NOBEL laureate Steven Weinberg has been writing eloquently on modern science ever since The First Three Minutes was published in 1977. But unless you are a regular reader of The New York Review of Books, you may have missed some of his best recent work. This collection of essays proves once again that Weinberg is more than just a top-tier physicist. He is also one of the few scientists brave enough – and knowledgeable enough – to successfully take on the role of public intellectual.
There is, of course, plenty of physics here. Weinberg examines the pros and cons of string theory, suggests that our universe may be just one of many, and warns that even if we can discover nature’s ultimate laws, we will still have no idea why those laws are true. He also weighs in on social and political issues, from terrorism to the politics of the Middle East. It’s essential reading.
Harvard University Press