The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected
A Natural Philosopher’s Quest for Trout and the Meaning of Everything
9781684581085
9781684581108
9781684581092
Distributed for Brandeis University Press
The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected
A Natural Philosopher’s Quest for Trout and the Meaning of Everything
A personal and engaging tribute to nature from a world-famous theoretical physicist.
Marcelo Gleiser has had a passion for science and fishing since he was a boy growing up on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. As a world-famous theoretical physicist with hundreds of scientific articles and several books of popular science to his credit, he felt it was time to once again connect with nature in less theoretical ways. After seeing a fly-fishing class on the Dartmouth College green, he decided to learn to fly-fish, a hobby, he says, that teaches humility. In The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected, Gleiser travels the world to scientific conferences, fishing wherever he goes. At each stop, he ponders the myriad ways physics informs the act of fishing; how, in its turn, fishing serves as a lens into nature’s inner workings; and how science engages with questions of meaning and spirituality, inspiring a sense of mystery and awe of the not yet known. Personal and engaging, The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected is a scientist’s tribute to nature, an affirmation of humanity’s deep connection with and debt to Earth, and an exploration of the meaning of existence, from atom to trout to cosmos.
This softcover edition features a new essay by Gleiser on how we need a profound change of worldview if we are to have a vibrant future for our species in this fragile environment. He describes how this book was an incubator for his current thinking.
Marcelo Gleiser has had a passion for science and fishing since he was a boy growing up on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. As a world-famous theoretical physicist with hundreds of scientific articles and several books of popular science to his credit, he felt it was time to once again connect with nature in less theoretical ways. After seeing a fly-fishing class on the Dartmouth College green, he decided to learn to fly-fish, a hobby, he says, that teaches humility. In The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected, Gleiser travels the world to scientific conferences, fishing wherever he goes. At each stop, he ponders the myriad ways physics informs the act of fishing; how, in its turn, fishing serves as a lens into nature’s inner workings; and how science engages with questions of meaning and spirituality, inspiring a sense of mystery and awe of the not yet known. Personal and engaging, The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected is a scientist’s tribute to nature, an affirmation of humanity’s deep connection with and debt to Earth, and an exploration of the meaning of existence, from atom to trout to cosmos.
This softcover edition features a new essay by Gleiser on how we need a profound change of worldview if we are to have a vibrant future for our species in this fragile environment. He describes how this book was an incubator for his current thinking.
204 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 | © 2022
Earth Sciences: Environment
Physical Sciences: History and Philosophy of Physical Sciences
Reviews
Table of Contents
Prologue
1 Cumbria, Lake District, UK
2 São José Dos Ausentes, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
3 Sansepolcro, Tuscany, Italy
4 Laxá River, Mývatnssveit, Iceland
Acknowledgments
Index
1 Cumbria, Lake District, UK
2 São José Dos Ausentes, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
3 Sansepolcro, Tuscany, Italy
4 Laxá River, Mývatnssveit, Iceland
Acknowledgments
Index
Be the first to know
Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!