When We Cease to Understand the World
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- Create Date：2021-06-17 09:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Benjamín Labatut
- ISBN：1782276149
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Summary
A fast-paced， mind-expanding literary work about scientific discovery， ethics and the unsettled distinction between genius and madness。
Albert Einstein opens a letter sent to him from the Eastern Front of World War I。 Inside， he finds the first exact solution to the equations of general relativity， unaware that it contains a monster that could destroy his life's work。
The great mathematician Alexander Grothendieck tunnels so deeply into abstraction that he tries to cut all ties with the world， terrified of the horror his discoveries might cause。
Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg battle over the soul of physics after creating two equivalent yet opposed versions of quantum mechanics。 Their fight will tear the very fabric of reality， revealing a world stranger than they could have ever imagined。
Using extraordinary， epoch-defining moments from the history of science， Benjamín Labatut plunges us into exhilarating territory between fact and fiction， progress and destruction， genius and madness。
Albert Einstein opens a letter sent to him from the Eastern Front of World War I。 Inside， he finds the first exact solution to the equations of general relativity， unaware that it contains a monster that could destroy his life's work。
The great mathematician Alexander Grothendieck tunnels so deeply into abstraction that he tries to cut all ties with the world， terrified of the horror his discoveries might cause。
Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg battle over the soul of physics after creating two equivalent yet opposed versions of quantum mechanics。 Their fight will tear the very fabric of reality， revealing a world stranger than they could have ever imagined。
Using extraordinary， epoch-defining moments from the history of science， Benjamín Labatut plunges us into exhilarating territory between fact and fiction， progress and destruction， genius and madness。
Reviews
Francisco Alfaro Labbé
，
Asumir qué pensaron， cómo se sintieron o de qué manera fueron los momentos de sublime epifanía que llevaron a algunos de los más grandes científicos del siglo XX a desarrollar sus teorías más famosas， pareciera ser una tarea compleja。。。 para la mayoría de las personas –entre las que me incluyo– resulta muy difícil siquiera desentrañar la inextricable naturaleza de algunas de estas ecuaciones fundamentales para entender el desarrollo científico del último siglo。 Labatut， por otra parte， tomó el m Asumir qué pensaron， cómo se sintieron o de qué manera fueron los momentos de sublime epifanía que llevaron a algunos de los más grandes científicos del siglo XX a desarrollar sus teorías más famosas， pareciera ser una tarea compleja。。。 para la mayoría de las personas –entre las que me incluyo– resulta muy difícil siquiera desentrañar la inextricable naturaleza de algunas de estas ecuaciones fundamentales para entender el desarrollo científico del último siglo。 Labatut， por otra parte， tomó el mito （el de la vida de estos personajes） y lo conjugó con lo real， articulando un relato que se deja leer fácilmente y que intriga más allá de los （siempre） entretenidos datos de cómo se desarrolló la ciencia en el último tiempo， en manos de estos titanes， tan alejados de lo ordinario， que realmente se agradece un libro en donde se les intenta mostrar un lado más cercano， que nos permita atisbar dentro de su mente y sentirnos parte de la misma raza de estos semidioses de la magia humana por antonomasia: la ciencia。 。。。more
Rachel Loh
，
This was the absolute bee’s knees。 The author flows easily between story and thought， connecting them as easily as the mathematical theories he rides on。 A real pleasure to read。
Wibsson Ribeiro
，
Sua prosa， que flerta com o ensaístico de uma maneira que o aproxima de Borges， Sebald， Bolaño e outros autores contemporâneos， cria o efeito de aproximar a vida e as obras de físicos e matemáticos como Heisenberg， Eistein e outros pertencentes ao “reino das exatas” daquela outra fauna do pensamento europeu do século XX que é o modernismo literário。 O texto de Labatut faz com que esses pensadores do cálculo e da ciência tornem-se contemporâneos dos gênios da arte e da literatura， ou talvez até m Sua prosa， que flerta com o ensaístico de uma maneira que o aproxima de Borges， Sebald， Bolaño e outros autores contemporâneos， cria o efeito de aproximar a vida e as obras de físicos e matemáticos como Heisenberg， Eistein e outros pertencentes ao “reino das exatas” daquela outra fauna do pensamento europeu do século XX que é o modernismo literário。 