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Mr g
“As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I decided to create the universe.”
So begins Alan Lightman’s playful and profound new novel, Mr g, the story of Creation as told by God. Barraged by the constant advisements and bickerings of Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva, who live with their nephew in the shimmering Void, Mr g proceeds to create time, space, and matter. Then come stars, planets, animate matter, consciousness, and, finally, intelligent beings with moral dilemmas. Mr g is all powerful but not all knowing and does much of his invention by trial and error.
Even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Mr g discovers that with his creation of space and time come some unforeseen consequences—especially in the form of the mysterious Belhor, a clever and devious rival. An intellectual equal to Mr g, Belhor delights in provoking Belhor demands an explanation for the inexplicable, requests that the newly created intelligent creatures not be subject to rational laws, and maintains the necessity of evil. As Mr g watches his favorite universe grow into maturity, he begins to understand how the act of creation can change himself, the Creator.
With echoes of Calvino, Rushdie, and Saramago, combining science, theology, and moral philosophy, Mr g is a stunningly imaginative work that celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on the grandest possible scale.
So begins Alan Lightman’s playful and profound new novel, Mr g, the story of Creation as told by God. Barraged by the constant advisements and bickerings of Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva, who live with their nephew in the shimmering Void, Mr g proceeds to create time, space, and matter. Then come stars, planets, animate matter, consciousness, and, finally, intelligent beings with moral dilemmas. Mr g is all powerful but not all knowing and does much of his invention by trial and error.
Even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Mr g discovers that with his creation of space and time come some unforeseen consequences—especially in the form of the mysterious Belhor, a clever and devious rival. An intellectual equal to Mr g, Belhor delights in provoking Belhor demands an explanation for the inexplicable, requests that the newly created intelligent creatures not be subject to rational laws, and maintains the necessity of evil. As Mr g watches his favorite universe grow into maturity, he begins to understand how the act of creation can change himself, the Creator.
With echoes of Calvino, Rushdie, and Saramago, combining science, theology, and moral philosophy, Mr g is a stunningly imaginative work that celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on the grandest possible scale.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published January 24, 2012
About the author
Alan Lightman
53 books1,210 followersAlan Lightman is an American writer, physicist, and social entrepreneur. Born in 1948, he was educated at Princeton and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. He has received five honorary doctoral degrees. Lightman has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. His scientific research in astrophysics has concerned
black holes, relativity theory, radiative processes, and the dynamics of systems of stars. His essays and articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper’s, the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications. His essays are often chosen by the New York Times as among the best essays of the year. He is the author of 6 novels, several collections of essays, a memoir, and a book-length narrative poem, as well as several books on science. His novel Einstein’s Dreams was an international bestseller and has been the basis for dozens of independent theatrical and musical adaptations around the world. His novel The Diagnosis was a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent books are The Accidental Universe, which was chosen by Brain Pickings as one of the 10 best books of 2014, his memoir Screening Room, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best books of the year for 2016,
and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine (2018), an extended meditation on science and religion – which was the basis for an essay
on PBS Newshour. Lightman is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also the founder of the Harpswell Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to advance a new generation of women leaders in Southeast Asia.” He has received the gold medal for humanitarian service from the government of Cambodia.
black holes, relativity theory, radiative processes, and the dynamics of systems of stars. His essays and articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper’s, the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications. His essays are often chosen by the New York Times as among the best essays of the year. He is the author of 6 novels, several collections of essays, a memoir, and a book-length narrative poem, as well as several books on science. His novel Einstein’s Dreams was an international bestseller and has been the basis for dozens of independent theatrical and musical adaptations around the world. His novel The Diagnosis was a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent books are The Accidental Universe, which was chosen by Brain Pickings as one of the 10 best books of 2014, his memoir Screening Room, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best books of the year for 2016,
and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine (2018), an extended meditation on science and religion – which was the basis for an essay
on PBS Newshour. Lightman is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also the founder of the Harpswell Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to advance a new generation of women leaders in Southeast Asia.” He has received the gold medal for humanitarian service from the government of Cambodia.
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February 11, 2015
This is an intriguing little book. It's a novel about how the universe was created and includes both playfulness and philosophy. It's the kind of a novel I think a physicist would enjoy, or at least they would understand the references to quantum mechanics and measuring time according to hydrogen atoms.
Mr. G is never referred to as a god, but simply as an immortal being who was bored with the void. One day he woke up and decided to create a universe. He invents time, space and matter, and then leaves the universe alone to ponder it. Of course, the universe continues to evolve and adapt even without Mr. G's intervention, using energy to create life and evolve into first inanimate and then animate beings. Soon, the animate beings developed consciousness and intelligence and began to question the meaning of life.
"How mistaken I had been. To believe that I could purposefully decide whether to create animate matter or not. As was now apparent to me, animate matter was an inevitable consequence of a universe with matter and energy and a few initial parameters of the proper sort. If I wanted, I could destroy life. But I was only a spectator in its creation. I was surprised. I was moved. I was concerned. What was this thing that had been set into motion?"
Mr. G thought his universe was beautiful, but he was unprepared for the pain and suffering that the beings experienced in their short lives. After some debate, he accepts that there can be no beauty without ugliness, no happiness without pain, etc. And when the universe finally dies, Mr. G contemplates his creation and decides that he would do it all over again.
Mr. G is never referred to as a god, but simply as an immortal being who was bored with the void. One day he woke up and decided to create a universe. He invents time, space and matter, and then leaves the universe alone to ponder it. Of course, the universe continues to evolve and adapt even without Mr. G's intervention, using energy to create life and evolve into first inanimate and then animate beings. Soon, the animate beings developed consciousness and intelligence and began to question the meaning of life.
"How mistaken I had been. To believe that I could purposefully decide whether to create animate matter or not. As was now apparent to me, animate matter was an inevitable consequence of a universe with matter and energy and a few initial parameters of the proper sort. If I wanted, I could destroy life. But I was only a spectator in its creation. I was surprised. I was moved. I was concerned. What was this thing that had been set into motion?"
Mr. G thought his universe was beautiful, but he was unprepared for the pain and suffering that the beings experienced in their short lives. After some debate, he accepts that there can be no beauty without ugliness, no happiness without pain, etc. And when the universe finally dies, Mr. G contemplates his creation and decides that he would do it all over again.
April 8, 2012
This is a novel about the Creation, but it's written by a theoretical physicist so don't expect the creator to be anything like the guy in Genesis. Much of the first half of the book deals with Mr g creating the laws of physics and witnessing the results as those laws play out in the universe. To say that it's not plot-heavy would be overstating it. This is a very intellectual, musing sort of book and it's going to bore a lot of people who aren't interested in reading about how gasses created stars and planets. Nevertheless, there are some theological aspects of this book that, as a devout agnostic, I found interesting:
1. Mr g, the Creator, has an aunt and an uncle. This would suggest that he also has parent, further suggesting that something created God.
2. Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva give Mr g advice as he's creating millions of universes and refining the one that will become our own, suggesting that God is fallible.
3. Mr g has a rival named Belhor who challenges him intellectually about the laws that govern our universe. "You are not entitled to exist," aunt Penelope tells Belhor. "My nephew did not make you." Again, there must be something creating besides God.
4. Mr g creates the laws that govern matter inside the universe (we knows them as Newton's laws), and these laws go on to create things such as stars and planets. Penelope compliments Mr g on the beauty of these creations, his response is "I did nothing but make a few organizational principles."
