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Helgoland: The World of Quantum Theory

Helgoland: The World of Quantum Theory

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  • Create Date：2021-05-30 08:51:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Carlo Rovelli
  • ISBN：0593328884
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Summary

A startling new look at quantum theory， from the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time。

One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists， Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos。 In Helgoland， he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory。 The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving。

Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics， setting off a century of scientific revolution。 Full of alarming ideas （ghost waves， distant objects that seem to be magically connected， cats that appear both dead and alive）， quantum physics has led to countless discoveries and technological advancements。 Today our understanding of the world is based on this theory， yet it is still profoundly mysterious。

As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory， Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances。 We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another。 This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness。

Rovelli makes learning about quantum mechanics an almost psychedelic experience。 Shifting our perspective once again， he takes us on a riveting journey through the universe so we can better comprehend our place in it。

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Reviews

Ernest Spoon ，

Not what I expected。 Thought this book would be a history of， or introduction to， quantum mechanics。 What it is is a philosophical meditation on quantum mechanics within the context of perceived， sensual reality。 I think。 My thinking on these matters are fluid， and I may change my mind tomorrow。 Of course living on a moving， evolving stream of experience is healthier than trying to latch onto an illusory rock of certainty， only to have it crumble。

Miguel ，

Always love how Rovelli writes so poetically。 It’s also fascinating to find how the ways we think about physics extend or may even have come from political science， biology， etc。 However， I feel like his excursions to these other fields in the book， while definitely intriguing， take away from its focus。 I still don’t feel entirely convinced as to how the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics is supposed to make more sense out of quantum entanglement， or the double-slit experiment。 Like Always love how Rovelli writes so poetically。 It’s also fascinating to find how the ways we think about physics extend or may even have come from political science， biology， etc。 However， I feel like his excursions to these other fields in the book， while definitely intriguing， take away from its focus。 I still don’t feel entirely convinced as to how the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics is supposed to make more sense out of quantum entanglement， or the double-slit experiment。 Like I have an inkling now about how to think about it， but I would have wanted more。 I’m left with more questions than answers， which is in a way good。 Just would have wanted a better exposition about how to phrase these questions in relation to quantum physics。 Like spend more time on precisely what the book was supposed to be about please！ That’s why I found the earlier chapters a lot more enjoyable than the latter， as the direction felt more focused。 。。。more

Filippo Dalmonego ，

Un ottimo libro， peccato che mi sento costretto ad abbassare il voto per la parte finale。 Fino alla pagina 100 circa è da 5 stelle piene: la descrizione della nascita della quantistica， in particolare sul lavoro di Heisenberg è molto chiara e veramente avvicincente。 Purtroppo dopo si dilaga veramente troppo nei meandri filosofici， che onestamente non sono così correlati alla quantistica。 Mi aspettavo un libro di quantistica， non di filosofia。 Comunque consiglio di leggerlo

Gary ，

I am enjoying and learning， starting a second reading right now。

Philbro ，

If I get to call one person in my lifetime a genius， Carlo Rovelli claims that ticket， no question。 This book is his poetic explanation of his interpretation of quantum mechanics， namely， Relational Quantum Mechanics。 This is the correct interpretation。 If you'd like to understand it， you can and should read his seminal 1996 paper of that same name， available on arxiv。org。 You can and should read the corresponding entry on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy， written by Rovelli and Laudisa。 If I get to call one person in my lifetime a genius， Carlo Rovelli claims that ticket， no question。 This book is his poetic explanation of his interpretation of quantum mechanics， namely， Relational Quantum Mechanics。 This is the correct interpretation。 If you'd like to understand it， you can and should read his seminal 1996 paper of that same name， available on arxiv。org。 You can and should read the corresponding entry on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy， written by Rovelli and Laudisa。 And sometime before or during or after reading those， you should read this latest book。It is 206 pages， plus the end notes， which you should read。 A meager-length book， yet Rovelli has whittled his ideas down to their essence - hence the poetry of this book。 Is it possible to summarize such a lithe and efficient work in a review？ I will give you the linchpin sentence of the whole book right here。 From page 96:"The joint properties of two objects exist only in relation to a third。" （It follows from the previous pages that the variable properties of a single object exist only in relation to a second， but this seemingly trite extension is the key to understanding entanglement under the RQM interpretation。）And that's it。 Emphasis on "exist"。So go read。 Read Rovelli's papers。 Read Rovelli's books。 Read other people's books and interpretations of QM as well。 And while you do， keep that one sentence above in mind。Some of us enter into a relationship with this universe in which it astounds us; we are in love。 And like any good relationship， whether or not your love remains strong， something comes along and seems to renew the relationship， all over again。 Thank you， Carlo Rovelli， for renewing what it means to be in "relation" with the world。 。。。more

