Overview

Humankind, scientists agree, is a tiny and insignificant anomaly in the vastness of the universe. But what would that universe look like if we were not here to say something about it? In this brilliant, insightful work of philosophy, beloved novelist and playwright Michael Frayn examines the biggest and oldest questions of philosophy, from space and time to relativity and language, and seeks to distinguish our subjective experience from something objectively true and knowable. Underlying all revelations in this wise and affectionately written book is the fundamental question: ""If the universe is what we make it, then what are we?""

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9780312426286

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Reviews

<p> The target audience: anyone who enjoys gaping at the complexities of existence. The topic: everything . . . Fantastic. -- Entertainment Weekly (grade: A)<p>&nbsp;<p> Michael Frayn's exultant prose entices and ultimately overwhelms you. Reading his arguments, I felt as though I were floating down a warm river, caught up in its playful, whirling eddies. . . . Beautifully written. --Los Angeles Times <p> &nbsp;<p> Immense erudition . . . and more than a dash of wit . . . What makes The Human Touch so rewarding is the subtlety and humor with which he examines 'the great mutual balancing act.' -- The New York Times <p> &nbsp;<p> His command of current scholarship in physics and biology is impressive; his discussion of psychological issues is discerning. . . . Witty and ingratiating style. --The St. Louis Post-Dispatch <p> &nbsp;<p> An inviting introduction to modern cosmology and philosophy with no prerequisites other than the willingness to entertain counterfactuals, imponderab

The target audience: anyone who enjoys gaping at the complexities of existence. The topic: everything . . . Fantastic. -- Entertainment Weekly (grade: A) Michael Frayn's exultant prose entices and ultimately overwhelms you. Reading his arguments, I felt as though I were floating down a warm river, caught up in its playful, whirling eddies. . . . Beautifully written. --Los Angeles Times Immense erudition . . . and more than a dash of wit . . . What makes The Human Touch so rewarding is the subtlety and humor with which he examines 'the great mutual balancing act.' -- The New York Times His command of current scholarship in physics and biology is impressive; his discussion of psychological issues is discerning. . . . Witty and ingratiating style. --The St. Louis Post-Dispatch An inviting introduction to modern cosmology and philosophy with no prerequisites other than the willingness to entertain counterfactuals, imponderables, and leaps of faith. Nicely done. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) <p> Absolutely riveting . . . Read it, and you may come to look at the world differently. -- Newsday <p> Erudite, imaginative, funny, and dazzlingly clever . . . [Frayn] unbolts, chapter by chapter, the fabric of the universe. -- The Sunday Times (London)

"""The target audience: anyone who enjoys gaping at the complexities of existence. The topic: everything . . . Fantastic."" --Entertainment Weekly (grade: A) ""Michael Frayn's exultant prose entices and ultimately overwhelms you. Reading his arguments, I felt as though I were floating down a warm river, caught up in its playful, whirling eddies. . . . Beautifully written."" --Los Angeles Times ""Immense erudition . . . and more than a dash of wit . . . What makes The Human Touch so rewarding is the subtlety and humor with which he examines 'the great mutual balancing act.'"" --The New York Times ""His command of current scholarship in physics and biology is impressive; his discussion of psychological issues is discerning. . . . Witty and ingratiating style."" --The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ""An inviting introduction to modern cosmology and philosophy with no prerequisites other than the willingness to entertain counterfactuals, imponderables, and leaps of faith. Nicely done."" --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ""Absolutely riveting . . . Read it, and you may come to look at the world differently."" --Newsday ""Erudite, imaginative, funny, and dazzlingly clever . . . [Frayn] unbolts, chapter by chapter, the fabric of the universe."" --The Sunday Times (London)"

Author Information

Michael Frayn is the author of ten novels, including the bestselling Headlong, a New York Times Editors' Choice selection and a Booker Prize finalist, and Spies, which won Britain's Whitbread fiction award. He has written fourteen plays, among them Noises Off, and Democracy, as well as Copenhagen, which won three Tony Awards in 1999. A philosophy graduate of Cambridge University, Frayn is also the author of Constructions, a collection of philosophical meditations. He lives in London.

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