As intelligent life begins to evolve (yes, evolve - again, this is not the creation from Sunday school), Mr g and Belhor debate the necessity of free will in the universe. Belhor points out that Mr g can not possibly have the time or resources to control the vast number of life forms that develop. This leads to a moral conundrum for God: when people do bad things to each other, should he intervene? And how can he determine when intervention is necessary? Mr g feels guilt for the distress felt by his intelligent life, but Belhor points out that intelligence begets suffering. This suffering spreads from the universe into the Void as Mr g and Aunt Penelope feel guilt and pity for those who suffer.
Ultimately, this is a thought-provoking parable about the relationship of science and religion that remains easy to digest for those of us lacking advanced degrees in either astrophysics or theology.
1. Mr g, the Creator, has an aunt and an uncle. This would suggest that he also has parent, further suggesting that something created God.
2. Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva give Mr g advice as he's creating millions of universes and refining the one that will become our own, suggesting that God is fallible.
3. Mr g has a rival named Belhor who challenges him intellectually about the laws that govern our universe. "You are not entitled to exist," aunt Penelope tells Belhor. "My nephew did not make you." Again, there must be something creating besides God.
4. Mr g creates the laws that govern matter inside the universe (we knows them as Newton's laws), and these laws go on to create things such as stars and planets. Penelope compliments Mr g on the beauty of these creations, his response is "I did nothing but make a few organizational principles."
As intelligent life begins to evolve (yes, evolve - again, this is not the creation from Sunday school), Mr g and Belhor debate the necessity of free will in the universe. Belhor points out that Mr g can not possibly have the time or resources to control the vast number of life forms that develop. This leads to a moral conundrum for God: when people do bad things to each other, should he intervene? And how can he determine when intervention is necessary? Mr g feels guilt for the distress felt by his intelligent life, but Belhor points out that intelligence begets suffering. This suffering spreads from the universe into the Void as Mr g and Aunt Penelope feel guilt and pity for those who suffer.
Ultimately, this is a thought-provoking parable about the relationship of science and religion that remains easy to digest for those of us lacking advanced degrees in either astrophysics or theology.
April 11, 2012
I'd previously read Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, an elegant little set of thought experiments-cum-vignettes about life in universes with physical constants other than those of our own. It's an intelligent, whimsical, thought-provoking little book.
Mr g attempts to repeat the formula, and fails.
This is a walk through Genesis using the most modern scientific explanations of the origins of the universe. Where it merely describes the origins of galaxies or cells, there's a certain elegance involved. Lightman has a gift for making scientific explanations poetic.
But the framing story, featuring a rather bumbling God, tries so hard at whimsy that it becomes unbearably twee. There's the aunt and uncle of God who are there to do a stereotypical Yiddish couple impression, complete with venial misunderstandings, boastings that make no sense in the context, and complaints about snoring. (Why these are his aunt and uncle and no other relatives appear, I cannot explain.) The devil has two sidekicks whose roles appear solely to be annoying. (If there is a deep symbolism here, it's too symbolic for me to puzzle out.) Most of the interactions between the characters are mostly either repetitive or pointless. I still cannot figure out the point of the devil's appearance at an opera house, other than to point out that he likes to ruin things because they aren't for him. What lesson we're supposed to take from this, I don't know.
There are a lot of big ideas that could be grappled with here--the nature of the soul, the meaning of creation, free will in a universe with physical constraints. But most interesting points are not fully developed, and those points that are developed are hammered home so exhaustively that their exploration is mere repetition rather than unfolding of complex concepts. The science is interesting--the theology is not.
Merely choosing large, grand subjects does not guarantee profundity. In this case, Lightman manages to simultaneously reveal the glories of the universe and still makes them trite.
Mr g attempts to repeat the formula, and fails.
This is a walk through Genesis using the most modern scientific explanations of the origins of the universe. Where it merely describes the origins of galaxies or cells, there's a certain elegance involved. Lightman has a gift for making scientific explanations poetic.
But the framing story, featuring a rather bumbling God, tries so hard at whimsy that it becomes unbearably twee. There's the aunt and uncle of God who are there to do a stereotypical Yiddish couple impression, complete with venial misunderstandings, boastings that make no sense in the context, and complaints about snoring. (Why these are his aunt and uncle and no other relatives appear, I cannot explain.) The devil has two sidekicks whose roles appear solely to be annoying. (If there is a deep symbolism here, it's too symbolic for me to puzzle out.) Most of the interactions between the characters are mostly either repetitive or pointless. I still cannot figure out the point of the devil's appearance at an opera house, other than to point out that he likes to ruin things because they aren't for him. What lesson we're supposed to take from this, I don't know.
There are a lot of big ideas that could be grappled with here--the nature of the soul, the meaning of creation, free will in a universe with physical constraints. But most interesting points are not fully developed, and those points that are developed are hammered home so exhaustively that their exploration is mere repetition rather than unfolding of complex concepts. The science is interesting--the theology is not.
Merely choosing large, grand subjects does not guarantee profundity. In this case, Lightman manages to simultaneously reveal the glories of the universe and still makes them trite.
June 21, 2012
In Alan Lightman's latest novel, the reader is once again played for a sucker. A turn of phrase I use completely without rancor - I wouldn't have it any other way.
Einstein's Dreams introduced a voracious scientific mind whose gentle observations on the possibilities of the world are set forth with a disingenuous so delicate that it almost hurts. The narrator of Mr. G, an unnamed tinkering creator who lives in a void with his aunt and uncle, follows in a similarly rich and satisfying vein. There's a sweet spot at the intersection of inexact art and cold hard science that represents an almost limitless wonder - and everything Lightman writes seems to nestle into that space, silent and unflashy, waiting to be found.
At a time when one seemingly has to be ironic to matter, Lightman's main characters are all as dreamily wise as Milo in The Phantom Tollbooth and as earnest as saint-Exupery's The Little Prince. When books can touch you in this way, there's a sense that you've tapped into something vast and elemental and true, just for a moment. He sums the sensation up with enigmatic beauty (of course) in this passage, about two strangers exchanging a greeting on a busy city street on an unremarkable galaxy's smallest, quietest world:
[A]s these two strangers moved past, they greeted each other, just a simple greeting. A remark about the sun in the sky. One of them said something else to the other, they exchanged smiles, and then the moment was gone. What an extraordinary event! No one noticed but me. What an extraordinary event! Two men who had never seen each other before and would not likely see each other again. But their sincerity and sweetness, their sharing an instant in a fleeting life. It was almost as if a secret had passed between them. Was this some kind of love? I wanted to follow them, to touch them, to tell them of my happiness. I wanted to whisper to them: "This is it, this is it."
Einstein's Dreams introduced a voracious scientific mind whose gentle observations on the possibilities of the world are set forth with a disingenuous so delicate that it almost hurts. The narrator of Mr. G, an unnamed tinkering creator who lives in a void with his aunt and uncle, follows in a similarly rich and satisfying vein. There's a sweet spot at the intersection of inexact art and cold hard science that represents an almost limitless wonder - and everything Lightman writes seems to nestle into that space, silent and unflashy, waiting to be found.