Brian Hanson ，

Carlo Rovelli is a child of the mid-1950s， whose cultural perspectives were shaped， therefore， in the late '60s and the '70s。 He was one of those， he confesses in this book， who sat alongside Allen Ginsberg chanting "Om"。 Is it any wonder， then， that the world opened up by quantum theory is， for him， one that validates Buddhism and anti-capitalism - "the politics of collaboration is so much more sensible and effective than the politics of competition"， he deduces towards the end。 They say everyb Carlo Rovelli is a child of the mid-1950s， whose cultural perspectives were shaped， therefore， in the late '60s and the '70s。 He was one of those， he confesses in this book， who sat alongside Allen Ginsberg chanting "Om"。 Is it any wonder， then， that the world opened up by quantum theory is， for him， one that validates Buddhism and anti-capitalism - "the politics of collaboration is so much more sensible and effective than the politics of competition"， he deduces towards the end。 They say everybody has one book in them， and for the first part of Helgoland - which lays out the foundations of quantum theory - you feel that Rovelli's great skill has been in repackaging that one book under various different titles。 However， at the mid point sleight of hand brings us to Rovelli's preferred， relational， interpretation of the theory， and by the book's conclusion we are meant to have become all misty-eyed in contemplation of a world where - as Lennon famously sang - "I am he as you are he and you are me 。。。 etc。 What do we make of an author who dismisses Thomas Nagel's "Mind and Cosmos" because of Nagel's use of the subjective phrase "It does not seem possible to me"， yet on the same page writes of "the sad hope of being constituted by some vaporous supernatural substance that remains alive after death: a prospect that， apart from being utterly implausible， strikes me as ghastly"。 We have to conclude this is an author with an agenda， to which he is somewhat blind。 An author who - like many other science writers - believes that neuroscience will one day explain away all the mysteries of self。 I have been an admirer of Rovelli up to this point。 This book expects too much of its readers。 。。。more

