Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sean Carroll
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Summary
As you read these words， copies of you are being created。
Sean Carroll， theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science， rewrites the history of 20th century physics。 Already hailed as a masterpiece， Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time。 His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes， well， everything。
Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: physics has been in crisis since 1927。 Quantum mechanics has always had obvious gaps—which have come to be simply ignored。 Science popularizers keep telling us how weird it is， how impossible it is to understand。 Academics discourage students from working on the "dead end" of quantum foundations。 Putting his professional reputation on the line with this audacious yet entirely reasonable book， Carroll says that the crisis can now come to an end。 We just have to accept that there is more than one of us in the universe。 There are many， many Sean Carrolls。 Many of every one of us。
Copies of you are generated thousands of times per second。 The Many Worlds Theory of quantum behavior says that every time there is a quantum event， a world splits off with everything in it the same， except in that other world the quantum event didn't happen。 Step-by-step in Carroll's uniquely lucid way， he tackles the major objections to this otherworldly revelation until his case is inescapably established。
Rarely does a book so fully reorganize how we think about our place in the universe。 We are on the threshold of a new understanding—of where we are in the cosmos， and what we are made of。
Sean Carroll， theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science， rewrites the history of 20th century physics。 Already hailed as a masterpiece， Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time。 His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes， well， everything。
Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: physics has been in crisis since 1927。 Quantum mechanics has always had obvious gaps—which have come to be simply ignored。 Science popularizers keep telling us how weird it is， how impossible it is to understand。 Academics discourage students from working on the "dead end" of quantum foundations。 Putting his professional reputation on the line with this audacious yet entirely reasonable book， Carroll says that the crisis can now come to an end。 We just have to accept that there is more than one of us in the universe。 There are many， many Sean Carrolls。 Many of every one of us。
Copies of you are generated thousands of times per second。 The Many Worlds Theory of quantum behavior says that every time there is a quantum event， a world splits off with everything in it the same， except in that other world the quantum event didn't happen。 Step-by-step in Carroll's uniquely lucid way， he tackles the major objections to this otherworldly revelation until his case is inescapably established。
Rarely does a book so fully reorganize how we think about our place in the universe。 We are on the threshold of a new understanding—of where we are in the cosmos， and what we are made of。
Reviews
Maxime
，
A good read to learn more about the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics， with a lot of food for thought。
STEPHEN PLETKO
，
XXXXX I did not write this review。 My twin on a quantum world wrote itXXXXX“I want to present quantum mechanics in a way that will make it maximally understandable right from the start。 It will still seem strange， but that’s the nature of the beast。What it won’t seem， hopefully， is inexplicable or unintelligible。”The above quote （in italics） comes from this interesting book by Sean Carroll。 He is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology， a podcaster， and best-selling XXXXX I did not write this review。 My twin on a quantum world wrote itXXXXX“I want to present quantum mechanics in a way that will make it maximally understandable right from the start。 It will still seem strange， but that’s the nature of the beast。What it won’t seem， hopefully， is inexplicable or unintelligible。”The above quote （in italics） comes from this interesting book by Sean Carroll。 He is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology， a podcaster， and best-selling author。 Carroll has been awarded prizes and fellowships from many institutions such as the National Science Foundation， the American Institute of Physics， and the Royal Society of London。Quantum Theory is the scientific theory that energy is not absorbed or radiated continuously but discontinuously， and only in portions of definite， indivisible units （each unit being called a quantum）。Quantum Mechanics （QM） is a physical theory that describes the motion of objects by the principles of quantum theory。At its core， this book examines the reasons why people misunderstand QM。 It advocates a version of the many-worlds interpretation of QM （which is not deterministic）， while objecting to the views collectively grouped together as the Copenhagen interpretation of QM （which is deterministic）。When reading this book， I found that it alternated from being understandable in sections to being non-understandable in sections。 