At a time when one seemingly has to be ironic to matter, Lightman's main characters are all as dreamily wise as Milo in The Phantom Tollbooth and as earnest as saint-Exupery's The Little Prince. When books can touch you in this way, there's a sense that you've tapped into something vast and elemental and true, just for a moment. He sums the sensation up with enigmatic beauty (of course) in this passage, about two strangers exchanging a greeting on a busy city street on an unremarkable galaxy's smallest, quietest world:
[A]s these two strangers moved past, they greeted each other, just a simple greeting. A remark about the sun in the sky. One of them said something else to the other, they exchanged smiles, and then the moment was gone. What an extraordinary event! No one noticed but me. What an extraordinary event! Two men who had never seen each other before and would not likely see each other again. But their sincerity and sweetness, their sharing an instant in a fleeting life. It was almost as if a secret had passed between them. Was this some kind of love? I wanted to follow them, to touch them, to tell them of my happiness. I wanted to whisper to them: "This is it, this is it."
July 22, 2019
Περιγραφή της δημιουργίας του σύμπαντος από την αρχή του μέχρι το τέλος του σε στυλ αφήγησης ιστορίας.
Αρκετά βαρετό, χωρίς ιδιαίτερη πλοκή που να κεντρίζει το ενδιαφέρον. Από τις 320 σελίδες,πάνω από 100 σελίδες είναι κενές! Ίσως ο συγγραφέας με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα ήθελε να τονίσει την έννοια του κενού, εκεί όπου "στεγάζονταν" οι ήρωες της ιστορίας
Αρκετά βαρετό, χωρίς ιδιαίτερη πλοκή που να κεντρίζει το ενδιαφέρον. Από τις 320 σελίδες,πάνω από 100 σελίδες είναι κενές! Ίσως ο συγγραφέας με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα ήθελε να τονίσει την έννοια του κενού, εκεί όπου "στεγάζονταν" οι ήρωες της ιστορίας
January 30, 2012
alan lightman's mr g is an imaginative and vivacious work of fiction. lightman, mit professor and theoretical physicist, has authored over a dozen books (including five previous novels). his most well-known work is 1993's einstein's dreams, a fantastic book exploring varying conceptions of time. mr g, lightman's first novel in nearly five years, features no less weighty a subject than the origins of the universe.
the book's title character has existed for eons in the void, with little company save for his aunt and uncle. upon his decision to create a universe (or many of them), mr g embarks upon setting about rules that this proposed universe shall follow. after time and space come inanimate matter, only to be followed by the resulting animate matter that evolves therefrom. as self-determined trial and error create an ever-expanding universe, mr g begins to struggle with questions of morality as he witnesses the suffering that eventually befalls his mortal creations. mr g encounters belhor, his shrewd and crafty counterpart, who continually challenges his motivations and sympathies.
the book's title character has existed for eons in the void, with little company save for his aunt and uncle. upon his decision to create a universe (or many of them), mr g embarks upon setting about rules that this proposed universe shall follow. after time and space come inanimate matter, only to be followed by the resulting animate matter that evolves therefrom. as self-determined trial and error create an ever-expanding universe, mr g begins to struggle with questions of morality as he witnesses the suffering that eventually befalls his mortal creations. mr g encounters belhor, his shrewd and crafty counterpart, who continually challenges his motivations and sympathies.
what's more, there was still plenty of room for the mysterious. because even if a very intelligent creature within this universe could trace each event to a previous event, and trace that event to a previous event, and so on, back and back, the creature could not penetrate earlier than the first event. the creature could never know where that first event came from because it came from outside the universe, just as the creature could never experience the void. the origin of the first event would always remain unknowable, and the creature would be left wondering, and that wondering would leave a mystery. so my universe would have logic and rationality and organizational principles, but it would also have spirituality and mystery.while lightman is himself an atheist, mr g considers a universe created by a sentient and puissant being, albeit one content to let matter evolve however it might. mr g is more of a laissez faire creator, as opposed to one commanding worship and obedience. lightman incorporates a fair amount of science and philosophy into the novel and even veers into the theological realm. the work is clearly not meant to persuade or proselytize, but instead offers thoughtful musings and piquant observations on the enigma of life and its origins. while perhaps not as consummate an effort as einstein's dreams, mr g is, nonetheless, an ambitious and ruminative novel about the genesis of the universe. with moments of charm, wonder, and occasional humor, lightman's sixth novel will gratify anyone open to the billion years-old mystery of the cosmos.
nowhere is the joy of existence so apparent as in music. from one star system to the next, intelligent life-forms have created a multitude of sounds that express their exhilaration at being alive. there are waltzes and scherzos, apalas and calgias, symphonies, madrigals, fanbeis, sonatas and fugues, bhajans and dhrupads, tnagrs and falladias. the music dances and glides and swoops. not that all of it is melodic or soft. but even the dissonant and the jarring contain a rapture, an ecstasy, an embrace of existence.
June 4, 2012
There are times when a handful of stars seems an imprecise way to judge a work. In many ways it's almost easier to cheat and say simply whether or not one likes something than to determine how much one enjoyed it. This is evidenced in the fact that I have now changed my rating twice since finishing the book last night.
After the last page of Mr g I knew I had enjoyed it but was conflicted. In many ways I felt trapped in the Void that is the setting for the story. The science aspect was fun and seemed accurate (at least according to what my limited understanding of physics could tell), but it wasn't these things that gave me pause. Instead it was those deep, existential questions that kept pulling at me. The way the book deals with the concept of meaning, happiness, death, choice, free will, etc. all seemed like conversations that needed to be explored further, but the book fitfully toys with these harder concepts, then drops them without the attention they deserve. It seems that an all-knowing main character (and his equally brilliant antagonist) ought to be able to do better.
My own preferences aside, the responses to these questions closely mirror those we most often hear from casual observers, from those who are unwilling to delve deeply into the big questions which we are all faced with. I have no doubt that this is intentional. For me, it just left me wanting more. All in all though, it was a fun read and one which is worth one's time, just be sure not to go into it expecting something deep and philosophical since this book is meant to be more whimsical than profound.
After the last page of Mr g I knew I had enjoyed it but was conflicted. In many ways I felt trapped in the Void that is the setting for the story. The science aspect was fun and seemed accurate (at least according to what my limited understanding of physics could tell), but it wasn't these things that gave me pause. Instead it was those deep, existential questions that kept pulling at me. The way the book deals with the concept of meaning, happiness, death, choice, free will, etc. all seemed like conversations that needed to be explored further, but the book fitfully toys with these harder concepts, then drops them without the attention they deserve. It seems that an all-knowing main character (and his equally brilliant antagonist) ought to be able to do better.
My own preferences aside, the responses to these questions closely mirror those we most often hear from casual observers, from those who are unwilling to delve deeply into the big questions which we are all faced with. I have no doubt that this is intentional. For me, it just left me wanting more. All in all though, it was a fun read and one which is worth one's time, just be sure not to go into it expecting something deep and philosophical since this book is meant to be more whimsical than profound.
December 26, 2013
A theoretical physicist at MIT, Lightman is an atheist who’s fascinated by the heavens and the profound philosophical questions that attract both theologians and scientists. If we’re to have any meaningful dialogue between people of faith and people without it, that dialogue will surely have to be based on the sort of mutual respect and appreciation that scientists like E.O. Wilson and Lightman demonstrate.