Ted Richards ，

A poetic， informative dive into the history， theories and implications of quantum theory。 Given that it's the book's title， Carlo Rovelli （with his translators， Erica Segre and Simon Carnell） actually spends quite little time on Helgoland and Heisenberg。 The first part of the book roughly accounts for Heisenberg's isolation on the small island， but it broadens out quite quickly to give a history of quantum theory in the first half of the twentieth century。 It's engaging， lifts up lesser known fi A poetic， informative dive into the history， theories and implications of quantum theory。 Given that it's the book's title， Carlo Rovelli （with his translators， Erica Segre and Simon Carnell） actually spends quite little time on Helgoland and Heisenberg。 The first part of the book roughly accounts for Heisenberg's isolation on the small island， but it broadens out quite quickly to give a history of quantum theory in the first half of the twentieth century。 It's engaging， lifts up lesser known figures and keeps a good pace。 In part two， I must admit to getting a little lost。 This is the far more scientific explanation of some of the interesting problems posed by quantum mechanics and I struggled to picture the supposed photons Rovelli spent a good deal of length describing。 Rovelli's breakdown of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle， Schrodinger's psi waves， as well as a fun pop history of QBism and many worlds theory， are all fantastic。 They're easy to read and understand。 His explanation of 'relations' and Entanglement were far more confusing for me， although I have much smarter friends who can probably piece it together much quicker than me。 After this however， he brings politics and philosophy to the forefront。 Rovelli shines a light on Aleksandr Bogdanov， whose political deviation from Lenin led to a split in the Bolshevik left prior to the 1917 revolution。 It's a fascinating illumination of the relationship between the ramifications of a relativism found through quantum physics set against Lenin's materialist philosophy。 Rovelli is slightly dismissive of Lenin， but it feels more for a humorous turn than anything reductionist。 In the final section， Rovelli becomes a full fledged philosopher， getting into rather bizarre etymological discussions about meaning and relations。 But at this point the flow of his writing is so forcefully poetic it all just helps wash down the mind-bending strangeness of the topic at hand。 This isn't all fantastic。 Rovelli is sometimes overly poetic in his language and it clouds the precision of what he is trying to say， particularly in the philosophical sections。 There's also a paucity of female contributions to his account of quantum theory's development。 Whilst he goes to great lengths to uncover Bogdanov， Pascual Jordan （a Nazi sympathiser） and classical Buddhist thinker Nāgārjuna， Rovelli mentions women perhaps twice in this book。 Laura Candiotto is the only woman who gets a mention which I could find。 When an author goes out of their way to pontificate on how "It is always from other that we learn， from those different from ourselves"， but then slips into a vaguely orientalist tangent， rather than shine a light on a too often underrepresented part of the scientific community， it is disappointing。 Overall however， this does not make this anything less than a very worthwhile read。 It's short and extremely effective at making one see through the author's perspective。 His observations are impressive， deep and very poetically put to page。 。。。more

Alexandru Lungeanu ，

Well， I think it is one of the most well written books about quantum physics I have ever read。 That said， obviously quanta is a difficult topic so do not expect to understand everything。 I think I will remain with a few things after reading this book。 The first is that， if you go enough in detail， if you search for smaller and smaller particles， in the end the material world around us does not rely on anything solid。 These particles can only be described in terms of probabilities and， to some ex Well， I think it is one of the most well written books about quantum physics I have ever read。 That said， obviously quanta is a difficult topic so do not expect to understand everything。 I think I will remain with a few things after reading this book。 The first is that， if you go enough in detail， if you search for smaller and smaller particles， in the end the material world around us does not rely on anything solid。 These particles can only be described in terms of probabilities and， to some extent， I would reckon even their existence is probabilistic。 Thus， the smallest element in nature， astonishingly， is not material， it is a group of probabilities。 The second thing is that we are living in an interconnected world in which there is no such thing as an independent observer。 We are integrated in the world and this is not negotiable， not even for study！ Well， finally， the author tries to integrate what we've learned from quanta in a view of the world， in the modern philosophy。 To be honest， I found this surprisingly interesting。 To be sure， the revelations provided by quanta have opened up an entire realm of new possibilities and philosophy， too， should change accordingly。 Given enough time our entire understanding of the world may progress which would be a real step forward。 。。。more

Silvia ，

A tratti mi sono persa durante la lettura， ma solo perché sono profondamente ignorante in materia。 Rovelli riesce comunque ad affascinare il lettore illustrando i grossi interrogativi della fisica quantistica。 （Bella la rivisitazione del paradosso di Schrödinger🐈）

Ioannis Touras ，

Our modern poet of physics Carlo Lovelli is back with this meditative history of quantum mechanics。

Richard Smith ，

An exquisite book。My blog:https://richardswsmith。wordpress。com/。。。 An exquisite book。My blog:https://richardswsmith。wordpress。com/。。。 。。。more

Denise Polese ，

Una attraente lettura， uno scambio di pensieri profondo che da risposta a molte domande e ne crea di altrettante， stimolando la curiosità sui segreti del nostro universo。

