An enjoyable virtual romp through the universe.
Virtual reality is an all-encompassing simulation generated by algorithms to create artificial environments, as well as a metaphor used to clarify the mysterious paradoxes in our universe that have been explored by philosophers and confirmed by leading physicists.
Raspanti attempts to fit all the scientific laws describing nature under the umbrella of virtual reality, in which everything is regulated by an omnipresent entity. He also uses that structure as a means of clarifying the counterintuitive foundation of modern physics. For ages, scientists, philosophers and physicists have attempted to organize the observed patterns of natural phenomena in our universe, from the elliptical orbits of the planets in the solar system calculated by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, to the behavior of electrons, protons and neutrons in a highly charged, unseen quantum subspace envisioned by the eminent American physicist Richard Feynman. Raspanti is an experienced guide in the fields of philosophy, metaphysics and the branches of classical and modern physics, which include quantum theory. He lays out the philosophical and intellectual leanings of various major personalities in the history of science and delineates a wide swath of historical theories, e.g., Pythagoras' idea that the natural world is represented by numbers; the mechanistic conceptions of Isaac Newton towards the revolutionary thought experiments of modern physicists such as Albert Einstein; Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, which asserts that the depth of an observation of a phenomenon at the quantum level is always finite and open to ambiguity. It requires a leap of faith to accept Raspanti's attempts to structure the elaborate present-day worldview developed by scientists within the context of his virtual-reality assumptions, but his conversational style, free of mathematical equations and symbols, makes this an entertaining introduction to physics and the nature of things in our universe–and well-worth that jump.
An enjoyable virtual romp through the universe.Pub Date: March 27, 2000
ISBN: 1-58721-142-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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