In this quirky little novel, he attempts to dramatize how Creation may have unfolded. It’s a scientific vision laced with the mirthful aura of divinity. In the beginning, Lightman’s God is an earnest being floating in the Void with His doddering Uncle and crabby Aunt. Waking up from a nap, He decides to “take a chance” and create something. It’s essentially a deist’s version of how everything came to be: God sets down a few fundamental laws — time, space, quantum physics — and then watches, delighted, as an infinite number of universes bloom with matter and light. He follows a godly version of Star Trek’s Prime Directive: Don’t interfere. Again and again, Lightman emphasizes that thesis by having God maintain, “I was a mere spectator.” Once the laws are established, everything else happens over an infinite number of random experiments, “quite by accident”: galaxies, stars, planets, oceans, trees, conscious beings. “Animate matter was an inevitable consequence of a universe with matter and energy and a few initial parameters of the proper sort.”
What elevates the novel beyond these lovely descriptions of how matter evolved, though, is the entrance of a mesmerizing stranger named Belhor, who’s accompanied by two acrobatic creatures. Polite and insidiously clever, Belhor is a philosophical sparring partner — something like Satan in the Book of Job. Going to and fro, he engages God in a series of unnerving debates about the purpose of creation, His responsibility for evil, and the limits of omniscience. As if to avoid any of the messy theological questions on our own little blue orb, Lightman visits civilizations in other galaxies. If he’s dogmatic about the nature of the physical universe, he’s evocative and playful about these philosophical questions, moving freely from Miltonic seriousness to harlequin absurdity. An atmosphere of melancholy eventually settles over this strange novel, as it must, I suppose, when God learns about sadness from his creation. But it remains aglow with wonder.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...
In this quirky little novel, he attempts to dramatize how Creation may have unfolded. It’s a scientific vision laced with the mirthful aura of divinity. In the beginning, Lightman’s God is an earnest being floating in the Void with His doddering Uncle and crabby Aunt. Waking up from a nap, He decides to “take a chance” and create something. It’s essentially a deist’s version of how everything came to be: God sets down a few fundamental laws — time, space, quantum physics — and then watches, delighted, as an infinite number of universes bloom with matter and light. He follows a godly version of Star Trek’s Prime Directive: Don’t interfere. Again and again, Lightman emphasizes that thesis by having God maintain, “I was a mere spectator.” Once the laws are established, everything else happens over an infinite number of random experiments, “quite by accident”: galaxies, stars, planets, oceans, trees, conscious beings. “Animate matter was an inevitable consequence of a universe with matter and energy and a few initial parameters of the proper sort.”
What elevates the novel beyond these lovely descriptions of how matter evolved, though, is the entrance of a mesmerizing stranger named Belhor, who’s accompanied by two acrobatic creatures. Polite and insidiously clever, Belhor is a philosophical sparring partner — something like Satan in the Book of Job. Going to and fro, he engages God in a series of unnerving debates about the purpose of creation, His responsibility for evil, and the limits of omniscience. As if to avoid any of the messy theological questions on our own little blue orb, Lightman visits civilizations in other galaxies. If he’s dogmatic about the nature of the physical universe, he’s evocative and playful about these philosophical questions, moving freely from Miltonic seriousness to harlequin absurdity. An atmosphere of melancholy eventually settles over this strange novel, as it must, I suppose, when God learns about sadness from his creation. But it remains aglow with wonder.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...
April 12, 2014
เจ๋งดี แต่น่าเสียดายที่เจ๋งไม่เท่า Einstein's Dream - นิยายของ Alan Lightman ที่ชอบที่สุด
อธิบายบิ๊กแบง กำเนิดพื้นที่ เวลา จักรวาล เนบิวลา เทหวัตถุ ไปจนถึงสสารต่างๆ และสิ่งมีชีวิต ในรูปของนิยาย ผ่านการถ่ายทอดของ "ผู้สร้าง" ชื่อย่อ "g." (God? goodness?) เที่ยงตรงตามหลักวิทยาศาสตร์เป๊ะสมกับที่ผู้เขียนเป็นนักฟิสิกส์ เจือด้วยอารมณ์ขันและจินตนาการถึง "ห้วงแห่งความว่างเปล่า" (the Void) ที่อยู่นอกเหนือจักรวาล เกินขอบเขตความสามารถของสิ่งมีชีวิตทีจะเข้าใจ
ไลท์แมนให้สัมภาษณ์หลายครั้งว่าเขาเป็นพวกไม่เชื่อว่ามีพระเจ้า (atheist) แต่เขาแตกต่างจากพวก atheist คนอื่น (ที่ดังที่สุดเห็นจะเป็น Richard Dawkins ซึ่งเราไม่ชอบเอามากๆ)ตรงที่เขียนทุกเรื่องอย่างเข้าอกเข้าใจและยอมรับในความรู้สึกถึง "อุตมภาพ" (transcendence) หรือความสูงส่งทางจิตวิญญาณซึ่งคนจำนวนมากในโลกนี้ยึดเป็นแก่นสารหรือรากฐานแห่งความหมายของชีวิต (รวมทั้งนักวิทยาศาสตร์จำนวนมากที่พิศวงกับธรรมชาติ)ทำให้หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นวิทยาศาสตร์ผสมปรัชญา ผนวกข้อคิดที่น่าสนใจและไม่ปฏิเสธศาสนา ซึ่งเรื่องหลังสุดนี้ Mr. g มองว่า เป็นความพยายามของสิ่งมีชีวิตที่จะเข้าใจความลึกลับนอกจักรวาล พยายามเข้าใจสารัตถะของสิ่งที่ไม่มีวันตาย อยู่เหนือกาลเวลาดังเช่นตัวเขาเอง
สิ่งที่หนังสือทำได้ดีที่สุดคือ อธิบาย "หลักการพื้นฐาน" (organizational principles) ของจักรวาล สิ่งที่ทำได้ไม่ค่อยดีนักคือการอธิบายภูมิหลังและแรงจูงใจของ Mr. g รวมถึงตัวละครอื่นๆ อย่างป้าและลุงของเขา (อยู่ใน Void ด้วยกัน แต่ไร้อำนาจของผู้สร้าง) และ Belhor ซึ่งดูเผินๆ เหมือนจะเป็นตัวแทนซาตาน แต่เอาเข้าจริงก็ไม่ใช่เสียทีเดียว อ่านไปก็รู้สึกว่าผู้เขียนอาจจะอยากให้คนอ่านเดาและตีความเอาเองว่าตัวละครที่อยู่นอกจักรวาลเหล่านี้เป็นใครและอยากได้อะไร แต่พล็อตเรื่องในส่วนนี้ไม่โดดเด่นเท่าที่ควร
โดยรวมก็สนุกดี ภาษาสละสลวยสวยงามตามมาตรฐาน Lightman แต่ไม่ประทับใจเท่ากับ Einstein's Dreams
อธิบายบิ๊กแบง กำเนิดพื้นที่ เวลา จักรวาล เนบิวลา เทหวัตถุ ไปจนถึงสสารต่างๆ และสิ่งมีชีวิต ในรูปของนิยาย ผ่านการถ่ายทอดของ "ผู้สร้าง" ชื่อย่อ "g." (God? goodness?) เที่ยงตรงตามหลักวิทยาศาสตร์เป๊ะสมกับที่ผู้เขียนเป็นนักฟิสิกส์ เจือด้วยอารมณ์ขันและจินตนาการถึง "ห้วงแห่งความว่างเปล่า" (the Void) ที่อยู่นอกเหนือจักรวาล เกินขอบเขตความสามารถของสิ่งมีชีวิตทีจะเข้าใจ
ไลท์แมนให้สัมภาษณ์หลายครั้งว่าเขาเป็นพวกไม่เชื่อว่ามีพระเจ้า (atheist) แต่เขาแตกต่างจากพวก atheist คนอื่น (ที่ดังที่สุดเห็นจะเป็น Richard Dawkins ซึ่งเราไม่ชอบเอามากๆ)ตรงที่เขียนทุกเรื่องอย่างเข้าอกเข้าใจและยอมรับในความรู้สึกถึง "อุตมภาพ" (transcendence) หรือความสูงส่งทางจิตวิญญาณซึ่งคนจำนวนมากในโลกนี้ยึดเป็นแก่นสารหรือรากฐานแห่งความหมายของชีวิต (รวมทั้งนักวิทยาศาสตร์จำนวนมากที่พิศวงกับธรรมชาติ)ทำให้หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นวิทยาศาสตร์ผสมปรัชญา ผนวกข้อคิดที่น่าสนใจและไม่ปฏิเสธศาสนา ซึ่งเรื่องหลังสุดนี้ Mr. g มองว่า เป็นความพยายามของสิ่งมีชีวิตที่จะเข้าใจความลึกลับนอกจักรวาล พยายามเข้าใจสารัตถะของสิ่งที่ไม่มีวันตาย อยู่เหนือกาลเวลาดังเช่นตัวเขาเอง