Sorrento ，

I found Carlo Rovelli’s latest book to be a fascinating explanation of his thinking around his specialist subject of relational quantum mechanics。Rovelli not only takes us on a tour of the thinking of the most influential physicists who developed the theory of quantum mechanics such as Heisenberg and Schrodinger but also that of the philosophers。 He even manages a quote from Douglas Adams。Rovelli has done an amazing job of making this highly specialised subject of relational quantum mechanics ac I found Carlo Rovelli’s latest book to be a fascinating explanation of his thinking around his specialist subject of relational quantum mechanics。Rovelli not only takes us on a tour of the thinking of the most influential physicists who developed the theory of quantum mechanics such as Heisenberg and Schrodinger but also that of the philosophers。 He even manages a quote from Douglas Adams。Rovelli has done an amazing job of making this highly specialised subject of relational quantum mechanics accessible to the public。Having read the book as I understand it the key message is that everything in the universe including me only exists in relation to something else。 There are no absolute things。The books title is taken from the name of the remote island in the North Sea where Werner Heisenberg developed his thinking about the uncertainty principle， a key notion of quantum mechanics， in the 1920s。The uncertainty principle states that we cannot measure the precise position and momentum of a particle at the same time。Helgoland is another brilliant piece of writing by Carlo Rovelli who is passionate communicator of the world of advanced theoretical physics。 A very entertaining and rewarding read which may change the way you think about the world。 。。。more

Fern Adams ，

‘Helgoland’ is the latest book by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli。 In it he explores the topics of quantum mechanics and relational interpretation。 I should state immediately that I have not enough knowledge to review the information itself contained in the book （I’ve never formally studied physics and am just very interested in the subject）。 However that aside I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 When a writer is passionate about their subject and can articulate that through the work then they a ‘Helgoland’ is the latest book by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli。 In it he explores the topics of quantum mechanics and relational interpretation。 I should state immediately that I have not enough knowledge to review the information itself contained in the book （I’ve never formally studied physics and am just very interested in the subject）。 However that aside I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 When a writer is passionate about their subject and can articulate that through the work then they are able to enthuse their reader with a spark of that same passion。 This book definitely did that for me。 Rovelli does a good job of explaining what seemed previously seemed unexplainable （well as much as can be） to his audience。 He weaves in with his explanations and hypothesis philosophical arguments， asides about his own writing process and digresses at times to information about scientists and philosophy， that I especially enjoyed。 I definitely shall be reading this one again！Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Bastiaan Aelbrecht ，

Het soort boek dat ik opnieuw wil lezen om het volledig te begrijpen。 Ook het soort boek dat je van de eerste keer gewoonweg niet volledig vat。 Maar vooral het soort boek dat met hoge waarschijnlijkheid mijn blik op de aard van de de werkelijkheid heeft gemodificeerd。De titel 'Helgoland' verwijst naar de epische mentale reis van Werner Heisenberg op het "eiland van Goethe" waarin hij de grondbeginselen van de kwantummechanica neerpent。 De titel is echter wat misleidend。 Die nodige grondslagen wo Het soort boek dat ik opnieuw wil lezen om het volledig te begrijpen。 Ook het soort boek dat je van de eerste keer gewoonweg niet volledig vat。 Maar vooral het soort boek dat met hoge waarschijnlijkheid mijn blik op de aard van de de werkelijkheid heeft gemodificeerd。De titel 'Helgoland' verwijst naar de epische mentale reis van Werner Heisenberg op het "eiland van Goethe" waarin hij de grondbeginselen van de kwantummechanica neerpent。 De titel is echter wat misleidend。 Die nodige grondslagen worden uiteraard helder uiteengezet， maar dit met als voornaamste reden om de aanzet te geven tot een nieuwe， nuchtere kijk op de kwantummechanica。 Rovelli oppert het idee dat we beter stoppen met de wereld te zien als een hoop objecten， maar eerder als een complex geweefd netwerk van relaties。 Een naturalisme zonder substantie。"We kunnen de eigenschappen van objecten niet scheiden van de objecten waarmee ze zich interageren wanneer deze eigenschappen zich manifesteren。 Alle （variabele） eigenschappen van een object zijn uiteindelijk alleen eigenschappen ten opzichte van ander objecten。"Voor eenieder die niet vies is van een beetje gefilosofeer en geboeid is door de wondere mysteries van de kwantumwereld， is dit boek een ábsolute must-have。 。。。more

