Description

From the bestselling author of Einsteins Dreams comes arich fascinating answer to the question Can the scientifically inclined still hold space for spirituality

Gazing at the stars falling in love or listening to music we sometimes feel a transcendent connection with a cosmic unity and things larger than ourselves But these experiences are not easily understood by science which holds that all things can be explained in terms of atoms and molecules Is there space in our scientific worldview for these spiritual experiences

According to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman there may be Drawing on intellectual history and conversations with contemporary scientists philosophers and psychologists Lightman asks a series of thoughtprovoking questions that illuminate our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience Can strict materialism explain our appreciation of beauty Or our feelings of connection to nature and to other people Is there a physical basis for consciousness the most slippery of all scientific problems

Lightman weaves these investigations together to propose what he calls spiritual materialismthe belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview In his view the breadth of the human condition is not only rooted in material atoms and molecules but can also be explained in terms of Darwinian evolution

What is revealed in this lyrical enlightening book is that spirituality may not only be compatible with science it also ought to remain at the core of what it means to be human

This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains illustrations from the printed book