Book Information

Book ID Asin: 0813929733
Book Title: A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe (Page-Barbour Lectures)
Book Author: Freeman J. Dyson
Book Format and Price:
Book Format Name: Kindle
Book Format Price: $9.99
Book Format Name: Hardcover
Book Format Price: $6.98
Book Format Name: Paperback
Book Format Price: $12.86
Book Price: $12.86
Book Category: Books, Science & Math, Biological Sciences and unknown
Book Rating: 40 ratings

Book Product Detail

• Best Sellers Rank: #2,293,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #922 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)
  • #949 in Biotechnology (Books)
  • #8,150 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)

• Customer Reviews:
  4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

Book Review

Name: Theodore A. Rushton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars To see the world in a grain of sand
Date: Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2008
Review: This book is a rare delight.

There are two types of science books. Most explain how and why we know something about what we know. The other questions what we assume we know, which is generally the path to new, expanded and sometimes very new fields of scientific knowledge.

Al Gore, for example, who realizes no one gets major headlines by being modest or unsure about one's ideas, says we must end our reliance on fossil fuels within a decade. Dyson says, in effect, wait a minute, we're already overdue for an ice age, maybe global warming is keeping us from freezing.

In contrast to Gore's certainty, Dyson questions, probes, doubts and considers alternatives. In a world overun by people who are dead certain about politics, progress, art, theology, music and almost everything, it's a treat to find educated and thoughtful ideas by someone who admits, "I am trying to reconcile the theoretical law of increasing disorder in the universe with the evidence for increasing order in the universe as we observe it."

On that basis, Dyson will upset people who know things.

Granted, once upon a time he was young, immature, impatient and brashly confident of his wisdom. In 1945, when he was 22 years old, he advised Francis Crick not to give up physics in favour of a new career in biology. Fortunately, Crick didn't take Dyson's advice; instead, within seven years he discovered the double helix structure of DNA which gave birth to molecular genetics.

Suffice to say, Dyson learned, "Even a smart 22-year-old is not a reliable guide to the future of science. And the 22-year-old has become even less reliable now that he is 82."

Great stuff, if you like the idea that science is a continual search for knowledge and not a platform for politically correct dogmas. Science doesn't freeze what little we believe is true into rigid orthodoxies that cannot be doubted, challenged or modified.

Dyson writes that it is the poets who sometimes have a greater insight into science, such as William Blake, who was once "this crazy poet" but who also invited us

"To see the world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."

Fortunately, those who see more and question more than most in today's world are not crazy. They are merely gifted with a different and sometimes better insight. From them we learn new concepts, or strengthen our own ideas. This intellectual approach creates a rare book when someone such as Dyson share ideas in a clear, concise and provocative style. This book is a dialogue of ideas.

It begins with philosophy of the fox and the hedgehog by Isaiah Berlin and Archilochus, and ends with a beautiful portrait of an autistic child who grew into a wonderful woman. This delightful tour of ideas, questions and observations closes with the thought "... there may be more things in heaven and earth than we are capable of understanding."

Name: F. G. Nobrega
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Sometimes fooled by poetry
Date: Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2012
Review: Dyson is always interesting. His consistency varies along the text as when complaining against monoculture and Monsanto at the same time that he wishes to unleash all the power of genetic engineering to DIY garages everywhere.... He got the message of Carl Woese and used it as a springboard for a imaginative voyage into biology, equating the supposedly more free genetic exchange at the dawn of life with generosity (horizontal gene transfer) and Darwinian evolution by mutation and speciation as a less generous form of creating diversity. It is always inappropriate to impart meaning and moral to what nature does. But Dyson, a lover of poetry, easily falls into that kind of imagery. When he comments about the treat of global warming we learn immensely from his explanation about how "scarse" is CO2, about the interglacial cycles and natural changes in local weather and vegetation with a green Sahara 6 million years ago. I loved his comments about the role of phase changes and symbiosis in the genesis of order in nature. But he cannot move me when using the physical concept of complementarity to support religion next to science.

Name: John W. Brookbank Sr.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Another triumph for the author
Date: Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2009
Review: I have read most if not all of Freeman Dyson's books, starting with Disturbing the Universe and on to A Many Colored Glass. All were delights. His writings are notable for his style and clarity. The Chapter on Heresy was especially thought provoking. I certainly might preser a climate where the "Sahara is wet".

EDITOR AMAZON. I HAVE BOUGHT MANY THINGS AND BOOKS FROM AMAZON, INCLUDING BOOKS BY F. DYSON. I AM NOT SURE THAT THIS BOOK IS ONE COMING FROM AMAZON. I FIND IT TAWDRY TO REQUIRE ME TO VERIFY THE PURCHASE OF A SPECIFIC WORK. I WROTE THE REVIEW BEFORE I FIND ITS A PRODUCTION PLOY FOR AMAZON. I REVIEW ON THE UNQUESTIONED VALUE OF THIS TEXT.

I TOTALLY REJECT USING ME AS A VEHICLE TO PUSH AMAZON AGENDA.

JOHN W BROOKBANK, PhD (California Inst. of Technology) I won't be looking for it in any of your attachments.

Name: Michael D. Fahey
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
Date: Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2012
Review: ***** 5 stars for sure! Dr Dyson provides an entertaining and thought provoking read. It's all good but his comments on heretics, climate, and Dr. Gold's contributions are especially worthwhile.

I listened (text to speech) on my Kindle while working, a good way to multitask if getting information turns you on.

Name: Barton Zwiebach
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Stimulating
Date: Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013
Review: Inspiring thoughts about many important topics.
Dyson has something original to say about global warming, religion, science and life in the future.

Name: John C. Beckman DHL
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Freeman Dyson knows his subjects and has the skills of ...
Date: Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2014
Review: Freeman Dyson knows his subjects and has the skills of writing with clarity, authenticity and purpose. His lifetime of communicating his insights
is a an important contritbution to his profession

Name: R. MCCREARY
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this
Date: Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017
Review: Fascinating and very helpful for those of us who seek a deeper faith and understanding

Name: N. Szajnberg
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Dyson
Date: Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2007
Review: Crystalline writing and thinking in this book that goes beyond disciplinary boundaries.
Nathan Szajnberg

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