Martin ，

Quantum perspectiveEnjoyed the book and learned a lot。 By definition there is no answer。 But the search for one is fascinating。

Neil ，

I’m not going to pretend that I fully understood all， most， or even， if I’m being entirely honest， any， of this book。 I tried my best。 But I will say that every chapter contains at least one jaw-dropping observation about the world I thought I was living in。

Werner ，

Excellent and easy read on a complex issue！

Conor Ryan ，

Do I understand quantum mechanics after reading this book？ Absolutely not。 However， my eyes have been opened to a whole new way of perceiving the world。 Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution is just as much a book about philosophy as it is about physics。 As Carlo Rovelli so deftly shows， it’s nearly impossible to extricate that scientific field of study from history， literature， philosophy， art， and the very thread of our daily lives。 As an author， he has a wonderful way of weaving a Do I understand quantum mechanics after reading this book？ Absolutely not。 However， my eyes have been opened to a whole new way of perceiving the world。 Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution is just as much a book about philosophy as it is about physics。 As Carlo Rovelli so deftly shows， it’s nearly impossible to extricate that scientific field of study from history， literature， philosophy， art， and the very thread of our daily lives。 As an author， he has a wonderful way of weaving a story around incredibly complex scientific topics。 I deeply appreciate that instead of this book being filled with rote formulas and complex jargon， Rovelli mercifully gives the reader just what they need to know in order to come to a basic understanding of quantum principles。 I also admire that he doesn’t shy away from all of the spiritual questions that this shredding of reality raises。 Much of the later third of the book， in fact， specifically dives into the philosophical and spiritual discourse revolving around quanta。 If you are to take the scientific discoveries presented in this book as fact， the you are left with only more questions about the nature of consciousness and reality itself。 Despite myself wanting to dive off the deep-end with the spiritual ramifications of these discoveries， Rovelli does a good job of keeping his spiritual discussion tethered to logic instead of jumping to any wild conclusions。 This book is a radical intervention with comfortable beliefs about reality that will leave the reader questioning the fabric of their daily lives。 If you’re someone who has even a passing interest in physics， or is even looking for a new spiritual framework with which to build on， then this is an absolute must-read。 。。。more

John Cumming ，

I was unsure in giving this book 3 stars rather than 4。 It is at times repetitive and a little hard to follow （that might just be my inability to comprehend！） As I sit amidst the mountains of North Wales， staring out at the rain， having completed the book， I’m left with a sense of importance in this book in relation to knowledge management。 Our bias to what we expect to see， our forming of a perspective on reality from deviation from the expected， the absence of independent properties of entity I was unsure in giving this book 3 stars rather than 4。 It is at times repetitive and a little hard to follow （that might just be my inability to comprehend！） As I sit amidst the mountains of North Wales， staring out at the rain， having completed the book， I’m left with a sense of importance in this book in relation to knowledge management。 Our bias to what we expect to see， our forming of a perspective on reality from deviation from the expected， the absence of independent properties of entity free from its interaction with other。 There’s something important here about how we consider knowledge within organisations that I can’t quite put my finger on。 But then perhaps that is the point - there is so much we can’t put our finger on！I’m also reading a bit about action as a complex system and social epistemology - there is， for a brief moment at least， here amongst the rain and rock， a parting of the clouds and a moment of convergence。 。。。more

Dario Mannu ，

Libro meraviglioso！ Consiglio vivamente la lettura！Per chi è interessato alla Fisica quantica， ma anche alla filosofia e alla rete di relazioni ed interconnessioni！

