{"product_id":"number-of-the-heavens-tom-siegfried-9780674975880","title":"Number of the Heavens: A History of the Multiverse and the Quest to Understand the Cosmos","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe award-winning former editor of \u003ci\u003eScience News\u003c\/i\u003e shows that one of the most fascinating and controversial ideas in contemporary cosmology--the existence of multiple parallel universes--has a long and divisive history that continues to this day.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWe often consider the universe to encompass everything that exists, but some scientists have come to believe that the vast, expanding universe we inhabit may be just one of many. The totality of those parallel universes, still for some the stuff of science fiction, has come to be known as the multiverse. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe concept of the multiverse, exotic as it may be, isn't actually new. In \u003ci\u003eThe Number of the Heavens, \u003c\/i\u003e veteran science journalist Tom Siegfried traces the history of this controversial idea from antiquity to the present. Ancient Greek philosophers first raised the possibility of multiple universes, but Aristotle insisted on one and only one cosmos. Then in 1277 the bishop of Paris declared it heresy to teach that God could not create as many universes as he pleased, unleashing fervent philosophical debate about whether there might exist a \"plurality of worlds.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs the Middle Ages gave way to the Renaissance, the philosophical debates became more scientific. René Descartes declared \"the number of the heavens\" to be indefinitely large, and as notions of the known universe expanded from our solar system to our galaxy, the debate about its multiplicity was repeatedly recast. In the 1980s, new theories about the big bang reignited interest in the multiverse. Today the controversy continues, as cosmologists and physicists explore the possibility of many big bangs, extra dimensions of space, and a set of branching, parallel universes. This engrossing story offers deep lessons about the nature of science and the quest to understand the universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tom Siegfried\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 067497588X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674975880\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/29\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2019 pg. 97\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2020","brand":"Tom Siegfried","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44715587862783,"sku":"9780674975880","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a5acd3a0-a86b-4e62-8b17-1ff7ef5cf8ed.jpg?v=1705672839","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/number-of-the-heavens-tom-siegfried-9780674975880","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}