The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew, by Alan Lightman

The author of this book things that he is accomplishing the task of explaining the universe, but like so many authors, he merely reveals his own biases and perspectives in sharp relief. One of the unfortunate truths of this world is the way that so often people wish to write about the world but end up instead writing about themselves. When we confuse the way we see reality with reality itself, there are a lot of problems that result, and this book is an example of epistemological confusion in a way that is truly remarkable. One of the fundamental barriers to people feeling comfortable about their denial of the intelligent design of the universe is the fine-tuning of the universe for humanity, in that fundamental constants and qualities of matter are in very precise ranges that are necessary for life to exist. This is too improbable for many people to accept as being the result of randomness, and as a result the author (like many others) posits completely imaginary multiverses to provide the necessary inflationary resources to provide for the vast majority of lifeless universes that would be necessary to preserve a belief in the randomness of existence. That these multiple universes exist in the mind of the author to be counted as randomness that is necessary to make our own finely tuned universe seem plausible, in that it would take a very precise universe to have observes like us to watch it. From these assumptions the author then retrofits his idea that the universe is accidental, which is not a consequence of reality but of his mistaken fundamental assumptions.

Although this particular book is largely based on the author’s own thoughts and ideas, as well as his interpretations of physics and its debates and implications, the book is not entirely useless. The book is not as insightful as the author thinks because of the author’s own limitations and worldview errors, but at least the book is somewhat entertaining in parts and revealing of the sort of debates and arguments that exist within the scientific community, especially between the theoretical and practical side of sciences like physics. While practical scientists are fine with messiness, theoretical scientists tend to strongly prefer mathematical purity and conceptual elegance and simplicity. Of course, elegance and symmetry and lawful operation suggest arrangement from a lawgiver and arranger who has a taste for elegance, rather than random chance operation. As is often the case with books like this, though, one will take out of this book a great deal what one brings into it.

As might be expected from someone writing about the physical universe, this book is organized around essays/chapters relating to different aspects of the universe. After a short preface, the author begins with the title essay on the subject of the accidental universe, where the author argues that the universe is accidental. This is followed by a discussion of the universe as being temporary, with the decay of physical things. This is followed, in turn, by a discussion of the spiritual universe, and the author’s struggle to relate to belief systems by seeking to understand how belief works for himself and other scientists. The author then discusses the symmetrical universe and the importance of symmetry in understanding how it is that the universe operates. This is followed by a discussion of the gargantuan universe, where the author talks about not only the size but the acceleration of the universe. By now a bit more than 100 pages out of 150 pages, the author turns to a discussion of the lawful universe and the way that the universe appears to operate under certain fundamental principles that are amenable to being understood and discovered by people. The last chapter of the book discusses the author’s views of the universe as being disembodied, after which the author finishes with acknowledgements and notes.