Poiqwuy ，

Edition: Allen Lane （Penguin Random House UK）， 2021- - - - -This books explains in an easy， philosophical and some times （in my opinion unnecessarily） poetical the ideas behind the Relational Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics， proposed firstly by Rovelli in 1996。 It offers no new results and no technical explanations， but the ideas and the spirit of the theory are clear and inspiring。 The author also connects these ideas with its historical lineage， relating them with other thinkers， ancient a Edition: Allen Lane （Penguin Random House UK）， 2021- - - - -This books explains in an easy， philosophical and some times （in my opinion unnecessarily） poetical the ideas behind the Relational Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics， proposed firstly by Rovelli in 1996。 It offers no new results and no technical explanations， but the ideas and the spirit of the theory are clear and inspiring。 The author also connects these ideas with its historical lineage， relating them with other thinkers， ancient and present。- - - - -A bunch of cites and comments:At the first decades of the XX century the European culture thinks that the act of studying something necessarily affects it （a culture —Levi-Strauss—， a psychological patient —Freud—， a physical system —quantum theory—） （p。 60）。 There are several interpretations of quantum theory。 Some of them attribute existence to entities which cannot be observed （many worlds to the universe's wave function， hidden variables to extra properties we cannot see）。 Other， QBism， denies it， but in order to preserve the universality of each measurement anchors them to a single， solipsistic subject。 The relationalist approach consists in only taking as real the concrete observations， and consider that each system can observe each other system via an interaction， and those observations are always relative to those systems， not universal。 Hence the wave function is just a mathematical tool used to store the information one system has about another。 "What quantum theory describes， then is the way in which one part of nature manifests itself to any other single part of nature" （67）。 Many of those interpretations seem to the author to be "efforts to squeeze the discoveries of quantum physics into the canons of metaphysical prejudice" （p。 117）: if I think all times are univocally determined by the present， then I introduce unobservable quantities that determine them。 If I do not want to see a component of the wave function disappear， then I introduce parallel universes where this component shall go。 "If there was an object that had no interactions （…） it would be a good as non-existent" （p。 68）。 "Any interaction between two physical objects can be seen as an observation。 （…） The discovery of quantum theory， I believe， is the discovery that the properties of an entity are nothing other than the way in which that entity influences others。 It exists only through its interactions。 Quantum theory is the theory of how things influence each other。 And this is the best description of nature that we have。" （p。 69）。 All properties are nothing but interactions， therefore， "[f]acts that are real with respect to an object are not necessarily so with respect to another" （p。 72）。 "Events that take place in relation to one thing do not influence the probability of events that occur in relation to others。 The 'quantum state' \Psi is always a relative state" （p。 74）。 The fact that things always exist in a context is called 'contextuality' （p。 120）。"The joint properties of two objects exist only in relation to a third。 To say that two objects are correlated means to articulate something with regard to a third object: the correlations manifests itself when the two correlated objects both interact with this third object， which can check" （p。 86）。 Those correlations are entanglement。 This fragmentation of points of view is made coherent by the very structure of the theory （the direct product of Hilbert spaces for the composition of systems）。 （p。 88-9）。As somehow informal axioms of the theory， we can take the following two statements （p。 92-4）:+ The maximal amount of relevant information about an object is finite。 It has to do with \hbar as the minimal volume in phase space and with Heisenberg's principle。+ It is always possible to acquire new relevant information about any object。 It has to do with the non-commutativity of observables。"Science is not a Depository of Truth， it is based on the awareness that there are no Depositories of Truth" （p。 117）。Rovelli cites many philosophers。 Among them， he highlights Ernst Mach （as the physicist and philosopher direct ancestor of both quantum mechanics and general relativity） and Nagarjuna， with which "we can think of interdependence without autonomous essence entering the equation" （p。 129）。He proposes that meaning emerges from relevant （in a biological-Darwinian sense） relative information （in a physical —Shannon— sense）。 An intentional state of the mind requires relative information among the subject and the object， the subject filters， due to biological evolution， the information that is useful， and that is meaning （p。 146）。 "There is a continuity between the world of meanings in our mental life and the physical world。 Both are relations。" （p。 147）。 "The relational perspective distances us from subject/object and matter/spirit dualisms， and from the apparent irreducibility of the reality/thought or brain/conciousness dualism" （p。 157）。- - - - -21 04 。。。more

