Big Ideas Reading Group Bookshelf

This is the May 2016 ballot for our next round of reading. the next round of reading. By May 15, please send Chris Boyd your completed ballot.

A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down by Robert Laughlin

Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin argues that the scientific frontier is right under our fingers. Instead of looking for ultimate theories, Laughlin considers the world of emergent properties-meaning the properties, such as the hardness and shape of a crystal, that result from the organization of large numbers of atoms. Laughlin shows us how the most fundamental laws of physics are in fact emergent. A Different Universe is a truly mind-bending book that shows us why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change. p.274

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gwande

Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses his profession's ultimate limitation, arguing that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande offers examples of freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person's last weeks or months may be rich and dignified. Pgs-297

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier

A revelatory exploration of the hottest trend in technology and the dramatic impact it will have on the economy, science, and society at large. Which paint color is most likely to tell you that a used car is in good shape? How can officials identify the most dangerous New York City manholes before they explode? And how did Google searches predict the spread of the H1N1 flu outbreak? In this brilliantly clear, often surprising work, two leading experts explain what big data is, how it will change our lives, and what we can do to protect ourselves from its hazards. Big Data is the first big book about the next big thing. p. 257

Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space by Janna Levin

“This is a beautifully written account of the quest to open the ‘gravitational-wave window’ onto our universe, and use it to explore our universe’s warped side: black holes and other phenomena made from warped spacetime. As a participant in this wonderful quest, I applaud Janna Levin for capturing so well our vision, our struggles, and the ethos and spirit of our torturous route toward success." —Kip Thorne, author of The Science of Interstellar p. 256

Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins

The human eye is so complex and works so precisely that surely, one might believe, its current shape and function must be the product of design. The metaphor of Mount Improbable represents the combination of perfection and improbability that is epitomized in the seemingly "designed" complexity of living things. Dawkins skillfully guides the reader on a breathtaking journey through the mountain's passes and up its many peaks to demonstrate that following the improbable path to perfection takes time. p. 352

Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe by Lisa Randall

In this brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment Lisa Randall uses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth. Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things. p.432

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Vance spent over 40 hours in conversation with Musk and interviewed close to 300 people to tell the tumultuous stories of Musk's world-changing companies: PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity, and to characterize a man who has renewed American industry and sparked new levels of innovation while making plenty of enemies along the way. p.421

Evolution of the Social Contract by Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms uses evolutionary game theory to analyze the genesis of social contracts and investigates social phenomena including justice, communication, altruism, and bargaining.. He discusses topics including how bargaining with neighbors promotes sharing of resources, the diversity of behavior in ultimatum bargaining in small societies, the Prisoner's Dilemma, and an investigation into signaling games and the spontaneous emergence of meaningful communication. His book will be of great interest to readers in philosophy of science, social science, evolutionary biology, game and decision theory, and political theory. p.164

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler

Richard Thaler's, Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, is easily the best introduction to the subject available--for economists as well as for the general reader, largely because of the author's facility of explaining, in easy-to-grasp terms, the contribution that behavioral economics is making to problem solving. It is an often humorous account of the progress of Behavioural Economics by one of its most gifted practitioners. p.432

Now: The Physics of Time by Richard A. Muller, author of Physics for Future Presidents

Our expanding universe is continuously creating not only new space but also new time. The front edge of this new time is what we call “now,” and this moment is truly unique―it is the only moment in which we can exercise our free will. Muller’s thought-provoking vision is a powerful counter to established theories in science and philosophy, and his arguments will spark major debate about the most fundamental assumptions of our universe. p.352

Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie or Die by Eric Siegel

Eric Siegel, PhD, founder of the Predictive Analytics World conference series and executive editor of The Predictive Analytics Times, makes the how and why of predictive analytics understandable and captivating. In addition to being the author of "Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die," Eric is a former Columbia University professor--who used to sing educational songs to his students--and a renowned speaker, educator, and leader in the field. p.356

Pricing the Future: Finance, Physics, and the 300-year Journey to the Black-Scholes Equation by George G. Szpiro

In Pricing the Future, financial economist George G. Szpiro tells the fascinating stories of the pioneers of mathematical finance who conducted the search for the elusive options pricing formula. He retraces the historical and intellectual developments that ultimately led to the widespread use of mathematical models to drive investment strategies on Wall Street. p.322

Spooky Action at a Distance by George Musser.

If space isn't what we thought it was, then what is it? In Spooky Action at a Distance, George Musser sets out to answer that question, offering a provocative exploration of nonlocality and a celebration of the scientists who are trying to explain it. Musser guides us on an epic journey into the lives of experimental physicists observing particles acting in tandem, astronomers finding galaxies that look statistically identical, and cosmologists hoping to unravel the paradoxes surrounding the big bang. p.304

Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature by Marcus du Sautoy

Symmetry is all around us. Of fundamental significance to the way we interpret the world, this unique, pervasive phenomenon indicates a dynamic relationship between objects. Combining a rich historical narrative with his own personal journey as a mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy takes a unique look into the mathematical mind as he explores deep conjectures about symmetry and brings us face-to-face with the oddball mathematicians, both past and present, who have battled to understand symmetry's elusive qualities. p.384

The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives by Stephen Buchmann

Science, art, history, literature, and culture are beautifully integrated to produce a wonderfully interwoven work that is sure to stimulate curiosity and questions for discussions. Scientists as well as non-scientists are able to understand and enjoy scientific information presented. Flowers have served us in medicine and science. Flowers influenced Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin. Cultural history at its best—the engaging, lively, and definitive story of the beauty, sexuality, ecology, myths, lore, and economics of the world’s flowers, written by a passionately devoted author and scientist, and illustrated with his stunning photographs. p.353

The Shape of Inner Space: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe's Hidden Dimension by Shing-Tung Yau

String theory says we live in a ten-dimensional universe. The missing six are curled up in bizarre structures known as Calabi-Yau manifolds. The man who mathematically proved that these manifolds exist, argues that not only is geometry fundamental to string theory, it is also fundamental to the very nature of our universe. Readers will follow Yau’s penetrating thinking on where we’ve been, and where mathematics will take us next. A fascinating exploration of a world we are only just beginning to grasp. p.400

Thing Explainer Complicated Stuff in Simple Terms by Randall Munroe

Have you ever tried to learn more about some incredible thing, only to be frustrated by incomprehensible jargon? Randall Munroe is here to help. In Thing Explainer, he uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, “ten hundred”) most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is, including: microwaves, bridges, datacenters, the International Space Station, the solar system, tectonic plates, the periodic table, helicopters, washers and dryers, and cells. p.64

To Explain the World: The Discovery of Modern Science by Steven Weinberg

A masterful commentary on the history of science from the Greeks to modern times, by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg. An illuminating exploration of the way we consider and analyze the world around us, To Explain the World is a sweeping, ambitious account of how difficult it was to discover the goals and methods of modern science, and the impact of this discovery on human knowledge and development. p.432

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have an enormous, dedicated following, as do his deeply researched answers to his fans’ strangest questions. The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? is an informative feast for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical. p.321

The 2015 Bookshelf

The 2014 Bookshelf

The 2013 Bookshelf