Something Deeply Hidden
 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Sean M. Carroll |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Quantum mechanics |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Dutton |
Publication date | September 10, 2019 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 368 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-1524743017 |
| OCLC | 1134416421 |
| Preceded by | The Big Picture |
| Website | Official website |
Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime is a non-fiction book by American theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll. The book, his fifth, was released on September 10, 2019 by Dutton.
Synopsis
In this book, Carroll examines the reasons why people misunderstand quantum mechanics and advocates a version of the many-worlds interpretation, while objecting to the views often grouped together as the Copenhagen interpretation.[1][2]
Reception
Reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus were generally positive, while the latter noted that Carroll's "eschewing mathematics" may have been somewhat detrimental when discussing topics that "might benefit from at least a little math," observing, "Readers who remember freshman college physics will be intrigued; others will struggle."[3][4] Physicist and writer Adam Frank in his review for NPR wrote that he did not in the end find Carroll's arguments convincing (Frank himself leans in the direction of QBism), but that Carroll's case was "carefully reasoned" and his presentations of the various opposing views were fair.[5] Writing in Physics Today, Matthew Leifer was more critical, saying that "the alternatives to [many worlds] are not as hopeless as Carroll makes them out to be" and finding Carroll's treatment of Bell's theorem too superficial.[6]
Science writer Jim Baggott criticized the publication of Something Deeply Hidden and the many world interpretation more broadly as "post-empirical science".[7] The book was also reviewed by science writer Philip Ball and by physicist-authors Chad Orzel and Sabine Hossenfelder.[8][9][10]
References
- ^ "Sean Carroll, "Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime" (Harvard Science Book Talk)". science.fas.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Chen, Sophia (10 November 2019). "Sean Carroll Thinks We All Exist on Multiple Worlds". Wired. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "SOMETHING DEEPLY HIDDEN by Sean Carroll | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime by Sean Carroll. Dutton, $29 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5247-4301-7". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Frank, Adam (September 13, 2019). "In 'Something Deeply Hidden,' Sean Carroll Argues There Are Infinite Copies Of You". NPR. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Leifer, Matthew (2019). "Does the many-worlds interpretation hold the key to spacetime?". Physics Today. 72 (12): 56. doi:10.1063/PT.3.4366.
- ^ Baggott, Jim (2019-10-07). "Post-empirical science is an oxymoron, and it is dangerous". Aeon. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
- ^ Ball, Philip (2019-09-27). "Just how conceptually economical is the Many Worlds Interpretation?". homunculus. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
- ^ Orzel, Chad (2019-09-17). "Many Worlds, But Too Much Metaphor". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
- ^ Hossenfelder, Sabine (2019-09-10). "Book Review: "Something Deeply Hidden" by Sean Carroll". Backreaction. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15.