Cristiano Toffanin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Pur contenendo dissertazioni interessanti il libro non è scorrevole come i precedenti "Sette brevi lezioni di Fisica" e "L'ordine del tempo"。 Vengono costruiti molti discorsi filosofici ma la teoria dei quanti rimane sempre qualcosa che da l'impressione di essere vago e fumoso。Pur capendo che la teoria è。 sorretta da tanti riscontri， alla fine del libro sento nostalgia della precisione e concretezza della fisica classica。 Pur contenendo dissertazioni interessanti il libro non è scorrevole come i precedenti "Sette brevi lezioni di Fisica" e "L'ordine del tempo"。 Vengono costruiti molti discorsi filosofici ma la teoria dei quanti rimane sempre qualcosa che da l'impressione di essere vago e fumoso。Pur capendo che la teoria è。 sorretta da tanti riscontri， alla fine del libro sento nostalgia della precisione e concretezza della fisica classica。 。。。more

Lora Milton ，

"In June 1925， twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg， suffering from hay fever， retreated to a treeless， wind-battered island in the North Sea called Helgoland。 It was there that he came up with the key insight behind quantum mechanics。"Yes， this is where Quantum Theory got its start。 This book was written for non-Physicists and is easily accessible。 It's written well and tells the story of this significant moment in history in a way that would make good fiction， if it wasn't all real life！I f "In June 1925， twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg， suffering from hay fever， retreated to a treeless， wind-battered island in the North Sea called Helgoland。 It was there that he came up with the key insight behind quantum mechanics。"Yes， this is where Quantum Theory got its start。 This book was written for non-Physicists and is easily accessible。 It's written well and tells the story of this significant moment in history in a way that would make good fiction， if it wasn't all real life！I found it intensely interesting and easy to follow。 I also like that the author changed Shrodinger's Cat to sleeping or awake for its dual state as he didn't want to deal with dead cats！ I think I would like this guy。I found the book infinitely fascinating and took it one chapter at a time to try to fully absorb the concepts， which make sense despite the oddities of Quantum。 I will probably read it again， maybe even several times to let it sink in。The subject is pretty amazing and this book explains it very well。 Definitely recommended for anyone who has a curiosity either about Quantum Physics or generally how things work。 。。。more

Mihir Parekh ，

“You should never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think”- Niels BohrOne of the greatest scientist of nineteenth century Lord Kelvin said in year1900:"Now， there is nothing new to discover in physics。 It only remains to be measured more and more precisely"。 Around the same time， physicist Max Planck came across with some weird phenomenon while observing the problem of black-body radiation。 And twenty five years later， young physicists like Heisenberg， Jorden， Dirac， Pauli and S “You should never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think”- Niels BohrOne of the greatest scientist of nineteenth century Lord Kelvin said in year1900:"Now， there is nothing new to discover in physics。 It only remains to be measured more and more precisely"。 Around the same time， physicist Max Planck came across with some weird phenomenon while observing the problem of black-body radiation。 And twenty five years later， young physicists like Heisenberg， Jorden， Dirac， Pauli and Schrodinger， under guidance of their mentor Niles Bohr， laid foundation of Quantum Mechanics。 When Heisenberg got first glimpses of this remarkably accurate but equally puzzlingly nature of reality on North Sea island of Helgoland， he was just twenty three year old。 Title of this book of Carlo Rovelli in on the name of this barren North See island。 ‘Helgoland’ is poetic commentary on historical development of Quantum Theory， its core components， central ideas of theory and it’s philosophical meaning and implications。 Commentary of development of theory is very brief and touches only major aspects。 However beauty of book lies where author explains vital aspects of Quantum Mechanics and than switched to deeper philosophical meaning hidden behind ultimate nature of reality。 And what fascinates reader is philosophy of Emptiness （śūnyatā） of Nāgārjuna， a second century Buddhist philosopher， is perspective according to Carlo Rovelli which perhaps make it little easier to think about the quantum world。 This is not Carlo Rovelli’s best book。 Neither this is a complete introductory guide of Quantum Mechanics。 But this book describes this fascinating theory， its development ， implications and possible meaning in briefest possible lengths and in most beautiful language。 This book might evoke feelings which author experiences about his subjects; Physics:“Physics has not deluded me。 It has bewitched， astonished， confused and disconcerted me; given me anxious， sleepless nights looking in to the dark and thinking: ‘But is it really possible？ Can we believe this？’- Carlo Rovelli 。。。more

