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The Big Picture
- On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
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The Big Picture
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Summary
Does human purpose and meaning fit into a scientific worldview?
Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on the Higgs boson and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void?
In short chapters filled with intriguing historical anecdotes, personal asides, and rigorous exposition, listeners learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level - and then how each connects to the other. Carroll's presentation of the principles that have guided the scientific revolution - from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness, and the universe - is dazzlingly unique.
Carroll shows how an avalanche of discoveries in the past few hundred years has changed our world and what really matters to us. Our lives are dwarfed like never before by the immensity of space and time, but they are redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning.
The Big Picture is an unprecedented scientific worldview, a tour de force that will be listened to alongside the works of Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, and E. O. Wilson for years to come.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Critic reviews
Included on Brain Picking’s “The Greatest Science Books of 2016” List and included on NPR Science Friday’s “The Best Science Books of 2016” List
“Weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, Sean Carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand. Yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.” (Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey)
“With profound intelligence and lucid, unpretentious language, Sean Carroll beautifully articulates the worldview suggested by contemporary naturalism. Thorny issues like free will, the direction of time, and the source of morality are clarified with elegance and insight. The Big Picture shows how the scientific worldview enriches our understanding of the universe and ourselves. A reliable account of our knowledge of the universe, it is also a serene meditation on our need for meaning. This is a book that should be read by everybody.” (Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics)
"Vivid...impressive....Splendidly informative." (The New York Times Book Review)
What listeners say about The Big Picture
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erwin
- 19-06-21
Marvellous meeting between science and philosophy
I had expected a book like Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. However, it exceeded my expectations. I was very much positively surprised how Carroll talks very clearly how you should interpret science in the bigger scheme of things, as the title already suggests of course. I loved hearing about the concept of poetic naturalism.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tomek W.
- 06-02-21
Got audible just to listen to Sean Carroll
I listen to the podcast Mindscape frequently and think Sean is one of the best physics explainers alive today. Normally I buy physical books and read them. But because I knew Sean did the speaking for his own books I got audible to give them a listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N. W. Munro
- 22-06-23
Superb
Absolutely fantastic book. The author explains complex concepts very eloquently, giving great perspectives on complex topics from the scientific, philosophical and religious perspectives.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Harry Roberts
- 17-07-22
the author bores me to death
found it very monotonous and dry, many insights but would have thought the author could have given a more inspiring reading
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- gotobann
- 18-07-19
drifts into God Questions too much
Sean builds concepts and terms in a great easy style. He is patient and communicates the most complex concepts while aware of each learner's struggle to build their own internal scrapbook of ideas.
Easy to listen to but strays into science versus religion a bit too much.jm
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-04-20
More about Philosophy and its history than science
I hoped to learn more about interesting scientific phenomenons and how they relate to each other, but ended up hearing about history of philosophy, religion vs science and figures of science and philosophy.
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6 people found this helpful