O texto de Labatut faz com que esses pensadores do cálculo e da ciência tornem-se contemporâneos dos gênios da arte e da literatura， ou talvez até mais do que isso， faz com que todos eles apareçam como partilhando de uma mesma sensibilidade， os físicos também como parte de uma vanguarda de homens e mulheres excêntricos， solitários mas que alteraram a nossa forma de viver na terra， destacando a incerteza dos átomos e o absurdo que é uma definição estável de realidade。 O texto também insere literalidade no que poderiam ser apenas biografias pálidas， por vezes nos colocando em verdadeiras situações de literatura de gênero， como o gótico。 Os personagens， figuras reais aqui ficcionalizadas， parecem estranhamente com figuras que se acomodariam bem em um conto de Borges。 Suas vidas são apresentadas como estranhas， dignas de ficção， ao mesmo tempo que dotadas de uma força cósmica， produzindo a bomba atômica e as armas químicas que alteram a terra e a natureza。 Uma nova compreensão do século XX parece se abrir com esse livro， na qual a segunda guerra aparece conectada com a literatura， a arte e a física。 O tempo e o espaço são a arena infinita onde a ciência e a arte se cruzam de modo intermitente。 。。。more
Eduardo Soto
，
Creo que es la mejor amalgama de literatura con historia de la ciencia que he leído， las ideas se explican de forma clara y el lenguaje utilizado mantiene la órbita temática alredor de la idea de locura y tragedia presentes en el corazón de las ciencias y las matemáticas。El epílogo logra capturar muy bien la totalidad del cuerpo del libro y lo hace de una manera muy interesante en lo que respecta a la diferencia geográfica y cultural， saltando del continente europeo de principios a un pequeño pu Creo que es la mejor amalgama de literatura con historia de la ciencia que he leído， las ideas se explican de forma clara y el lenguaje utilizado mantiene la órbita temática alredor de la idea de locura y tragedia presentes en el corazón de las ciencias y las matemáticas。El epílogo logra capturar muy bien la totalidad del cuerpo del libro y lo hace de una manera muy interesante en lo que respecta a la diferencia geográfica y cultural， saltando del continente europeo de principios a un pequeño pueblo montañoso en el interior chileno contemporáneo。 。。。more
Jessica
，
This book was extremely interesting and refreshing。 Refreshing in the exclusive sense that the biggest breakthroughs in mankind were not glorified but portrayed to be bleak， dark， and dirty with inconceivable by-products that masses far removed from the action can only begin to understand when the world starts to fall apart （or maybe not even then）。 But not refreshing in a way commonly associated with positivity because this book left me feeling pretty shit and disillusioned。 It made me wonder i This book was extremely interesting and refreshing。 Refreshing in the exclusive sense that the biggest breakthroughs in mankind were not glorified but portrayed to be bleak， dark， and dirty with inconceivable by-products that masses far removed from the action can only begin to understand when the world starts to fall apart （or maybe not even then）。 But not refreshing in a way commonly associated with positivity because this book left me feeling pretty shit and disillusioned。 It made me wonder if， hypothetically， the continued efforts from arguably the smartest group of people with the brightest minds would be better spent on reversing earlier earthly catastrophes instead of better understanding paradoxes like quantum mechanics or searching for the illusive theory of everything。 Especially when the development in these fields can be easily manipulated to create biological and nuclear warfare that had a huge historical part to play in global instability and disparity in the first place。 Also， I'm assuming that the psychotic episodes of Schrodinger and Heisenberg were lifted from their journals or discovered through interviews or something， because if those were added for dramatic effect， I would probably give this book 4 stars。 。。。more
Rhianna
，
Sososo good
Hernan Alvarez
，
Es imposible no relacionar este libro con "El Nervio Óptico" de Maria Gainza。 Están hermanados， pero este sería el hermano malvado （en el mejor sentido de la frase）。 En principio tenemos que cambiar obras de arte por momentos donde suceden descubrimientos científicos。 Mientras que Gainza habla sobre el arte y transmite calidez， entendimiento y relaciones afectivas Labatut utiliza a la ciencia con su esterilidad， locura y soledad。 El arte ayuda a entender， transmite sentimientos。 En la ciencia de Es imposible no relacionar este libro con "El Nervio Óptico" de Maria Gainza。 Están hermanados， pero este sería el hermano malvado （en el mejor sentido de la frase）。 En principio tenemos que cambiar obras de arte por momentos donde suceden descubrimientos científicos。 