Thus， a glossary would have helped this book tremendously。I liked that the main narrative was put into a historical context。 One historical tidbit that stood out for me was with regard to the “Schrodinger’s Cat” thought experiment。 Schrodinger had the cat killed instead of being put to sleep because apparently he did not like cats。 I found that the excellent diagrams peppered throughout aided greatly in helping me understand major concepts。 It seems to me that more diagrams would have benefitted this book especially with respect to the non-understandable sections。Really enjoyable to me was the chapter that had a “Socratic Dialogue。” This chapter clarified key concepts。On the other hand， the chapter entitled “The Human Side: Living and Thinking in a Quantum Universe” seemed out of place in a book of this type。 I’m not sure why it was included。At the beginning of the penultimate chapter， the author tells us that “now we’ve reached the edge of what is safely understood， and will be venturing out into uncharted territory。” This chapter offers a somewhat esoteric discussion of quantum gravity while the last chapter offers an equally esoteric discussion of black holes and holography。Finally， the title of this book comes from a story that Einstein related from his childhood that involves the mysterious workings of a compass。 Einstein tells us that “SOMETHING DEEPLY HIDDEN had to be behind things。”In conclusion， I can safely say that readers who remember their college physics will probably be intrigued by this book while others will probably be sure to struggle with it。（2019; prologue; 3 parts or 14 chapters; epilogue; main narrative 310 pages; appendix [on virtual particles]; acknowledgements; further reading; references; index; about the author）XXXXX 。。。more
Alan
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Oddly I’m less convinced of many worlds that I was before I read the book。 I lost enjoyed the chapters after many worlds。
Nancy Mills
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Whew finally finished it。 Well written and very interesting but I found myself hopelessly lost long before it came to an end。
Erin Crane
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So much of this book went *whoosh* over my head， but I still find the subject interesting， so I continue to read books like this。 My hope is that more and more sinks in each time。It felt like it took way too long to get to the point in this book。 I get it because who knows what the person reading the book understands before they read it。 But it covers a lot of familiar ground for me， and I get annoyed when we start getting biographical information about the scientists。 I’m not here for that！ 😛My So much of this book went *whoosh* over my head， but I still find the subject interesting， so I continue to read books like this。 My hope is that more and more sinks in each time。It felt like it took way too long to get to the point in this book。 I get it because who knows what the person reading the book understands before they read it。 But it covers a lot of familiar ground for me， and I get annoyed when we start getting biographical information about the scientists。 I’m not here for that！ 😛My main takeaways:1） Many-Worlds theory accepts quantum mechanics as is as a description of reality itself。 In many ways it’s the simplest “interpretation” of quantum mechanics。 Never mind if it bothers you or not！2） Our attempts to quantize gravity should start with quantum mechanical reality， not classical physics。 Spacetime may be emergent from quantum mechanics rather than fundamental。 Whaaa？？ 。。。more
André Selonke
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Com muitas informações， apesar de bem explicadas， achei difícil e densoAborda bem a física quântica e suas diferenças da clássicaHa também um aspecto histórico sobre os cientistas
Kelly Phelan
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I love Sean Carroll; he's one of the best science communicators out there， and I'm a regular listener of his 'Mindscape' podcast。 This book is great， but though it's described as for non-scientists， it's still fairly dense， and I'd recommend having some AP or college level math/science background。 I love Sean Carroll; he's one of the best science communicators out there， and I'm a regular listener of his 'Mindscape' podcast。 This book is great， but though it's described as for non-scientists， it's still fairly dense， and I'd recommend having some AP or college level math/science background。 。。。more
Jeremy Bernick
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Enjoyed big picture more
Travis Benton