สิ่งที่หนังสือทำได้ดีที่สุดคือ อธิบาย "หลักการพื้นฐาน" (organizational principles) ของจักรวาล สิ่งที่ทำได้ไม่ค่อยดีนักคือการอธิบายภูมิหลังและแรงจูงใจของ Mr. g รวมถึงตัวละครอื่นๆ อย่างป้าและลุงของเขา (อยู่ใน Void ด้วยกัน แต่ไร้อำนาจของผู้สร้าง) และ Belhor ซึ่งดูเผินๆ เหมือนจะเป็นตัวแทนซาตาน แต่เอาเข้าจริงก็ไม่ใช่เสียทีเดียว อ่านไปก็รู้สึกว่าผู้เขียนอาจจะอยากให้คนอ่านเดาและตีความเอาเองว่าตัวละครที่อยู่นอกจักรวาลเหล่านี้เป็นใครและอยากได้อะไร แต่พล็อตเรื่องในส่วนนี้ไม่โดดเด่นเท่าที่ควร
โดยรวมก็สนุกดี ภาษาสละสลวยสวยงามตามมาตรฐาน Lightman แต่ไม่ประทับใจเท่ากับ Einstein's Dreams
June 14, 2012
Mr. g -God- creates the universe, then watches it. He sees life emerge on various planets, likes it, is bothered by suffering, and keeps watching. Occasionally he talks to a few other immortal beings about it. He walks around a lot doing nothing. He’s just keeps watching universe until it dies. It's an interesting concept, but what is the point of writing a book about the creation and death of the universe from God’s perspective if God merely observes and talks about science and mentions moral or religious issues but never fully addresses them? If you’re not going all out from God’s perspective, why not just write about the science and leave religion out?
I knew that it wasn’t going to be a sweet religious story, but don’t think science and religion are mutually exclusive and I thought it would be thought provoking. I enjoy Lightman’s other work and I enjoy how he can make dense scientific discussion captivating. But the story would have been better executed, and more interesting, if it was written by a scientist who believes in God and could add more depth to the story. As many times as Lightman mentions music, and he mentions it repeatedly, the story is lacking undeniable beauty and mystery of the cosmos.
Mr. g watches his creation develop religions because they recognize that there is something bigger than their planet/universe/scientific facts and they want to connect to it and be a part of it. The people want to know God, and God is there, but there is never a connection. Overall I found the book sad and depressing.
I knew that it wasn’t going to be a sweet religious story, but don’t think science and religion are mutually exclusive and I thought it would be thought provoking. I enjoy Lightman’s other work and I enjoy how he can make dense scientific discussion captivating. But the story would have been better executed, and more interesting, if it was written by a scientist who believes in God and could add more depth to the story. As many times as Lightman mentions music, and he mentions it repeatedly, the story is lacking undeniable beauty and mystery of the cosmos.
Mr. g watches his creation develop religions because they recognize that there is something bigger than their planet/universe/scientific facts and they want to connect to it and be a part of it. The people want to know God, and God is there, but there is never a connection. Overall I found the book sad and depressing.
August 24, 2012
This is a very funny/odd little book.
Put in your shaker:
1 part mythology
1 part cosmology
1 part philosophy
1 part science (other)
Add some pink sparkly ice cubes into the void, shake vigorously while creating the song of your new universe, and pour carefully into your favorite glass.
The thing I loved most was the conversations between Mr g and Bahomet. They reminded me so much of the TV show Lost, and conversations between Jacob and The Man in Black. I could also picture Locke hanging out in this book.
If you know anything about me, you might think that this book would be an automatic 5-stars. Ah, not quite. See, the problem is that I'm not too keen on mythology. And this book is attempting to be a modern mythological tale with basis in science. Something about that combination just didn't jive with me.
But this might totally be your thing! It's well-written and it's abundantly clever.
Put in your shaker:
1 part mythology
1 part cosmology
1 part philosophy
1 part science (other)
Add some pink sparkly ice cubes into the void, shake vigorously while creating the song of your new universe, and pour carefully into your favorite glass.
The thing I loved most was the conversations between Mr g and Bahomet. They reminded me so much of the TV show Lost, and conversations between Jacob and The Man in Black. I could also picture Locke hanging out in this book.
If you know anything about me, you might think that this book would be an automatic 5-stars. Ah, not quite. See, the problem is that I'm not too keen on mythology. And this book is attempting to be a modern mythological tale with basis in science. Something about that combination just didn't jive with me.
But this might totally be your thing! It's well-written and it's abundantly clever.
September 21, 2017
The narrator of this novel put me in mind of Calvino's qwfwq, and perhaps that is what won me over. Upon closing the book I am immersed in a lingering warm fuzzy feeling. I want to smile and say hello to strangers on the street. I might even be microscopically less afraid of dying. Ah, if only I could make this feeling last!
November 7, 2019
What a strange little book. I’ve never read anything quite like it. It starts like Douglas Adams book, then it’s full of delightful physics, and then it goes somewhere unexpectedly nihilistic. Possibly Lightman himself would disagree with that final assessment but that’s how I experienced it.
May 4, 2021
I liked it a lot! I loved it! But didn't love it. It just didn't quite do it for me. Too much philosophy and not as much physics as I was expecting (hoping for?). Definitely gotta give it a reread though because it's a LOT. This time with a pen to take notes. Now some brief thought because it's finals week.
- LOVED the discussion of free will, perhaps my favorite definition/ explanation of it yet. Probably most in line with my own personal view of free will.
- Major theme is everything is relative. Time, love, space, consequences, even beauty. Personally, I agree but I also started thinking about Plato's theory of forms. Is the perfect form of "beauty" or the pure essence of an object only that in relation to other things? Are the infinite unchangeable ideas also relative? I don't know. In another life I'll be a philosophy major and answer you then.
- Also not a huge fan of ethics for some reason. Just don't be a dick. There are no absolutes and there's gonna be good and bad in the world but at the end of the day there is no perfect answer. Just gotta accept that and be alright with it.