Mientras que Gainza habla sobre el arte y transmite calidez， entendimiento y relaciones afectivas Labatut utiliza a la ciencia con su esterilidad， locura y soledad。 El arte ayuda a entender， transmite sentimientos。 En la ciencia de este libro， especialmente la matemática， la ciencia es capaz de atrocidades y， tal vez， la más grande sea su capacidad de explicar al universo y las consecuencias que trae eso para nuestra existencia， filosofía y psiquis。 Las historias de los diferentes capítulos están basadas en hechos reales。 Labatut toma momentos en la vida de importantes científicos y se toma la libertad de ficcionarlos。 Aparecen Einstein， Schrödinger， Heisenberg， Bohr。 De un modo muy científico y ordenado separa su historia personal de las de esos genios。 Es un libro atrapante。 Un poco más de doscientas paginas que se terminan enseguida porque tienen una oralidad y un ritmo alucinante。 Mi capitulo favorito fue el de Grothendieck， su delirio matemático y la certeza que la ignorancia es una bendición。 。。。more
Kubi
，
YES。
Davide Battilori
，
Geni， visionari， disadattati， in lotta contro tutto。Pochi uomini che hanno cambiato il mondo senza capirlo。Fritz Haber: capace di evitare la carestia del XX secolo e padre consapevole dei gas asfissianti。Schwarzschild: scopritore dei buchi neri。Mochizuki e Grothendieck: a+b=cHeisenberg e Schrödinger: le particelle elementari。
Sayani
，
*Long review alert*I had no expectations when I started reading this book。 The blurb projected a head-dive into scientific quests and madness and that was all I needed to pick this up。Part IThe moment I read the first chapter titled Prussian Blue it seemed like falling inside a giant vat of kaleidoscopic thrills in the form of excruciating yet interconnected details。 This chapter is a hallucinogenic trip where Labatut much like Ariadne takes us through a labyrinth of characters existing in the t *Long review alert*I had no expectations when I started reading this book。 The blurb projected a head-dive into scientific quests and madness and that was all I needed to pick this up。Part IThe moment I read the first chapter titled Prussian Blue it seemed like falling inside a giant vat of kaleidoscopic thrills in the form of excruciating yet interconnected details。 This chapter is a hallucinogenic trip where Labatut much like Ariadne takes us through a labyrinth of characters existing in the two World Wars procuring， inventing， dispensing chemicals that crossed havoc across nations。 Hermann Göring is seen lugging the last reserves of dihydrocodeine after the end of Second World War， German soldiers receiving methamphetamines in their rations to keep awake， Hitler testing his cyanide dosage on his dog， the blue-hued bricks at Auschwitz， and that Prussian Blue was responsible for the discovery of cyanide as a by-product。 Enter Johann Jacob Diesbach and his enterprise of producing the red color from female cochineals in South America but instead， he created the blue dye and within a few pages， we realize how the Nazis were planting mulberry trees across German plain lands to mass-produce silkworms and extract the poison that will leave the most horrific legacy of the War。 In a feverish swoop， Franz Haber appears before us who in the quest of procuring nitrogen directly from the air and turning it into fertilizers made the maddening U-turn into helping the Germans produce mass explosives and later Zyklon itself。 In a matter of just twenty pages the author leaves you allured， stunned， saddened， and dizzy all at the same time。 I had to put away the book at this point。 The sheer force and the gravid details of the prose is some of the best writing I have read in years。Part IIAfter the heady start， the book lurches and decelerates into Berlin of 1915 where Einstein has just discovered Karl Schwarzschild has sent him solutions to the general relativity equations。 We look closely into Schwarschild’s prodigal childhood and his insatiable thirst for astonishment which led to a feverish academic output as a physicist。 He volunteered for the Great War and came down with a particularly nasty form of gingivitis which broke his body but never his soul。 In these final months of his life， he had put together the concept of singularity， a point at which any matter is compressed in a sufficiently restricted place so much so that light cannot pass， a true void if ever there was any， a point where the laws of physics broke down， and everything was unknown to the observer。Part IIIThis is my favorite part of the book。 We are introduced to Shinichi Mochizuki， the enigmatic Japanese mathematician who gave proofs for the a+b=c conjecture （for an accessible explanation refer to the article in Quanta Magazine titled "Titans of Mathematics Clash Over Epic Proof of ABC Conjecture"）。 