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The book covered some pretty fascinating topics， but often went from being completely understandable for a highschool dropout/never-taken-a-physics-class-before person like myself to being completely indecipherable within a matter of a sentence or two。 Often， once that pivot took place， I'd be lost throughout most of the remainder of the chapter， since Carrol is building on the ideas as he goes。 So if you're hopelessly lost at any point in a chapter， I'd almost recommend starting it over or skip The book covered some pretty fascinating topics， but often went from being completely understandable for a highschool dropout/never-taken-a-physics-class-before person like myself to being completely indecipherable within a matter of a sentence or two。 Often， once that pivot took place， I'd be lost throughout most of the remainder of the chapter， since Carrol is building on the ideas as he goes。 So if you're hopelessly lost at any point in a chapter， I'd almost recommend starting it over or skipping to the next one and trying again。I did some extra credit research for some of the more fascinating ideas， like Bell's inequality， and now that I （mostly） understand it （thanks youtube！） I think what was missing from Carroll's explanation was the use of more visual aides。 It's hard to visualize something as complex as probability as defined by quantum physics vs hidden variable probability using only words。 That said， I'm a fairly visual learner so maybe the fault lies with my brain ¯\_（ツ）_/¯ 。。。more
Roman
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The bits i "understood" were fascinating The bits i "understood" were fascinating 。。。more
Steve
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One of the most difficult ‘popular science’ books I’ve read in recent years， and by an author I admire for his clarity， usually， on cutting edge physics。 I don’t think this is a read for the ‘lay reader’ totally unfamiliar with Quantum Mechanics （QM）， Relativity or sub-atomic physics。 Some familiarity with the topics from thorough popular books on those subjects is probably required。 I did QM and Relativity modules at university some decades ago， and the book challenged me。The aim of the book is One of the most difficult ‘popular science’ books I’ve read in recent years， and by an author I admire for his clarity， usually， on cutting edge physics。 I don’t think this is a read for the ‘lay reader’ totally unfamiliar with Quantum Mechanics （QM）， Relativity or sub-atomic physics。 Some familiarity with the topics from thorough popular books on those subjects is probably required。 I did QM and Relativity modules at university some decades ago， and the book challenged me。The aim of the book is to clarify the underlying meaning of Quantum Mechanics （QM）， the modelling of the sub-atomic world by apparently hazy wave functions and probabilistic outcomes to experiments。 The mathematics behind QM is indisputably accurate but can we give a meaning to the equations and what they seek to describe？ This ‘underlying meaning’ issue has been around for the best part of 100 years。。。 I found it a strangely structured book。 The author outlines with his characteristic clarity what the problems are facing understanding QM philosophically （mainly the measurement problem）。 In the first half it’s an enthusiastic recommendation for the Many Worlds interpretation of QM。 But I appreciated the author giving the current alternative views in a fairly neutral manner though it’s fair to point out the inelegances of the Copenhagen view， or the contradictions in the Bohm approach， etc。 In fact the author did take the time to air difficult issues - for example， what exactly is the Wave Function that Schrodinger’s Equation uses？！ Later in the book other difficult areas requiring work are considered， such as Quantum Gravity， and the nature of space time as emergent consequences of QM。Unfortunately I find it difficult to view these ideas without my own pragmatic prejudices。 The author gave intelligent speculations or extrapolations from what we know now to what that may mean for underlying structure。 But in the end they are speculations at present - experiments in the cutting edge areas are sadly wanting， and it is experiments that have hitherto driven the original development of the major concepts that the author is trying to extrapolate from （basic QM and General Relativity）。 I’m certainly amazed at how well our ‘monkey brains’ have found patterns in nature that lead to ‘natural laws’ and allow predictions。 It’s how our technological age has developed， for better or worse。 But I’m also concerned that our primate pattern recognition skills have their limits - what may be the simple underlying concepts we are looking for in nature may not be how nature is structured at its most fundamental levels。 Try to find the unifying patterns by all means but it’s possible that they may not be so simple， or even recognisable。 Everything in the sub-atomic world seems well explained by the mathematical formulations developed to date （Schrodinger’s Equation and Wave Functions） but our underlying explanations often involve analogies with things we can see or feel in our everyday world。 Atoms， depending on the context， can be visualised as microscopic billiard balls rattling around in a container， or mini solar systems when we want to explain chemical processes or radiation。 Sub-atomic particles are visualised sometimes as tiny dots simultaneously linked to wave like behaviour。 These are our inadequate attempts at analogy that we use to give some visual meaning to things beyond our experience， even if the maths works precisely。 As the author points out even cutting edge researchers can’t avoid dealing in discrete particles when they are manifestations of underlying quantum fields。