David Deutsch is a Professor of Physics at Oxford University, expert on Quantum Computation and proponent of the theory of the multiverse but his interests – and this book – go far outside the realm of physics and even science.
Why I Like it: Some books challenge your outlook – this one challenged mine more than most and in a very uplifting way. Yes it’s a science book but also much more. History, Philosophy, Ecology and Political Science. Is man “A chemical scum on an average planet of a typical star on the fringes of a galaxy?” (Hawkins) – Deutsch argues convincingly that conscious beings are cosmically hugely significant.
It’s a very wide ranging book – some parts I’ve read with delight several time – others I’ve skimmed or not read at all. Most of it is very accessible to the general reader – some a bit more difficult. Really interesting stuff on ecology, environmentalists, democracy, the scientific method, evolution, physics (of course), art
Above all, this is a hugely positive book. In fact he argues very convincingly that not only have we reason to take an optimistic approach to life but we have a duty to do so.
Really not your average science book
Asynchronists 