Frank Wilczek won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 for work he did as a graduate student. His 1989 book, Longing for the Harmonies, was a New York Times notable book of the year. Wilczek is a regular contributor to Nature and Physics Today and his work has also been anthologized in Best American Science Writing and the Norton Anthology of Light Verse. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he is the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"Mr. Wilczek takes the reader on an expertly curated tour across
2,500 years of philosophy and physics...One of the great pleasures
of Mr. Wilczek's book is his wide-ranging interest in the way the
beauty he finds in symmetry appears across human experience. ...He
has accomplished a rare feat: Writing a book of profound humanity
based on questions aimed directly at the eternal."--The Wall Street
Journal "Inspiring and remarkably accessible... Wilczek's language
is lyrical and almost mystical...whatever the answer Nature will
ultimately give us, we have the pleasure of engaging with an
enlightened and humble mind."--The Chronicle of Higher Education
"The beauty of [nature's] equations merges with the beauty of
literature in Wilczek's book. It's a work of art."--Science News
"Relentlessly engaging...not only names but also wisely reframes a
lot of basic concepts in modern physics....Wilczek's fearless
reframing comes as a pleasant relief." --LA Review of Books "[A]
deep, challenging, and marvelous book."--Library Journal "[A]
skillfully written reflection...unique in the genre of popular
works...contains something for every reader, from the physicist who
wants to learn how a Nobel Prize winner thinks of the connection
between ideas and reality to the layman who wants to know more
about the structure of fundamental laws. A Beautiful Question
reminds us of the many ways that science connects to the arts, and
it invites us to marvel at the success our species has had in
unraveling the mysteries of nature."--Physics Today "A Beautiful
Question is both a brilliant exploration of largely uncharted
territories and a refreshingly idiosyncratic guide to developments
in particle physics."--Nature
"A commendable investigation of the nature of reality."--Kirkus "In
this delightful book, we are given a rare opportunity to enter the
mind of one of the world's most creative and insightful scientists.
Frank Wilczek's dazzling meditation on reality reveals the
exquisite fusion of truth, beauty and the deep laws of the
universe."--Brian Greene, author of ithe Elegant Universe
"A Beautiful Question is a compelling introduction to the triumphs
and challenges of modern physics, presented as a meditation on the
role of aesthetics in the search for a deeper understanding of
nature, and the deeper meanings of that search for humanity. Full
of historical background and infused with the author's generous
humanity, this is indeed a beautiful book, one I recommend to
anyone interested in where science is going, written by someone
who, by his many lasting contributions to science, has earned our
attention."--Lee Smolin, author of Time Reborn and The Trouble with
Physics "In this exquisite and remarkably accessible book, Frank
Wilczek explores our cosmos as a work of art, revealing hidden
beauty at all levels from the Galactic realm down to the subatomic
microworld that his trailblazing research has elucidated. His
ability to see what others overlook makes him an inspiring guide
not only for scientists, but also for artists and all curious
people."--Max Tegmark, author of Our Mathematical Universe "If
you've ever wondered what physicists mean when they describe a
theory as 'beautiful, ' A Beautiful Question is the ideal place to
find out. Wilczek is both one of the greats of the subject, and not
afraid to engage non-technically with the wonderful complexities
and intangibilities of the mysterious beauty that lies at the core
of our understanding of the physical world."--Peter Woit, author of
Not Even Wrong "Anyone who has studied physics knows the startling
beauty of those rare times when the clouds part and you see that
math and reality are the same thing. With Wilczek's new book,
readers can catch a glimpse of that beauty without having to know
the math."--Noah Smith, Stony Brook University; author of
Noahpinion "In contemporary art, Beauty has faded, a prosaic
artifice, a distraction from deeper raw truths, maybe even ugly
truths. To the exceptional physicist Frank Wilczek, Beauty has
proven a luminous ally, a faithful advisor in his discoveries of
remarkable truths about the world. Ever in pursuit of truth, Frank
guides us in a calm and winsome meditation on this subtle question:
Is the world beautiful?"--Janna Levin, author of How the Universe
Got Its Spots
A beautiful treatise on a beautiful universe, this delightful
series of meditations on the nature of beauty and the physical
universe roams from music, to color vision, to fundamental ideas at
the very forefront of physics today. In lesser hands such a romp
could easily degenerate into a kind of new age mystical mumbo
jumbo. However, Frank Wilczek is one of the deepest, most creative,
and most knowledgeable theoretical physicists alive today. Read him
or listen to him and you will never think about the universe the
same way again. And if your experience is like mine over the years,
you will definitely be the better for it."--Lawrence Krauss, author
of A Universe from Nothing and The Physics of Star-Trek "Frank
Wilczek starts this fascinating book with the intriguing question:
Does the world embody beautiful ideas? What follows is a masterful,
intellectual journey, surveying a breathtaking tapestry of physics,
art, and philosophy. One could ask Wilczek's question differently:
Does this book embody beautiful ideas? The answer would be a
resounding Yes!"--Mario Livio, astrophysicist, author of Brilliant
Blunders "Before there was Science, there was Natural Philosophy.
In this authoritative, ever-surprising, and lavishly illustrated
account, Frank Wilczek brings the grand quest that so captivated
Pythagoras, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein,
Noether, and a host of others both up to date and back to
life."--George Dyson, author of Turing's Cathedral
"A truly beautiful book, in design, in content, in the insights
that Frank Wilczek shares. This book helps me see how one of the
world's leading thinkers thinks, using beauty as a tool, as a guide
in finding not only the right problems but the right solutions. In
Wilczek's mind, there is no clear separation between physics, art,
poetry, and music. Why do physicists call their theories beautiful?
Immerse yourself in this book, wallow in it, sit back and relax as
you wander through it, and you'll soon understand."--Richard
Muller, author of Physics for Future Presidents
"For a century, science has invalidated 'soft' questions about
truth, beauty, and transcendence. It took considerable courage
therefore for Frank Wilczek to declare that such questions are
within the framework of 'hard' science. Anyone who wants to see how
science and transcendence can be compatible must read this book.
Wilczek has caught the winds of change, and his thinking breaks
through some sacred boundaries with curiosity, insight, and
intellectual power."--Deepak Chopra, M.D.
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