- Nothing matters. Wait no, everything matters. Hmm. It's both. Yes consequences exist, but only in relative terms. Again, super in line with my own personal philosophy. Not in a nihilistic, cynical kind of way, but in the way since nothing matters, why not assign meaning to the things we care about. But also, do whatever the hell you want. Buy an amtrack ticket just because! Go to the beach during finals week! Steal a carafe! But also, assign meaning to things. And then care about those things. Nothing matters, but don't be an asshole. And call your mom.
Side note: Lightman for sure read Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy
- LOVED the discussion of free will, perhaps my favorite definition/ explanation of it yet. Probably most in line with my own personal view of free will.
- Major theme is everything is relative. Time, love, space, consequences, even beauty. Personally, I agree but I also started thinking about Plato's theory of forms. Is the perfect form of "beauty" or the pure essence of an object only that in relation to other things? Are the infinite unchangeable ideas also relative? I don't know. In another life I'll be a philosophy major and answer you then.
- Also not a huge fan of ethics for some reason. Just don't be a dick. There are no absolutes and there's gonna be good and bad in the world but at the end of the day there is no perfect answer. Just gotta accept that and be alright with it.
- Nothing matters. Wait no, everything matters. Hmm. It's both. Yes consequences exist, but only in relative terms. Again, super in line with my own personal philosophy. Not in a nihilistic, cynical kind of way, but in the way since nothing matters, why not assign meaning to the things we care about. But also, do whatever the hell you want. Buy an amtrack ticket just because! Go to the beach during finals week! Steal a carafe! But also, assign meaning to things. And then care about those things. Nothing matters, but don't be an asshole. And call your mom.
Side note: Lightman for sure read Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy
February 2, 2022
God lives in a void, seemingly as a teenager, with his aunt Penelope and uncle Deva. Its a really funny thought thinking how with a mix of quantum physics and philosophy he gets bored one day and starts creating universes because the idea just popped into his head. He makes a ruckus in his aunt and uncles house doing it, making loud bangs and distressing his aunt who simply asks for him to use this power to create a chair for her to sit in while he does this. 😄 naming the universe was so funny to me and a great thought in philosophy.
April 6, 2022
An “outsider”’s perspective. Very easy read till the very end, at which point several deep philosophical questions are asked. Along the way, we get an education in the development of the Cosmos, interspersed with humor.
February 11, 2012
“Such little lives,” said Belhor. “Wouldn’t you agree? But there is also something of grandeur in them. Not in the individual lives. The individuals are just tiny specks, nothing. But in the monstrous jellied masses of them, the crowds, the communes, and planets, there is something of grandeur. They have thoughts. And they strive.”
“They strive for what they might attain,” I said. “And they also strive for what they cannot attain. Most of them yearn for immortality. They want to live forever, even though they do not know what forever means.”
Belhor and I were walking together through the Void, just the two of us. He, as I, could hear the voices. “Yes, it is strange,” he said, “that they wish for immortality. As far as they know, immortality could be unending torture and excruciating pain.”
“But they understand very well its opposite,” I said. “They understand mortality.”
“That they do,” said Belhor. “They see death and dying all around them. They see other living things grow old, parents and loved ones. They see skin become brittle and dry. They see their ability to move slowly decrease, hearing and seeing diminish, internal organs fail one by one. Disease.”
“You always describe things so grimly,” I said. “Death is the way of all matter.”
“It is your law,” said Belhor. “It is what you wanted.”
***
Einstein’s Dreams author Alan Lightman offers an unconventional take on God: as a youthful renaissance soul; the Peter Parker-esque apple of his Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva’s eyes, naturally gifted in music, mathematics, and physics. Mr g’s take on God is that of an ambitious, somewhat childlike creator who, on an impatient whim, decides to create the universe.
Each chapter in Mr g deals with another aspect of creation to be considered when designing a universe from scratch: “Time”, “Space”, “Matter”. Even basic operational laws and principles of action and reaction are matters of consequence and consideration for the young artist-cum-scientist.
The God portrayed in Mr g is less the omniscient, omnipresent force of Christian mythology and more a curious philosopher. He approaches creation as a means of giving his own existence a purpose; it is not about us, about unnamed mistakenly sentient beings created not purposefully but as a natural reaction to the basic articles of existence, as decreed by God. Rather it is about his existence, with his aunt and uncle, and the undefined parameters of immortality. Mr g does not philosophize the whys and wherefores of God’s existence—only that he does exist, and that his existence is as meaningless as any other until he chooses to create a universe (or series of universes) to which his presence is of great importance.
Yin and Yang—the light side of the force and the dark side: with the creation of the universe and life within, there is also the creation of a counterweight for God—the enigmatic Belhor (see also: Belial, Baalial, Beliar). Belhor, though somewhat troublesome, is not presented as the fallen angel to God’s throne. He is, in Mr g, God’s philosophical other half—the question to his authority. Where, regarding the creation of sentient life, God might say:
“Tell me, what do you think is the meaning of these creatures? What would you say is the meaning of their lives?”
And Belhor would respond:
“What meaning could they have? They amuse me. That is their meaning. But whether they have meaning in and of themselves? That would be giving these little things far more credit than they deserve.”
Mr g is ambitious in concept, but not in scope. The philosophy presented is not particularly new or unconventional. However, it is in the humanizing of a creator as an artist with need of a canvas, as lacking definition until choosing to define existence for his self, where Lightman’s novella finds its surest footing.
Similar in tone to Kevin Brockmeier’s The Illumination, Mr g is physics-and-spirituality-light from Pantheon: easily digestible yet engaging. There’s just enough fuel for curiosity and speculation in Mr g to hold one’s attention through to the end, but not so much as to drive away non-believers or anger the devout. A well struck balance.
“They strive for what they might attain,” I said. “And they also strive for what they cannot attain. Most of them yearn for immortality. They want to live forever, even though they do not know what forever means.”
Belhor and I were walking together through the Void, just the two of us. He, as I, could hear the voices. “Yes, it is strange,” he said, “that they wish for immortality. As far as they know, immortality could be unending torture and excruciating pain.”
“But they understand very well its opposite,” I said. “They understand mortality.”
“That they do,” said Belhor. “They see death and dying all around them. They see other living things grow old, parents and loved ones. They see skin become brittle and dry. They see their ability to move slowly decrease, hearing and seeing diminish, internal organs fail one by one. Disease.”
“You always describe things so grimly,” I said. “Death is the way of all matter.”
“It is your law,” said Belhor. “It is what you wanted.”
***
Einstein’s Dreams author Alan Lightman offers an unconventional take on God: as a youthful renaissance soul; the Peter Parker-esque apple of his Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva’s eyes, naturally gifted in music, mathematics, and physics. Mr g’s take on God is that of an ambitious, somewhat childlike creator who, on an impatient whim, decides to create the universe.
Each chapter in Mr g deals with another aspect of creation to be considered when designing a universe from scratch: “Time”, “Space”, “Matter”. Even basic operational laws and principles of action and reaction are matters of consequence and consideration for the young artist-cum-scientist.
