The Fabric of Reality: Towards a Theory of Everything Paperback – 26 Mar. 1998

I have read innumerable books and science magazine articles on quantum theory, relativity, astrophysics, astrononmy, string theory, etc, as well as a great deal of more generally related science.I am not a trained scientist, simple a well informed non-specialist with an interest in these areas, and I would have to say that this is the best written book of its type I have come across. It deals with extremely deep concepts across an enormous range of different but related areas of study, and I found myself at times almost shocked at the superb skill with which the author is able to deliver new concepts and arguments so cleanly and simply. The chapter that deals with quantum theory and the many-worlds hypothesis alone stands out as a masterpiece of elegance and simplicity when compared with many other works that attempt to deal with this issue.Rather than delighting and wallowing in the apparent paradoxes that quantum theory implies for the macroscopic world (as so many authors do), Deutsch simply points out that irrespective of our inability to understand and resolve those paradoxes, the conclusions at least are clear and unarguable, and this is where he starts the real work of philosophical integration that is the books theme.The rate at which new ideas in this book are delivered can leave one stunned at times, and I must recommend this book without any hesitation at all.

If you're more used to theoretical science books with recommendations from Yoga magazine and popular self-help gurus then this will be the hate filled heresy of a madman.So if you still cling to the antiquated,consciousness affects external phenomena of the Copenhagen Interpretation then you should look away now,but it would be better if you didn't.The authors views of the "shadow multiverse" theory are put forth and then vigorously defended by way of epistemology,computational science and evolution.Along the way we get to resolve the Grandfather Paradox in regards of time travel,marvel at the theoretical computational creativity of Alan Turing and ponder on the thought that all we perceive maybe an artifact of an advanced future civilisations'universal virtual reality generator.Obviously with these type of subject matters it is not going to be an easy ride,but although I found the going tough in places,especially the chapters on epistemology and the nature of mathematics,I found that it was not necessary to understand all the intricacies to get the message that was being conveyed.The only negative criticism I have is that it felt like parts of it where written on the defensive and the author was concerning himself with defending the ideas philosophically in light of the fact that proof was a little too inconclusive to convince adherents of oppositional theories.To sum up this is not a light romp through contemporary theoretical physics but if you are familiar with popular science and some basic philosophy then it can expand your knowledge of the possible that may become probable.

This book was written as a popular science book to be compared with, and perhaps inspired by, well known favourites such as "The Emperor's new Mind", "The Selfish Gene" and "Godel, Escher, Bach" and, given that it was published in 1997, I was surprised I hadn't come across it before. The author, David Deutsch, is well known for his influential papers on Quantum Computation.Here, he tackles a very broad canvas which includes quantum mechanics, quantum computation, virtual reality, time travel, the foundations of mathematics, the emergence of life and the theory of evolution. Deutsch takes issue with reductionist views of science and proposes that a "Theory of Everything" must encompass all these aspects of science, as expressed in four major strands: quantum physics, epistemology (the theory of knowledge proposed by Karl popper), computation and evolution. His central tenets are the "many worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics (in which everything that can ever happen does, in many parallel universes) and the the idea that the world is self-similar at many different scales, so that explanations that work at one scale also work at another.It's a deep and powerful book with much to like: I especially enjoyed Deutsch's demolition of the standard theory of scientific induction and of the Platonic view of mathematics (that it "just exists" in a kind of perfection which is independent of the physical world). He shows that mathematics and computation only work because they are physical processes which ultimately depend on properties of the real world. He develops this approach into the "Turing principle" (it is possible to build a virtual reality generator whose repertoire includes every possible physical environment) and a clear explanation of quantum computation as a process underpinning the evolution of the physical world. Deutsch also advances a strong argument that the mathematics of physical theories should be taken literally: even apparently "unphysical" solutions to equations often have physical interpretations and these should be taken seriously even when they are counter-intuitive.The book closes with a chapter on "The Ends of the Universe" which has a somewhat dated feel because it's based on the "Big Crunch" view of the eventual future of the universe. The current view is that expansion of the universe is actually accelerating and the Big Crunch is highly unlikely; as a consequence, the discussion in this chapter is unconvincing. Overall, the book explains and clarifies many important areas of science but readers must judge for themselves whether they accept claims based on the "many worlds" interpretation.

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