musings on beginnings and endings Lightman, Alan P. 1948- creator author. text bibliography nyu 2021 First edition. monographic eng

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197 pages ; 20 cm "Before the discovery of quarks, we hadn't imagined anything smaller than protons and neutrons. Are quarks the end of the line, the smallest imaginable objects in nature? Can the universe be divided into infinitely smaller units in the same way the universe is ever-expanding? Alan Lightman explores these questions in his characteristic accessible and lyrical prose, considering the igniting element behind consciousness, the origin of life, the anatomy of a smile, our fickle memories. Probable Impossibilities brings together recently published and four original essays. Throughout, Lightman guides a discussion on what we know of the universe, life, the mind, and the conception of things vastly larger than ourselves in time and space"-- Alan Lightman. Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-197). Cosmology Metaphysics Philosophy of mind Physics Philosophy 523.1 LIG Lightman, Alan P., 1948- New York : Pantheon Books, [2020] First edition. (DLC) 2020013915 9781524749019 2020013914 LBSOR/DLC 200621 20230123152404.0 21576937 eng