I couldn’t help feeling that the Many Worlds view is similar - a way to avoid or explain the measurement issue with analogy， albeit one that’s heavy with universes！ Maybe you can see I wasn’t convinced by the author’s arguments that this has to be the most likely underlying explanation of QM because of its lack of assumptions （aside from the almost infinite multiple universes every second！）。So， in summary， difficult topics well explained but rather too evangelical on the Many Worlds approach for my taste in the first half of the book。 If it’s one of the options on the table， fine， but I wasn’t convinced it’s a necessary understanding， or more naturalistic than the other current options。 I was interested in the second half more， on Quantum Gravity （if only we could detect Hawking Radiation！） and space time emergence， where the Many Worlds approach is mentioned， but which are still interesting areas capable of exploration on their own。 Oh， a few glasses of beer helped in this fairly heavyweight read！ 。。。more
Santosh Shetty
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This was a difficult read for me。 I think my Physics is not upto the mark yet to fully grasp some of the concepts and I would most certainly do a re-read。
The Conch
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This book tells us about a world beneath the observable one， the world of quantum。 In this world laws of classical physics do not hold good。 As classical physics can tell location of a particle if its velocity and direction are given， but in quantum world it is impossible to know both。 The book discusses an emerging concept in quantum universe "Many - World"， where subatomic particles branch to create new worlds， though it will not reflect in visible world。 The book is difficult to read and not This book tells us about a world beneath the observable one， the world of quantum。 In this world laws of classical physics do not hold good。 As classical physics can tell location of a particle if its velocity and direction are given， but in quantum world it is impossible to know both。 The book discusses an emerging concept in quantum universe "Many - World"， where subatomic particles branch to create new worlds， though it will not reflect in visible world。 The book is difficult to read and not in category of popular science。 Author may think about an easy version for general non-science background。 Language could be made simple so that readers can enjoy the reading and acquire knowledge。 。。。more
Notes of a Curious Mind
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Sean Carroll does a fantastic job of describing the Many-Worlds interpretation。 He also provides a framework for thinking about quantum gravity; provocative and extremely speculative but very interesting。 This is not really a review; just a few thoughts about the things that I find fascinating and writing is a way to better understand the topic in question and acquire new knowledge。Read more at link: Notes of a Curious Mind Sean Carroll does a fantastic job of describing the Many-Worlds interpretation。 He also provides a framework for thinking about quantum gravity; provocative and extremely speculative but very interesting。 This is not really a review; just a few thoughts about the things that I find fascinating and writing is a way to better understand the topic in question and acquire new knowledge。Read more at link: Notes of a Curious Mind 。。。more
Fran Diéguez
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Mi devoción está en el desarrollo de software pero lo que hace emocionarme es la Física。 No tomé ese camino y no me arrepiento， pero QUÉ PLACER es seguir en contacto con ella mediante libros que despiertan sentimientos increíbles！ Signo de manos aplaudiendo
Enrico Mascarpone
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A very enjoyable listen。 Sean Carroll is a great communicator of science and has the intellectual breadth and self confidence to go beyond the boundaries of his specialism， setting him apart from other public intellectuals。 This is a very enjoyable and lucid account of quantum mechanics and even manages to make the "many worlds" interpretation seem vaguely plausible to the non-physicist。 This doesn't suffer from being in audio form as Sean Carroll's explanations and clear exposition make up from A very enjoyable listen。 Sean Carroll is a great communicator of science and has the intellectual breadth and self confidence to go beyond the boundaries of his specialism， setting him apart from other public intellectuals。 This is a very enjoyable and lucid account of quantum mechanics and even manages to make the "many worlds" interpretation seem vaguely plausible to the non-physicist。 This doesn't suffer from being in audio form as Sean Carroll's explanations and clear exposition make up from any diagrams of illustrations that might be missing。 If you aren't familiar with his podcasts on Mindscape， then please check them out too。 。。。more
Nathan Martin
，
Very clear explanations！The book does an excellent job of following quantum dynamics in such a way as to make it easy to follow， while detangling much of the popular phrases and misconceptions that most people think of。
