Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Existentialism, Metaphysics
Cover of the book Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt, Liveright
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jim Holt ISBN: 9780871403278
Publisher: Liveright Publication: July 16, 2012
Imprint: Liveright Language: English
Author: Jim Holt
ISBN: 9780871403278
Publisher: Liveright
Publication: July 16, 2012
Imprint: Liveright
Language: English

“I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”—Sarah Bakewell, New York Times Book Review, front-page review

Tackling the “darkest question in all of philosophy” with “raffish erudition” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway bestseller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers, “testing the contentions of one against the theories of the other” (Jeremy Bernstein, Wall Street Journal). As he interrogates his list of ontological culprits, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God versus the Big Bang. This “deft and consuming” (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) narrative humanizes the profound questions of meaning and existence it confronts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”—Sarah Bakewell, New York Times Book Review, front-page review

Tackling the “darkest question in all of philosophy” with “raffish erudition” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway bestseller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers, “testing the contentions of one against the theories of the other” (Jeremy Bernstein, Wall Street Journal). As he interrogates his list of ontological culprits, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God versus the Big Bang. This “deft and consuming” (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) narrative humanizes the profound questions of meaning and existence it confronts.

More books from Liveright

Cover of the book Pontius Pilate: Deciphering a Memory by Jim Holt
Cover of the book "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination by Jim Holt
Cover of the book High-Rise: A Novel (Movie Tie-in Editions) by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates by Jim Holt
Cover of the book My Life (Revised and Updated) by Jim Holt
Cover of the book In a Narrow Grave: Essays on Texas by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Ciao, Carpaccio!: An Infatuation by Jim Holt
Cover of the book The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Malcolm: A Comic Novel by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Nature's Mutiny: How the Little Ice Age of the Long Seventeenth Century Transformed the West and Shaped the Present by Jim Holt
Cover of the book The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West by Jim Holt
Cover of the book The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin by Jim Holt
Cover of the book Black Dahlia, Red Rose: The Crime, Corruption, and Cover-Up of America's Greatest Unsolved Murder by Jim Holt
Cover of the book The Arena: Inside the Tailgating, Ticket-Scalping, Mascot-Racing, Dubiously Funded, and Possibly Haunted Monuments of American Sport by Jim Holt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy