"An engaging and interesting account."—Economist"Readers get a dose of biography while following such figures as Einstein, Dirac, and Newton to see how top theories about the void have been discovered, developed, and debunked. Weatherall’s clear language and skillful organization adroitly combines history and physics to show readers just how much 'nothing really matters.'"—Publishers WeeklyIncluded on the 2017 Best Book List by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Included on the 2017 Best Book List by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)"Weatherall deftly explains all you wanted to know about nothingness—a.k.a. the quantum vacuum—but were afraid to ask in a very accessible, comprehensible and clear manner."—Priyamvada Natarajan, theoretical astrophysicist and author of Mapping the Heavens"In this brief, elegant book, James Weatherall shows just how rich nothing has become in the physics since the seventeenth century. Here you will find a concise inquiry into the meaning of absolute space, the surprising existence of gravity waves, and the fluctuating, even polarizable spacetime vacuum of modern particle physics. An enjoyable read, set into historical vignettes, with a fine, no-jargon stress on philosophical significance."—Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University"Science progresses, but the words we use to talk about the world—and phrases like 'empty space'—often stay the same. James Owen Weatherall tells the fascinating story of how our conception of nothingness has changed over the centuries, culminating with its central position in modern field theory and quantum gravity."—Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself"Physicists have done it again. They’ve taken a totally straightforward idea—nothingness—and blown it completely apart. Empty space is full. Absence has structure. Jim Weatherall elegantly describes how our human categories just can’t capture the richness of the natural world."—George Musser, author of Spooky Action at a Distance and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory"The scholarship is excellent . . . useful, educational, and entertaining."—Matthew Stanley, New York University
10/17/2016
“What, according to our best physical theories, is nothing?” asks Weatherall (The Physics of Wall Street), a professor of logic and philosophy of science at the University of California, Irvine, in this slim volume for nonexperts. Weatherall explains that “empty” does not necessarily mean featureless. Covering hundreds of years of science, he describes a “bestiary of ‘nothings’ ” across shifting historical conceptions, including the totally empty void, favored by ancient Greeks; the unobservable, all-pervasive Cartesian plenum; Newton’s empty container, in which bodies move; the ubiquitous, vibrating luminiferous ether; modern permeating fields (electromagnetic, gravitational, etc.); and vacuum fluctuations, in which “stuff” is spontaneously created through matter-antimatter pairings. Further, readers see how the science of nothingness is significantly and complexly tied up with our most powerful cosmological theories—including classical mechanics, relativity, and quantum theory. Unifying the latter two “is one of the most difficult and important questions facing modern physics,” Weatherall notes, suggesting that ameliorating the clash between relativistic and quantum “nothings” would help them play nice. Readers get a dose of biography while following such figures as Einstein, Dirac, and Newton to see how top theories about the void have been discovered, developed, and debunked. Weatherall’s clear language and skillful organization adroitly combines history and physics to show readers just how much “nothing really matters.” (Dec.)
“[A] stylishly written and admirably concise book, at the end of which you will be inclined to agree, along with the author and Freddie Mercury both, that ‘Nothing really matters’.”—Steven Poole, Spectator
“This book is literally much ado about nothing . . . the author’s colorful prose brings the characters in the story to life. A very rewarding read.”—Paul Sutherland, BBC Sky at Night
“Against the plethora of popular writers who cast science as a series of incomprehensible wonders, Mr. Weatherall stands out by combining philosophical sophistication with an admirable ability to explain difficult concepts in plain, direct terms without oversimplifying. He presents cogent arguments, not just surprising results. Above all, he is aware of the importance of deep questions, which remain urgent and consequential even in the aftermath of powerful theories or explanations. . . . Mr. Weatherall offers his readers real food for thought, including excellent notes for those who want to go further into these questions.”—Peter Pesic, The Wall Street Journal
“An ode to the plenty of nothing.”—Nature
“An engaging and interesting account”—The Economist
“The scholarship is excellent … useful, educational, and entertaining.”—Matthew Stanley, New York University
"Physicists have done it again. They’ve taken a totally straightforward idea—nothingness—and blown it completely apart. Empty space is full. Absence has structure. Jim Weatherall elegantly describes how our human categories just can’t capture the richness of the natural world."—George Musser, author of Spooky Action at a Distance and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory
“A pleasure to read for the curious reader and an invaluable source for scientists and philosophers.”—Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons in Physics
