``fabric of reality'' of his title.) To that end, he outlines a new view of the multiverse (the total of all the parallel universes), combining ideas from four ``strands'' of science: quantum physics, epistemology, the theory of computation, and modern evolutionary theory. He argues that quantum computation, a discipline in which he is a pioneering thinker, has the potential for building computers that draw on their counterparts in parallel universes; this could make artificial intelligence a reality, despite Roger Penrose's objections (which Deutsch deals with in some detail). Likewise, time travel into both the future and the past should be possible, though not in quite the form envisioned by science fiction writers; the trips would almost certainly be one-way, and they would likely take the travelers into different universes from the one they began in. Deutsch takes particular pains to refute Thomas Kuhn's ``paradigm'' model of science, which essentially denies progress. A final chapter looks at the long-range implications of his views, including the place of esthetic and moral values (areas more scientists now seem willing to confront). Not easy going by any means, but worth the work for anyone interested in the thought processes of a scientist on the leading edge of his discipline. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
In the library of physics for laypeople, Deutsch's book is unique. Correction: it is multiversal, existing in innumerable universes that Deutsch argues exist alongside the "real" universe that people perceive. Explaining that, and persuading the reader of its scientific truth, makes this work unique. Another of Deutsch's mindbenders is that each person could be resurrected near the Big Crunch (if there is one) by a universal computer with infinite memory, a conclusion discussed (and unfairly dismissed by most scientists, according to Deutsch) in Frank Tipler's The Physics of Immortality (1994). Deutsch, a quantum physicist at Oxford University, builds toward the computerized second coming on the basis of the well-known, reproducible experiment that conclusively establishes the quantum nature of light and of reality. He then discusses three more topics--computation theory, evolution, and epistemology--combining them with quantum theory to construct his Theory of Everything, the grail of all theoretical physicists. Deutsch allows that his is a minority view among his peers, but the confidence with which he presents his views, and the absence of condescension in his style, accesses nonscientists to his seemingly alien world(s). Gilbert Taylor
Common sense and reality diverge and then come together again in this mind-blowing book. Maintaining that the best explanation for certain quantum phenomena is that there are parallel universes, i.e., multiverses, Oxford physicist Deutsch posits and then attempts to unify four basic strands?quantum physics, epistemology, evolution, and the theory of computation. Just one astonishing consequence is that quantum computers can collaborate between universes. Deutsch's ideas are exotic and challenging, but his text is surprisingly accessible, and he supplies a glossary and summary at the end of every chapter. For motivated readers, this book is a feast for the mind. Strongly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Gregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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