If confirmed these proofs will shift the groundwork of number theory as far as I have understood from further reading about his work。 But for years now Mochizuki’s vast proofs have been up for contention and controversy given the peculiar nature of his mathematical groundwork。 Only in April 2020 an article in Nature stated that his proofs will be finally published in a journal by Japan’s Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences （RIMS） at Kyoto University。Mochizuki’s work is just a preface to the real narrative of the third chapter。 This revolves around the life and times of Alexander Grothendieck， one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century。 His seminal work during 1958–73 attracted the finest minds to join him in forming structures underlying all mathematical objects。 To a common person， this sounds counterintuitive and quite bizarre。 A man trying to understand the foundations of all mathematics and building simple architecture around the simplest of questions。 For us， mathematics means geometry and algebra and the relics of our undergraduate or even high school classes。What Labatut convinces readers like me is the universality of what Grothendieck was trying to do。 Creating an interconnected harmonious relationship between all kinds of maths（numbers， curves， equations， etc。）。 To achieve such a feat requires a mind so deeply capable of abstract thinking that is beyond the comprehension of conventional knowledge。 This is where I felt the operatic freedom this book provided me。 For Grothendieck， a simple dot point held a vast universe of structures。 His quest of uniting different strands of mathematics into one single entity which he called “The heart of the heart” led this Field Medalist to finally leave academia and live like a hermit in Southern France denouncing the material world and his work afraid of what his discoveries might lead to。 The fabulous mind had gone off the ledge leaving behind an astonishing legacy。 I would do a separate post about Grothendieck sometime later。Part IVEinstein， Schrödinger， Heisenberg， Bohr。 Their mutual ballad gave rise to the mysterious world of quantum mechanics and its cloud of probabilities and the decimation of a deterministic world which Einstein came to loathe but he failed to transcend the beauty of quantum theory with an alternate theory for the rest of his life。 Every popular science book glorifies the marvels of quantum mechanics and the chips in our phones and the satellites in our space。 Nobody has quite imagined this time in the history of physics through the eyes of these brilliant minds themselves。 Be it Heisenberg’s formulation of ideas that led to the Copenhagen interpretation or Schrodinger’s wave functions。 I felt at home with Heisenberg’s retreat on Heligoland where he escaped to recover from his allergies since the island is devoid of flowering blossoms。 A reader can truly enjoy the latter half of the book with some working knowledge of quantum physics since it is primarily intuitive。 But in a semi-fictional work like this Labatut has done admirable work in making this accessible for anyone who reads it。I didn’t realize this was a work of fiction based on true stories until I read the final closing section about the author’s neighbor who tends to his plants at night when they’re asleep。 For “the night gardener” equations are the roots of all the evil in the world right now。 This alone presents the general thesis of this book。 The tightrope walk between the frenzy of new scientific discoveries and the tipping point where this quest yawns into monstrous consequences threatening civilization and disrupting the peace on the grandest scales。 As the world slowly comes out in a post-pandemic age from a deep slumber this book provides the other side of our technological advancements and the repercussions that have occurred behind the legacies of geniuses。 。。。more
Giorgia Imbriani
，
Un saggio che mi ha lasciato con la spiacevole sensazione di essermi persa tutto il senso di questa carrellata di nomi， vite， intuizioni di per sé memorabili e interessanti。 Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più di una catena di camei。
Brian Wolak
，
My favorite week of reading this year happened over the early mornings of green tea I spent with this book。 Luminous， iridescent， solar， lunar。 A perfect balance of poetry and science， fact and fiction。 Humanity and horror。 I will never forget the sequences on Grothendieck， nor the chapters on （with） Schrodinger and Heisenberg。 This book is about tearing open the world to understand how it works and discovering that nothing makes sense。 What I like even more is that it's a book about the heights My favorite week of reading this year happened over the early mornings of green tea I spent with this book。 Luminous， iridescent， solar， lunar。 A perfect balance of poetry and science， fact and fiction。 Humanity and horror。 I will never forget the sequences on Grothendieck， nor the chapters on （with） Schrodinger and Heisenberg。 This book is about tearing open the world to understand how it works and discovering that nothing makes sense。 What I like even more is that it's a book about the heights， mysteries， and perils of creative inspiration。 。。。more