The God portrayed in Mr g is less the omniscient, omnipresent force of Christian mythology and more a curious philosopher. He approaches creation as a means of giving his own existence a purpose; it is not about us, about unnamed mistakenly sentient beings created not purposefully but as a natural reaction to the basic articles of existence, as decreed by God. Rather it is about his existence, with his aunt and uncle, and the undefined parameters of immortality. Mr g does not philosophize the whys and wherefores of God’s existence—only that he does exist, and that his existence is as meaningless as any other until he chooses to create a universe (or series of universes) to which his presence is of great importance.
Yin and Yang—the light side of the force and the dark side: with the creation of the universe and life within, there is also the creation of a counterweight for God—the enigmatic Belhor (see also: Belial, Baalial, Beliar). Belhor, though somewhat troublesome, is not presented as the fallen angel to God’s throne. He is, in Mr g, God’s philosophical other half—the question to his authority. Where, regarding the creation of sentient life, God might say:
“Tell me, what do you think is the meaning of these creatures? What would you say is the meaning of their lives?”
And Belhor would respond:
“What meaning could they have? They amuse me. That is their meaning. But whether they have meaning in and of themselves? That would be giving these little things far more credit than they deserve.”
Mr g is ambitious in concept, but not in scope. The philosophy presented is not particularly new or unconventional. However, it is in the humanizing of a creator as an artist with need of a canvas, as lacking definition until choosing to define existence for his self, where Lightman’s novella finds its surest footing.
Similar in tone to Kevin Brockmeier’s The Illumination, Mr g is physics-and-spirituality-light from Pantheon: easily digestible yet engaging. There’s just enough fuel for curiosity and speculation in Mr g to hold one’s attention through to the end, but not so much as to drive away non-believers or anger the devout. A well struck balance.
May 13, 2017
I loved Mr. Lightman for his work in Einstein's Dream. That was one of the best books I've ever read. A true scientific poetry (I believe they exist!)
This one here though, fails at what it's trying to achieve. God may not be a good subject to be infused with science. Ever! Even if the writer is Lightman.
Science is fascinating, God on the other hand is boring.
This one here though, fails at what it's trying to achieve. God may not be a good subject to be infused with science. Ever! Even if the writer is Lightman.
Science is fascinating, God on the other hand is boring.
January 8, 2013
Now that I've recovered from this icky stomach flu, I can officially review this wonderful book!
I would say this is a solid 4, at least ! If I were more scientifically minded, it probably would have been higher.
The story starts out with Mr. g (God with a little "g" because the author intends to humanize Him) hanging out in the void with his aunt and uncle (no, this is not explained - just go with it) and he decides that he is going to create the universe. The first few chapters describe Mr. g conjuring up the universe, galaxies, stars, planets, etc., which is where the author dips heavily into the astro-science. From what I read in the end notes, all the astrophysics described is accurate, which I thought was pretty cool! The truly fascinating part of the book, however, is several chapters in when Mr. g begins creating animate matter (living, breathing beings) and the consequences of that choice.
As I mentioned before, the author sets out to humanize Mr. g. which adds all sorts of interesting layers to the underlying philosophy of this novel. He is all powerful, but not all knowing . He struggles with the fact that he has the power to create but doesn't have the power to control what he has created.
Finally, it gets really interesting when Mr. g's sinister counterpart and intellectual equal arrives on the scene and they discuss the balance between good and evil. By far my favorite few chapters!
What a brilliant concept for a book! It truly made me ruminate on big concepts, but with pleasure rather than boredom! Bravo!
I would say this is a solid 4, at least ! If I were more scientifically minded, it probably would have been higher.
The story starts out with Mr. g (God with a little "g" because the author intends to humanize Him) hanging out in the void with his aunt and uncle (no, this is not explained - just go with it) and he decides that he is going to create the universe. The first few chapters describe Mr. g conjuring up the universe, galaxies, stars, planets, etc., which is where the author dips heavily into the astro-science. From what I read in the end notes, all the astrophysics described is accurate, which I thought was pretty cool! The truly fascinating part of the book, however, is several chapters in when Mr. g begins creating animate matter (living, breathing beings) and the consequences of that choice.
As I mentioned before, the author sets out to humanize Mr. g. which adds all sorts of interesting layers to the underlying philosophy of this novel. He is all powerful, but not all knowing . He struggles with the fact that he has the power to create but doesn't have the power to control what he has created.
Finally, it gets really interesting when Mr. g's sinister counterpart and intellectual equal arrives on the scene and they discuss the balance between good and evil. By far my favorite few chapters!
What a brilliant concept for a book! It truly made me ruminate on big concepts, but with pleasure rather than boredom! Bravo!
May 24, 2015
I grew up with the first line from Genesis hardwired into my brain: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. This became an issue for me once I started learning about science. Well, this book is the scientific bedtime story version of the creation myth.
Mr. g (lowercase, and not once does the author use the word God), exists with his bumbling Uncle and crabby Aunt in the Void. What, you believe the Bible stories, but are going to questions this premise? Mr. g is bored, so decides to tinker and creates time, space, and matter (the quantum physics kind). Well, as any creative person will tell you, things quickly spiral (pun intended) in manners unforeseen.
I loved the first half of this book - the science is accurate, and reflects current modern knowledge. As Mr. g stated many times, both inanimate and animate objects were subject to the fundamental three laws, and he was a mere spectator in what unfolded. I loved the dance of this creation story with that told in Genesis. I also appreciated the humor in adding Belhor and his companions to the story, but interestingly enough, I found myself rather bored once the intelligent beings appeared in the Universe. Yes, the story explores many of the philosophical questions that a self-aware mind conjures up, but I found myself not as enamored with the second half of the book as I was with the first. Still, this is a fun and worthwhile quick read, and the audiobook was well narrated by Ray Porter.
Mr. g (lowercase, and not once does the author use the word God), exists with his bumbling Uncle and crabby Aunt in the Void. What, you believe the Bible stories, but are going to questions this premise? Mr. g is bored, so decides to tinker and creates time, space, and matter (the quantum physics kind). Well, as any creative person will tell you, things quickly spiral (pun intended) in manners unforeseen.
I loved the first half of this book - the science is accurate, and reflects current modern knowledge. As Mr. g stated many times, both inanimate and animate objects were subject to the fundamental three laws, and he was a mere spectator in what unfolded. I loved the dance of this creation story with that told in Genesis. I also appreciated the humor in adding Belhor and his companions to the story, but interestingly enough, I found myself rather bored once the intelligent beings appeared in the Universe. Yes, the story explores many of the philosophical questions that a self-aware mind conjures up, but I found myself not as enamored with the second half of the book as I was with the first. Still, this is a fun and worthwhile quick read, and the audiobook was well narrated by Ray Porter.
August 31, 2012
As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I deiced to create the universe. That is the first sentence of Mr g … how it all begins.
The author is a theoretical physicist as well as a novelist of five previous books. He’s served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT. Alan Lightman was the first person ever to receive a dual faculty appointment at MIT in science and in the humanities and he utilized that wisdom and talent in writing his latest work, Mr g.
A young creator living with his aunt Penelope and his uncle Deva in the void creates time, matter, space, energy, galaxies, stars, and planets. From all of that, life begins to emerge all on its own, from simple to highly complex, throughout his universe. With that life is great beauty and great sorrow that touches the young creator, his uncle, and his aunt, deeply, and in turn they are changed by his creations. The best current data and theories in physics, astronomy, and biology are followed but put into almost poetic explanations though still scientifically accurate.
This is a heartfelt fictional account of an artist’s greatest work, the creation of the universe and life itself. It’s an amazing, uplifting read. Quite original. This book is nothing short of a work of art. I highly recommend it.
