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Tables of Contents for The Universe That Discovered Itself
Chapter/Section Title
Page #
Page Count
Prologue
1
29
Introduction
1
2
The urge to predict and control
3
2
The paradox of predictability
5
2
The external world: a first approximation
7
2
Description or prescription?
9
1
The different views of science
10
3
Pros and cons
13
8
Labels
21
1
Accidental, legal, and statistical laws
22
4
Intelligibility
26
4
Time past
30
64
Primitive beginnings
30
4
Social and religious precursors
34
5
Chinese science
39
3
The Greeks
42
7
Plato
49
4
Aristotle
53
6
Aristotle's laws of motion
59
2
The Aristotelian legacy
61
3
Laws and rules of Nature
64
3
Newton, the Newtonians, and Newtonianism
67
17
The rationality of the world
84
6
Darwinian laws
90
4
Unseen worlds
94
80
Mechanism without a mechanism
94
1
Force fields
95
3
Electricity and magnetism
98
5
The Sandemanian world-view
103
1
The end of visualization?
104
2
Mathematical modelling
106
2
Space and time intertwine
108
7
Curved space-time
115
6
Invariance
121
3
Symmetry
124
3
The laws of chance
127
5
Thermodynamics
132
5
Untidy desks
137
2
Demons at work
139
3
The eternal return
142
1
Quantum laws: Nature East of Eden
143
1
Schizophrenic matter
144
6
Intrinsic uncertainty
150
4
Waves of chance
154
3
The nature of quantum reality
157
1
The `EPR paradox'
158
6
That crazy mixed-up cat
164
2
Quantum ailurophobia
166
2
How many worlds do we need?
168
3
The quantum legislature
171
3
Inner space and outer space
174
96
Setting the scene
174
2
A world within the world
176
9
Dissecting the atom
185
2
Brave new world
187
2
Incestuous matter?
189
2
Quarks
191
1
Quantum fields
192
3
The fundamental legislation of inner space
195
5
Unification
200
6
A new dimension
206
3
Why are there three dimensions of space?
209
1
What are the ultimate building blocks of matter?
210
4
The second string revolution
214
2
The inner space `credo'
216
2
Outer space
218
2
Unique aspects of cosmology
220
9
The goals of theory
229
3
The legacy of the steady statesmen
232
3
Chaotic cosmology
235
3
Inflation
238
4
The future
242
5
Questions about the superfuture
247
1
Creation out of nothing?
247
13
Cosmology and the law
260
2
Time travel
262
4
The nature of time
266
2
Where have all the dimensions gone?
268
2
Why are the laws of Nature mathematical?
270
58
A puzzle
270
2
What is mathematics?
272
15
A shock for the formalists
287
3
Consequences for physical science
290
3
What is truth?
293
2
Computability
295
4
Inherently difficult problems
299
6
Maxwell on determinism
305
6
Chaos
311
2
Equations
313
2
Law without law
315
9
Are the laws of Nature computable?
324
2
The cosmic code---a final speculation
326
2
Are there any laws of Nature?
328
42
Heretical notions
328
2
Between a rock and a hard place
330
5
Too many laws?
335
1
Spontaneous order
336
3
Does life transcend the laws of Nature?
339
2
Accidental symmetries
341
1
Places where the laws of Nature break down
342
5
Black hole ontogenesis
347
3
Cosmic censorship
350
4
Can we probe a singularity?
354
1
Staccato time
355
3
Constants of Nature
358
3
Weights and measures
361
2
Varying constants?
363
3
A window onto extra dimensions?
366
2
The outer limits
368
2
Selection effects
370
58
Patterns in the trees
370
8
The phantoms of the laboratory
378
1
Errors
379
4
The `Groucho Marx Effect'
383
3
Beauty
386
8
The Anthropic Principle
394
7
Coincidences
401
2
The speculative Anthropic Principle
403
1
Life and observership
404
3
Is the Anthropic Principle an argument for the existence of God?
407
3
The time of your life
410
3
Cosmology, stars, and life
413
8
The misanthropists
421
7
Select Bibliography
428
13
Index
441