GONZA ，

Trovo che Rovelli sia un grande divulgatore， anche se un po' sulla scia del marchese del Grillo （io so' io e voi non siete un ca。。。）， e anche stavolta i suoi excursus dalla fisica alla filosofia mi hanno dato parecchio da pensare。 Come sempre mi piacerebbe affermare senza tema di essere smentita di aver capito tutto， ma anche stavolta é meglio mantenere un certo riserbo sulla mia percentuale di comprensione di quanto letto。 Trovo che Rovelli sia un grande divulgatore， anche se un po' sulla scia del marchese del Grillo （io so' io e voi non siete un ca。。。）， e anche stavolta i suoi excursus dalla fisica alla filosofia mi hanno dato parecchio da pensare。 Come sempre mi piacerebbe affermare senza tema di essere smentita di aver capito tutto， ma anche stavolta é meglio mantenere un certo riserbo sulla mia percentuale di comprensione di quanto letto。 。。。more

Andrea Ricci Curbastro ，

Qualcosa di eccezionale。 La teoria dei quanti， come si è arrivati ad immaginarla， il suo percorso evolutivo， le correnti di pensiero che hanno contribuito a realizzarla。。。 Il tutto spiegato un maniera accattivante， chiara mai banale。 Cogliere che il nostro mondo esiste nel momento in cui le sue componenti si mettono in relazione tra loro tramite interconnessioni infinite è stata una delle più belle scoperte della mia vita。

Gustavo Garcia ，

Even though in some cases I had to re-read some chapters over 10 times， I still recommend for anyone to grab a copy of this book。 This book will leave you with more questions than answers， but they are the good type of questions。 Those that wake up your thirst and that pave the way for new knowledge。 Disclaimer: at the end of this book you will feel like a philosopher and you will start asking your friends questions like: What is life？ Is it truly all an illusion？ Is the cat awake and asleep？ I Even though in some cases I had to re-read some chapters over 10 times， I still recommend for anyone to grab a copy of this book。 This book will leave you with more questions than answers， but they are the good type of questions。 Those that wake up your thirst and that pave the way for new knowledge。 Disclaimer: at the end of this book you will feel like a philosopher and you will start asking your friends questions like: What is life？ Is it truly all an illusion？ Is the cat awake and asleep？ I will like to finish my review by sharing a quote that I very much liked from the book: “There is no cardinal or final fixed point， philosophical or methodological， with which to anchor the adventure of knowledge” 。。。more

Giorgio Malvestiti ，

Emozionante ed affascinante scoperta della teoria dei quanti e le implicazioni e radici filosofiche。 Davvero bello！

Katarina Janoskova ，

Me: Which of the crazy ideas surrounding quantum theory is true？Physicists: YesI love Carlo's writing。 Me: Which of the crazy ideas surrounding quantum theory is true？Physicists: YesI love Carlo's writing。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Helgoland: The World of Quantum Theory

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Helgoland: The World of Quantum Theory&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Helgoland: The World of Quantum Theory&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0