In “Republic”, Plato constructed an ideal State; in “Timaeus”, he designed an ideal Universe. Plato’s universe is built with proportion, order, beauty, symmetry and cycles according to the pattern of the Eternal Being. Both universe and man are governed by the same principles, such as “like to like”, which are inductive to harmony and stability; Both are composed of mortal body and immortal soul; Both are made of four elements, […]
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“The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking
A Rehash of “A Brief History Of Time” Hawking re-organizes materials from “A Brief History Of Time” in a tree-like, instead of linear, format, explaining complex physics models as clearly as possible without the use of mathematical equations. The theories of the black hole are based on principles of thermodynamics, Einstein’s curved space-time and the holographic principle. The latter states that all the information in a multi-dimensional space can be encoded […]
Read more“The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene
I enjoyed this book on three levels, though initially I felt it made my brain expand. Firstly, understanding physics theories. Greene did a great job explaining the complex physics concepts using analogies and thought experiments. For example, I would have never imagined that quantum tunnel has anything to do with balancing bank accounts or people walking through walls. I’d prefer, however, that he emphasize the Fundamental Postulate and the logical […]
Read more“A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking
Also Read: “A Briefer History of Time” by Stephen Hawking Hawking recounts the evolution of cosmology/physics from the time of the ancient Greek to the present, with emphasis on Newton’s law of gravitation, Einstein’s theory of general relativity, Planck’s quantum and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principles in quantum mechanics, Feynman’s “sum over histories” approach, and the string theory. He also examines the existence of the Big Bang, black holes, worm holes and […]
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