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  • The Big Picture

  • On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
  • Written by: Sean Carroll
  • Narrated by: Sean Carroll
  • Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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The Big Picture

Written by: Sean Carroll
Narrated by: Sean Carroll
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₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

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Publisher's Summary

Does human purpose and meaning fit into a scientific worldview? 

Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on the Higgs boson and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void? 

In short chapters filled with intriguing historical anecdotes, personal asides, and rigorous exposition, listeners learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level - and then how each connects to the other. Carroll's presentation of the principles that have guided the scientific revolution - from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness, and the universe - is dazzlingly unique. 

Carroll shows how an avalanche of discoveries in the past few hundred years has changed our world and what really matters to us. Our lives are dwarfed like never before by the immensity of space and time, but they are redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning. 

The Big Picture is an unprecedented scientific worldview, a tour de force that will be listened to alongside the works of Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, and E. O. Wilson for years to come. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2016 Sean Carroll (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

Included on Brain Picking’s “The Greatest Science Books of 2016” List and included on NPR Science Friday’s “The Best Science Books of 2016” List

“Weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, Sean Carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand. Yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.” (Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey)

“With profound intelligence and lucid, unpretentious language, Sean Carroll beautifully articulates the worldview suggested by contemporary naturalism. Thorny issues like free will, the direction of time, and the source of morality are clarified with elegance and insight. The Big Picture shows how the scientific worldview enriches our understanding of the universe and ourselves. A reliable account of our knowledge of the universe, it is also a serene meditation on our need for meaning. This is a book that should be read by everybody.” (Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics)

"Vivid...impressive....Splendidly informative." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about The Big Picture

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Engrossing

Enjoyed my first audio book. Will love to continue in future. Narrated clearly with emphasis on each word.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Difficult to understand by just listening

I tried to listen to the entire book, but couldn't. I realized it would be better to 'read' such books. It's difficult to understand just by listening. After a while i gave up.

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  • VB
  • 08-04-22

Boring... too much of quantum physics

Too much discussion on quantum physics and probability theory of Maths. After listening to a significant part of the book, I still kept womdering what's the point after all?

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