Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2017
464 pages
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment
Publication Information
A captivating journey to the outer reaches of human knowledge.
Ever since the dawn of civilization we have been driven by a desire to know—to understand the physical world and the laws of nature. But are there limits to human knowledge? Are some things simply beyond the predictive powers of science? Or are those challenges the next big discovery waiting to happen?
In The Great Unknown, one of the world's most beloved mathematicians takes us into the minds of science's greatest innovators as he probes the many deep mysteries we have yet to solve. He reminds us that major breakthroughs were often ridiculed at the time of their discovery and takes us on a whirlwind tour of seven frontiers of knowledge, where scientists are grappling with the unknown. Can you locate consciousness in the brain? Is our universe infinite? What is dark energy made of? What happens to time in space? Is it possible to beat ageing?
At once exhilarating and mind-bending, The Great Unknown will challenge you to think in new ways about every aspect of the known world. It invites us to consider big questions - about who we are and the nature of God - that even the most creative scientists have yet to answer definitively.
"Starred Review. This brilliant, well-written exploration of our universe's biggest mysteries will captivate the curious and leave them pondering "natural phenomena that will never be tamed and known." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. A delicious addition to the 'Big Question' genre." - Kirkus
"Along his journey he exposes with humility his own confusions, apprehensions and concerns. And there is certainly plenty to be both baffled and enlightened about. Does a multiverse exist? Are leptons and quarks where the subatomic buck stops? And is an infinite set of even numbers bigger than an infinite set that also includes odd ones?" - The Observer (UK)
"A dazzling journey…Du Sautoy explores the edges of our understanding in maths, mind and beyond. Each spiralling investigation begins with an object: casino dice kick-start a foray into probability; a wristwatch propels us into grappling with time." - Nature (UK)
"He has a gift for making the most abstruse concepts understandable. You'll feel smarter with every page." - Mail on Sunday (UK)
"Brilliant and fascinating. No one is better at making the recondite accessible and exciting." - Bill Bryson
"A thrilling journey to the teasing and mysterious boundaries of scientific knowledge. Du Sautoy is a masterful and friendly guide to these remotest regions. His explanations are clear, vivid, and above all patient, but he also writes with a personal excitement and a self-deprecating wit, which gives this a remarkable freshness and intimacy." - Richard Holmes, author of The Age of Wonder
"I admire and envy the clarity and authority with which Marcus du Sautoy addresses a range of profound issues. His book deserves a wide readership." - Martin Rees, author of Before the Beginning
This information about The Great Unknown was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Marcus du Sautoy is Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford. He is author of eight books and two plays. Du Sautoy is a Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of many awards, including the Berwick Prize and an OBE. He lives in London.
Link to Marcus du Sautoy's Website
Name Pronunciation
Marcus du Sautoy: doo SAU-toy
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