Despite my most fervent wishes, I have never been particularly gifted when it comes to physics. Oh, I understand Newtonian physics well enough, but get Einstein involved and it's all just chalk hieroglyphics on a green slate wall. Take it a step further to quantum mechanics and I'm perpetually gobsmacked. All of which makes my current choice of reading material a bit odd, to say the least.
I am currently working my way through physicist Brian Greene's latest book. As the title suggests, The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos explores various theories concerning the nature of the universe. Or should I say, "the nature of the universes"? So far we have looked at a patchwork quilt of universes, infinite numbers of bubble universes, quantum fields, and a whole bunch of other stuff I don't understand, and I'm only at the chapter that discusses string theory! There are still seven chapters that address other aspects of the "multiverse".
It's hard going, but I can take comfort in one thing. If I understand Professor Greene correctly, there may be other universes out there which contain alternative versions of this world. That means that somewhere there is a version of me on another world in another universe who actually understands this stuff.
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
Brian Green
ISBN 978-0-307-26563-0
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