Maybe Our World is Math

Recently I have thought a lot about how amazing math really is. I mean, how cool is it that equations and formulas like the Pythagorean Theorem will work every single time?!? I find that fascinating. As I was pursuing the part of Amazon.com for geeks like me that lists the variety of new science books I stumbled on one that I thought looked very intriguing. It is a very new, highly controversial book by Max Tegmark who is a professor of physics at MIT. The book is called Our Mathematical Universe.

Courtesy of amazon.com

It details his hypothesis about a universe that is not only described by mathematics but indeed is mathematics. I purchased the book and as I sit here writing this I have finished the first three chapters. I am very impressed by the clarity and concise nature of Tegmark's writing. Even though I have nothing more than a basic understanding of many of the mathematical principles he describes, I understand exactly what I am reading and furthermore, I find it to be incredibly interesting. I have yet to get into the meat of his proposal but as he explains the process by which the human race gained knowledge of the cosmos I am absolutely enthralled. It is books like this that have the power to inspire people to learn more about the incredible world we have the privilege to live in.

I truly believe that the awe that the universe inspires combined with the raw curiosity it sparks has the power to move mountains. (Not literally, of course) :).


Update 3/14/14: I have now finished this book and, if anything, my awe for the universe has increased. This book is a very dense but a very rewarding book. The ideas of it and the ideas behind his hypothesis are very interesting and it is guaranteed that I will need to spend some time mulling them over. To think about the idea that mathematical structures are the ultimate base of everything, is fascinating and it seems to make a lot of sense, at least with the evidence presented in the book.