Adam
，
A novel I guess resembling HHhH with it's mixture of fact and fiction， although here it leans more to the factual side， at various points in the book I found the need to check I was actually reading a work of fiction。 That said an interesting achievement which in some ways overlapped with a few other reads， the book by Huber and Helgoland by Rovelli， who is an author maybe to turn to after reading this for further enlightenment。 Through the biographical narratives a number of scientist's lives a A novel I guess resembling HHhH with it's mixture of fact and fiction， although here it leans more to the factual side， at various points in the book I found the need to check I was actually reading a work of fiction。 That said an interesting achievement which in some ways overlapped with a few other reads， the book by Huber and Helgoland by Rovelli， who is an author maybe to turn to after reading this for further enlightenment。 Through the biographical narratives a number of scientist's lives are examined， some well known - Schrodinger and some perhaps less so - Grothendieck， which inspires further reading。 Through these fragments and brief biographical moments there were a number of other people that I'd be interested to learn more of - Clara Immerwahr and Alfred Schwarzschild。 On the whole though， as a novel I'm not sure how I felt after reading it， a colossal grief of the future？， the futility of knowledge？。。 I'm uncertain。 。。。more
Raymundo
，
Un libro sobre personalidades de la ciencia （matemáticas y física） y de cómo llegaron a ciertos descubrimientos。 Como científico social， me he sentido identificado con el libro。 De hecho， creería que todo científico debería leerlo。 Mensajes: 1。 Todos sentimos miedo de ser irrelevantes con nuestra ciencia， pero también que los resultados científicos puedan ser malinterpretados o usados para hacer mal。 2。 ¿Qué hacer al respecto？ Los científicos que cubre el libro llegan a tener decisiones tan extr Un libro sobre personalidades de la ciencia （matemáticas y física） y de cómo llegaron a ciertos descubrimientos。 Como científico social， me he sentido identificado con el libro。 De hecho， creería que todo científico debería leerlo。 Mensajes: 1。 Todos sentimos miedo de ser irrelevantes con nuestra ciencia， pero también que los resultados científicos puedan ser malinterpretados o usados para hacer mal。 2。 ¿Qué hacer al respecto？ Los científicos que cubre el libro llegan a tener decisiones tan extremas como vivir aislado del mundo， sin contacto social。 Y eso que el libro no cuenta la historia de los Hardin （Tragedia de los Comunes） que decidieron suicidarse al final de su vida。 Ha sido fascinante sentirse identificado en algún momento con Haber， Mochizuki， Grothendiek， Schrödinger。 。。。more
Anna Oestmann
，
Such a different take on historical fiction。 Wish I had a better knowledge of physics - I think I would have got even more out of it if I did。
Clive Lillie
，
History， absorbed into fiction， with a particularly large dose of physics！！I enjoyed the history presented here， alongside a good story telling style。 Though I do think， a little bit of warning around how this would be best enjoyed by grouse with an advices understanding of physics and mathematics。
Jaap
，
Begin twintigste eeuw heerste in de wetenschap de overtuiging dat "alles" zo goed als ontdekt was。 Natuurlijk waren er nog veel problemen op te lossen maar men ging ervan uit dat het een kwestie van tijd was voordat de laatste systeem-raadselen opgelost zouden zijn， een glorieuze toekomst daagde。Twee gebeurtenissen brachten die overtuiging aan het wankelen。 De eerste was de ontdekking van Kurt Gödel dat er wiskundige vergelijkingen bestaan die niet vanuit de bestaande wiskunde afgeleid konden wo Begin twintigste eeuw heerste in de wetenschap de overtuiging dat "alles" zo goed als ontdekt was。 Natuurlijk waren er nog veel problemen op te lossen maar men ging ervan uit dat het een kwestie van tijd was voordat de laatste systeem-raadselen opgelost zouden zijn， een glorieuze toekomst daagde。Twee gebeurtenissen brachten die overtuiging aan het wankelen。 De eerste was de ontdekking van Kurt Gödel dat er wiskundige vergelijkingen bestaan die niet vanuit de bestaande wiskunde afgeleid konden worden。 Met andere woorden， er bestaan waarheden die niet zonder meer analytisch vanuit de bestaande wiskunde kunnen worden afgeleid。 Toonaangevende wiskundigen als Bertrand Russell waren verbijsterd。