djcb
，
Periodically I read pop-sci to keep up to date various fields outside my expertise， and this book was pretty good for that！ A refresher on quantum physics， and perhaps the first of such books to put a focus on Everett's "Many Worlds" theory。Clearly written （where possible）， although there are parts that would require quite a bit more maths & physics than I have handy， and the pop-sci metaphoric explanations sounds a bit too "magical"。 But I can hardly blame the writer for that！ Periodically I read pop-sci to keep up to date various fields outside my expertise， and this book was pretty good for that！ A refresher on quantum physics， and perhaps the first of such books to put a focus on Everett's "Many Worlds" theory。Clearly written （where possible）， although there are parts that would require quite a bit more maths & physics than I have handy， and the pop-sci metaphoric explanations sounds a bit too "magical"。 But I can hardly blame the writer for that！ 。。。more
Alan Davies
，
Sean Carroll makes his case for the ManyWorlds interpretation （MWI） of quantum reality。 That interpretation takes its impetus from Hugh Everett’s theories presented in the late 50s and early 60s。The ManyWorlds interpretation is often confused with the Multiverse theory。 According to the latter / there is not just the one universe in which we appear to find ourselves – there are many （maybe an infinite number of） universes。 A recent suggestion is that they might be distributed throughout spacetim Sean Carroll makes his case for the ManyWorlds interpretation （MWI） of quantum reality。 That interpretation takes its impetus from Hugh Everett’s theories presented in the late 50s and early 60s。The ManyWorlds interpretation is often confused with the Multiverse theory。 According to the latter / there is not just the one universe in which we appear to find ourselves – there are many （maybe an infinite number of） universes。 A recent suggestion is that they might be distributed throughout spacetime rather in the way lots of bubbles are configured。 The Multiverse interpretation says that quantum realities exist in a superposition of possibilities / until a quantum event occurs / at which point the world splits into those possibilities。 Carroll uses as an example the state of an electron / which could be either spin-up or spin-down。 The electron exists in a superposition of those two states until it is examined / at which point the observer finds it to be in one or the other of those states。 ManyWorlds says that reality splits at the moment of that experiment into two worlds / one in which the electron is spin-down and another in which it is spin-up。 In the Everettian view the experiment divides reality into two possibilities / but not only are the two states of the electron preserved in separate worlds – two experimenters and two experiments are also preserved / one finding one result / and the other another。 When it comes to the question of whether the two worlds are both real / in the sense in which we take this one to be / Carroll rather hedges his bets。 I don’t recall reading any book that does such a good job of making clear the origins and development of quantum physics。 For that read chapters 1 to 3。 。。。more
William Gordon
，
Have to say， I loved reading this， despite all the times I had to put the book down and process what I had just read for a moment。 Sean has done a great job giving a digestible account of the current understanding of quantum mechanics and what remains unknown。 I've heard Sean talk plenty about the Multiple Worlds hypothesis before， but now I see how he got to that opinion， why it's plausible and I'm thinking about reality in a totally new way。 （The history of the science and scientists throughou Have to say， I loved reading this， despite all the times I had to put the book down and process what I had just read for a moment。 Sean has done a great job giving a digestible account of the current understanding of quantum mechanics and what remains unknown。 I've heard Sean talk plenty about the Multiple Worlds hypothesis before， but now I see how he got to that opinion， why it's plausible and I'm thinking about reality in a totally new way。 （The history of the science and scientists throughout the story was really interesting too）。 。。。more
Murph
，
Clear and lucid， this book offers a demystification of quantum mechanics and a strong argument in favor of Everettian mechanics。If you've worked through the entirety of Sean Carroll's video series "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe" there won't be much new material here。 There are ideas that he spends more time with， including painting a clearer picture of the importance of entropy in finding spacetime amidst the wave function。 Even if you have worked through those videos， this is worthwhile rea Clear and lucid， this book offers a demystification of quantum mechanics and a strong argument in favor of Everettian mechanics。If you've worked through the entirety of Sean Carroll's video series "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe" there won't be much new material here。 There are ideas that he spends more time with， including painting a clearer picture of the importance of entropy in finding spacetime amidst the wave function。 Even if you have worked through those videos， this is worthwhile reading to solidify those ideas in your mind。 。。。more
