ACCIDENTAL UNIVERSE, THE

In The Accidental Universe, physicist and novelist Alan Lightman explores the em
otional and philosophical questions raised by discoveries in science, focusing m
ost intently on the human condition and the needs of humankind. Here, in a colle
ction of exhilarating essays, Lightman shows us our own universe from a series o
f fascinating and diverse perspectives. He takes on the difficult dialogue betwe
en science and religion; the conflict between our human desire for permanence an
d the impermanence of nature; the possibility that our universe is simply an acc
ident; the manner in which modern technology has divorced us from enjoying a dir
ect experience of the world; and our resistance to the view that our bodies and
minds can be explained by scientific logic and laws alone.