The author is a theoretical physicist as well as a novelist of five previous books. He’s served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT. Alan Lightman was the first person ever to receive a dual faculty appointment at MIT in science and in the humanities and he utilized that wisdom and talent in writing his latest work, Mr g.
A young creator living with his aunt Penelope and his uncle Deva in the void creates time, matter, space, energy, galaxies, stars, and planets. From all of that, life begins to emerge all on its own, from simple to highly complex, throughout his universe. With that life is great beauty and great sorrow that touches the young creator, his uncle, and his aunt, deeply, and in turn they are changed by his creations. The best current data and theories in physics, astronomy, and biology are followed but put into almost poetic explanations though still scientifically accurate.
This is a heartfelt fictional account of an artist’s greatest work, the creation of the universe and life itself. It’s an amazing, uplifting read. Quite original. This book is nothing short of a work of art. I highly recommend it.
July 12, 2012
This book has just become one of my all time favorite books. i really enjoyed reading this fable/novel. The author Alan Lightman delves just deep enough into the universe to hear the beauty and suffering poignancies, to properly consider the necessity of opposing qualities such as good vs evil (or the unity of good and evil and keeping both concepts as unneeded labels) dilemma, control issues over how much knowledge should an animate being (like us humans) have over the Void, immortality and the causes of the universe....
i am a fan of theoretical science, quantum physics and music and art and the pain that one feels when one lets go of something beloved permanently. And i love the ease with which the author transcended from the beings who communicate with energy. I love the breakdown of existence into particles and chemicals and the concept of time passing as a measurable thing even though its contextual. And I loved the brief discussion on absolute or relative pleasure.
i am a fan of theoretical science, quantum physics and music and art and the pain that one feels when one lets go of something beloved permanently. And i love the ease with which the author transcended from the beings who communicate with energy. I love the breakdown of existence into particles and chemicals and the concept of time passing as a measurable thing even though its contextual. And I loved the brief discussion on absolute or relative pleasure.
January 26, 2012
I just finished Mr g and I am quite astonished by it. It’s a whammo story, beautifully and elegantly told. Full of wit and invention and science and humor, it is a consummate performance, a true work of literary art. It is made of philosophy and science and religion and poetry and whimsy. One of the book’s finest pieces of myth-making prestidigitation is, through its first person narration by g(G)od, to make you see human life differently, to make us see our world anew. That is a wondrous thing! It reminded me, of course, of Calvino and Borges, but also of the intellectual playfulness of John Barth, especially the Barth of Chimera. Quite simply, it’s the best piece of new fiction I have read in quite a while.
June 11, 2012
This is a crazy book --- but it really gave me so much food for thought about the origins of the universe, the unlimitedness of God (or Mr g?) and a few other heady things. It, also, made me laugh!
October 4, 2016
10/10
February 5, 2020
Easily the most palatable hypothesis of the Creation that merges both Theology and Science. Told from the perspective of "god" (deliberately lowercased), this is a story of how god created everything. The story is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Lightman has a fascinating yet realistic way of describing inanimate objects that stimulates the readers' imagination. I could envision the creation of the universe as the story unfolded "before my eyes", figuratively. It was tremendously amusing. I can't help but feel that the story should be adapted into a feature film just based on how "visual" it is.
I think Lightman uses the lowercase "g" for god because in this story, god is not absolute. god chooses not to control everything and is fallible, too, in a sense. The "devil" (or the equivalent of) also has a presence throughout the story. It comes into existence as soon as god decides to create time, space, and matter. It exists much earlier than what resembles life appears in the picture. Interestingly, the devil is not without reason and has provided logic that influences god's decisions.
This is, yet, another piece of wonderful thought experiment written by Lightman. It has graduated into one of the all-time-favourites. 5 stars from me.
I think Lightman uses the lowercase "g" for god because in this story, god is not absolute. god chooses not to control everything and is fallible, too, in a sense. The "devil" (or the equivalent of) also has a presence throughout the story. It comes into existence as soon as god decides to create time, space, and matter. It exists much earlier than what resembles life appears in the picture. Interestingly, the devil is not without reason and has provided logic that influences god's decisions.
This is, yet, another piece of wonderful thought experiment written by Lightman. It has graduated into one of the all-time-favourites. 5 stars from me.
February 22, 2020
Stumbled upon this in the library while looking for this author's previous novel (Einstein's Dreams) which had been recommended in my book club. What a fascinating little book! From the point of view of the 'creator' (who got bored in the Void), we get to examine the biggest questions and ideas in philosophy, physics, theology, evolution, ethics, etc. etc., from the most vast scale possible, ie, all of time.
Although Mr g (according to his uncle) is "good", a being not so good, Belhor, came into existence as soon as matter, energy, and the laws of physics were put into motion. Their conversations and the conversations between Mr g and his Uncle Deva and Aunt Penelope (yes, the creator has an aunt and uncle existing with him in the Void) drive the various questions posed.
I ended up with a soft spot for Uncle Deva -- who thought the creation would have to be all good since his Nephew was. And despite the existence of Behor, I ended with a hopeful positive feeling about the tragic and joyous fact of existence.
Although Mr g (according to his uncle) is "good", a being not so good, Belhor, came into existence as soon as matter, energy, and the laws of physics were put into motion. Their conversations and the conversations between Mr g and his Uncle Deva and Aunt Penelope (yes, the creator has an aunt and uncle existing with him in the Void) drive the various questions posed.
I ended up with a soft spot for Uncle Deva -- who thought the creation would have to be all good since his Nephew was. And despite the existence of Behor, I ended with a hopeful positive feeling about the tragic and joyous fact of existence.
March 23, 2018
This is one of few books I'd rate in the high 4.8 or so range. Lightman does an amazing job of explaining how the universe was most likely created and populated through the fictional account of Mr g who tires of living in the void with his Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva and creates the universe for something the three can for walks in. It's an easy read and it's amazing while at the same time because Lightman not only knows the topic but how to explain it so those of us who are less well scientifically informed can understand it. This is the kind of book you'd read again some day.
November 19, 2021
4.5
Just what I needed honestly.
Not as good as Einstein's Dreams but I'm still in love with the way Alan Lightman merges science with spirituality and philosophy. Kind of whimsical. Wish it went in deeper with some of the topics (souls, freewill, the mysterious man and how he came to be, etc.) But still overall really enjoyed this.
Just what I needed honestly.
Not as good as Einstein's Dreams but I'm still in love with the way Alan Lightman merges science with spirituality and philosophy. Kind of whimsical. Wish it went in deeper with some of the topics (souls, freewill, the mysterious man and how he came to be, etc.) But still overall really enjoyed this.
March 21, 2017
Mr g steps out of the Void to create the universe but it takes Him a bit more than 6 days and no rest. An interesting concept for a novel but in the main it is probably more of an interest to physicists who believe in the Big Bang Theory. There is a philosophical element as Mr g contemplates good and evil with a number of discussions with Belhor a Satan figure with no explanation as how he came into existence.
Throughout Mr g debates with is Aunt and Uncle so we have to assume Mr g has parents but no one acknowledgement of them which I found annoying.
A fun read which left me wanting more
Throughout Mr g debates with is Aunt and Uncle so we have to assume Mr g has parents but no one acknowledgement of them which I found annoying.
A fun read which left me wanting more
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