Stéphane Leybold
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A great read， about the theory of multiple words。 It is interesting to read: Many other authors mention this theory and ridicule it without considering it seriously。 Sean Carroll shows a deep respect for other theories， that he names and discusses fairly。 He has convictions but they are expressed in a way that shows humility and rationality。 This is a book made to be understood by non physicists。 However， it does not cover everything about quantum physics nor pretends to do it。 I found myself ta A great read， about the theory of multiple words。 It is interesting to read: Many other authors mention this theory and ridicule it without considering it seriously。 Sean Carroll shows a deep respect for other theories， that he names and discusses fairly。 He has convictions but they are expressed in a way that shows humility and rationality。 This is a book made to be understood by non physicists。 However， it does not cover everything about quantum physics nor pretends to do it。 I found myself taking notes and googling some concepts for a better understanding。 This is a positive sign: the book’s enthusiast approach kept me engaged and curious！ 。。。more
Horia
，
I loved the book。 It's profound， insightful and easy to read （as much as it can be given the topic）。I really liked that in the final chapters you also get hints of things to come。 Theories that are not yet accepted but they move things forward and gets your mind thinking about them。 I loved the book。 It's profound， insightful and easy to read （as much as it can be given the topic）。I really liked that in the final chapters you also get hints of things to come。 Theories that are not yet accepted but they move things forward and gets your mind thinking about them。 。。。more
Groot
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A well-written， entertaining， energetic report on the latest in quantum physics that seeks to showcase amazing progress in the field， but really ends up re-emphasizing how quirky and unsettled the field is。 Very interesting stuff， but you get the feel that some amazing breakthrough is about to happen。。。 but hasn't happened just yet。 This book was fun， and I look forward to impending fascinating insights by really smart people。 A well-written， entertaining， energetic report on the latest in quantum physics that seeks to showcase amazing progress in the field， but really ends up re-emphasizing how quirky and unsettled the field is。 Very interesting stuff， but you get the feel that some amazing breakthrough is about to happen。。。 but hasn't happened just yet。 This book was fun， and I look forward to impending fascinating insights by really smart people。 。。。more
Alok
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Excellent non-technical overview of the foundations of quantum theory。 I took quantum mechanics in college， and interpretation was presented as an unresolvable， irrelevant controversy。 This book will explore the implications of various potential interpretations， and broaden your sense of how different reality may be from our perceptions。 One thing sticks with me: position and momentum are on an even footing in the Hamiltonian formulation of classical mechanics， but why do we perceive postion as Excellent non-technical overview of the foundations of quantum theory。 I took quantum mechanics in college， and interpretation was presented as an unresolvable， irrelevant controversy。 This book will explore the implications of various potential interpretations， and broaden your sense of how different reality may be from our perceptions。 One thing sticks with me: position and momentum are on an even footing in the Hamiltonian formulation of classical mechanics， but why do we perceive postion as primary？ Carroll's answer is that interactions only happen when things are at the same position， and all of our perception is based on interactions。 。。。more
さやか むらさと
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I would learn a lot if I re-read this book – it gets to show how much of it I got。 Although most of it sounds comprehensive， it left me with a feeling of undone homework。 I like homework。
Michele
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Last chapters are a quite difficult to follow through， but at least you can grasp an idea on where current research directions of quantum physics。
Matt
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A solid， as-accessible-as-its-gonna-get look at interpretations of quantum mechanics， with an explicit favor for Many Worlds。 Sean Carrol has an engaging writing style and obviously knows the science inside and out。 Would recommend this to anyone regardless of science background （though knowing some physics would help a good bit） if they expressed interest in the topic
Ravindu Piyapema
，
Sean Carroll has the greatest gift of teaching where he is able to make you visualize the quantum realm without any equations
Laura
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