The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics

Rating:
Summary: The End of Time
Review: The essential idea from Julian Barbour's book is that the laws of physics can be formulated in such a way that time does not enter explicitly into the equations. If we accept this idea for the moment (and not all physicists do), the question then becomes: is making time disappear in this way just a mathematical trick, or does it lead to better physics?

Barbour has taken on an especially difficult task in trying to explain these esoteric concepts in a work of popular science. The book doesn't succeed, in my view, and the most I can do here is give him credit for trying. My negative review does not reflect any disagreement with his ideas - it is up to his peers in physics, not me, to decide whether he is on to something or not. I just don't think he's succeeded in putting his ideas across to a general audience. The book is so wordy, and its exposition so plodding and foggy and vague, that it is hard to imagine that most people would get much out of it.

I really don't like to write negative reviews, but sometimes they can be useful in steering readers away from books that are likely to frustrate and turn them off. Barbour is a respected physicist, an original thinker, and an interesting person, whose life trajectory has taken him far from the typical academic career. But I really hope he'll take on a co-writer, somebody who knows how to write clearly and informatively about popular science, on his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating Read
Review: There are currently several books dealing with new theories in physics, they are fascinating but I found the "End of Time" a bit disappointing after all the newspaper hype. What I want in a book of this type are three things, firstly to be educated on the general theoretical background, entertainingly presented the history of the subject up to the present day, secondly the author must, as succinctly as possible, explain their theory; show where it supports and where it overturns conventional ideas. Finally the books must present conclusions, sketch out the likely impact of the new concept. The "End of Time" devotes many pages to arguments in favour of the author's thesis, in a way that will bore the general reader but is unlikely to convince the physicist. Near the end of the book my feeling was ok ok you win, just tell me the implications, but that's the problem, the author refuses to speculate, possibly on the spurious grounds that predictions are impossible in a world without time. In summary a long, confusing and eventually a frustrating read. If you want to see how a book of this type should be handled read the unbelievably good "The Inflationary Universe" by Alan H. Guth.