Physics Evolved: The Universe's Laws Were Born, Not Given

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking's Final Theory" by Thomas Hertog - This book details the collaboration between Thomas Hertog and Stephen Hawking on the origin of the universe, proposing a new theory that integrates an observer's perspective and a Darwinian approach to the laws of physics.

People Mentioned

• Thomas Hertog (Professor of Theoretical Physics at Belgium's University of Leuven) - A theoretical physicist who collaborated with Stephen Hawking on his final theory about the origin of the universe.
• Stephen Hawking - Renowned theoretical physicist who worked with Thomas Hertog on a new theory of the universe's origin, challenging conventional ideas about the Big Bang and the multiverse.
• Jim Hartle - Collaborated with Stephen Hawking on early models of quantum cosmology, particularly the "no-boundary proposal."
• Georges Lemaître (Belgian priest astronomer) - Pioneering figure who proposed the idea of the Big Bang, deriving expanding universe solutions from Einstein's theory of relativity.
• Plato - Ancient Greek philosopher whose works were read by Thomas Hertog in high school, influencing his early interest in philosophical questions.
• Aristotle - Ancient Greek philosopher whose teleological questions are sometimes disparagingly referred to in science when discussing "why" questions about inanimate objects.
• René Descartes - Philosopher known for "I think, therefore I am," referenced in the context of the observer's role in understanding the universe.
• Nicolaus Copernicus - Astronomer whose work on the solar system represented a successful instance of taking a "god's eye view" in scientific discovery.
• Galileo Galilei - Scientist whose discoveries, like Copernicus', are cited as successful examples of adopting an objective viewpoint in science.
• Albert Einstein - Physicist whose theory of gravity is used to extrapolate back to the beginning of the universe, though his initial view was of an eternal, static universe.
• Charles Darwin - Naturalist whose "On the Origin of Species" is referenced in the title of Thomas Hertog's book and whose evolutionary ideas are used as an analogy for the development of physical laws.
• Isaac Newton - Physicist and mathematician whose approach to mathematizing the world is contrasted and potentially married with Darwinian evolution in the new theory of cosmology.
• Kurt Gödel - Logician whose work demonstrated limits to what logical systems can do, mentioned as part of a 20th-century trend towards understanding the limits of knowledge.
• Werner Heisenberg - Physicist known for the uncertainty principle, cited as an example of a 20th-century discovery that revealed limits to simultaneous knowledge in physics.

Organizations & Institutions

• University of Leuven - Thomas Hertog's academic institution in Belgium.
• Cambridge - University where Thomas Hertog began his studies and met Stephen Hawking, known as a "mecca for cosmology."
• Westminster Abbey - Location where Stephen Hawking's ashes are buried, notably between the graves of Newton and Darwin.

Other Resources

• Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle - A fundamental concept in quantum mechanics that states there are limits to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties, like position and momentum, can be simultaneously known.
• Chaos Theory - A field of study that puts limits on what can be predicted in certain types of systems, mentioned as another example of 20th-century scientific humbling.