De tweede gebeurtenis was de ontdekking van de quantum mechanica en de stelling van Heisenberg dat een deeltje op twee plaatsen tegelijk kon zijn。 Daarmee samenhangt dat onomstotelijk kwam vast te staan dat de waarneming de uitslag beïnvloedt （Schrödingers Cat）。 Het leidde tot Einsteins boze opmerking "God dobbelt niet" maar ook hij kon niet aantonen dat de theorie van Heisenberg en Bohr niet klopte。 Blind Licht geeft een gefictionaliseerde versie van de ontwikkeling in de Quantum mechanica。 Het is een spannend geschreven verhaal。 In het Engels is de titel "When we cease to understand the world"， dat geeft meer spanning aan de vertwijfeling van de betrokken wetenschappers in die tijd。 Sindsdien moeten we leven met de "wetenschap" dat we niet alles kunnen weten en kunnen we alleen nog maar vermoeden dat het "ondenkbare" kan bestaan - tot in het oneindige。 。。。more
Riet
，
Is dit boek fictie of non-fictie？ Daar kom je pas na de eerste hoofdstukken achter。 Labatut beschrijft prachtig allerlei wetenschappelijke vindingen van de voorbije eeuw en neemt de nodige vrijheden， als hij de wetenschappers beschrijft。 Daarbij krijg je een mooi beeld van het leven voor， tijdens en na de eerste wereldoorlog。 Vooral het verhaal over Schwarzschild， die in de loopgraven aan het oostfront de formule vond om de relativiteitstheorie van Einstein te verklaren， is prachtig。 De feiten w Is dit boek fictie of non-fictie？ Daar kom je pas na de eerste hoofdstukken achter。 Labatut beschrijft prachtig allerlei wetenschappelijke vindingen van de voorbije eeuw en neemt de nodige vrijheden， als hij de wetenschappers beschrijft。 Daarbij krijg je een mooi beeld van het leven voor， tijdens en na de eerste wereldoorlog。 Vooral het verhaal over Schwarzschild， die in de loopgraven aan het oostfront de formule vond om de relativiteitstheorie van Einstein te verklaren， is prachtig。 De feiten waren mij wel bekend， maar Labatut "versiert" het verhaal op zijn manier en maakt het veel indrukwekkender。 zo ook de strijd tussen Schroeder en Heisenberg。 je hoeft niet echt de theorie achter de verhalen te kennen om van dit boek te genieten。 Dit is ook weer een boek van de shortlist voor de International Booker prize。 Zou een goede kandidaat geweest zijn。 。。。more
Kania
，
𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦: 𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠✰᪥𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬♪✩。。Mind-blowing indeed。 Made me wonder several times whether this was a work of fiction or not。
Bidita
，
3。5ish stars
Topher
，
This is about a variety innovators in physics and mathematics。 It plays with fact and fiction。 It really displays the fanatical and often times borderline mad scientists。 It also shows their contribution to the world。 The contributions have mostly lead to awful results down the line in the future。 It really comes down to the power of science and its thinkers。 For the most part， this was interesting。 I would give it a 3。9/5。
Marcel Buijs
，
Prussian Blue - Schwarzschild’s Singularity - The Heart of the Heart （Alexander Grothendieck） - When We Cease to Understand the World - The Night Gardener。Chile。 A work of fiction based on real events， about scientists and mathematicians descending into madness。
alessandra falca
，
Poco tempo fa il giardiniere notturno mi chiese se sapessi come morivano le piante di agrumi: quando raggiungono la vecchiaia， se riescono a sopravvivere a siccità， malattie e innumerevoli attacchi di parassiti， funghi e specie infestanti， soccombono per sovrabbondanza。 Alla fine del loro ciclo di vita producono una gigantesca quantità di limoni。 Durante la loro ultima primavera spuntano fuori che si schiudono in grappoli enormi e riempiono l’aria di una dolcezza così pungente da far pizzicare l Poco tempo fa il giardiniere notturno mi chiese se sapessi come morivano le piante di agrumi: quando raggiungono la vecchiaia， se riescono a sopravvivere a siccità， malattie e innumerevoli attacchi di parassiti， funghi e specie infestanti， soccombono per sovrabbondanza。 Alla fine del loro ciclo di vita producono una gigantesca quantità di limoni。 Durante la loro ultima primavera spuntano fuori che si schiudono in grappoli enormi e riempiono l’aria di una dolcezza così pungente da far pizzicare la gola e il naso a centinaia di metri di distanza; i loro frutti maturano tutti insieme， i rami si spezzano sotto quel peso e， dopo un paio di settimane， la terra ai loro piedi si ricopre di limoni marci。 È strano， mi disse， vedere tanta esuberanza di fronte alla morte。 Uno se la immagina nel regno animale， come quei milioni di salmoni， che copulano prima di morire， o i miliardi di aringhe delle coste del Pacifico con il loro seme e le loro uova。 Gli alberi， tuttavia， sono organismi molto diversi， e si direbbe che simili spettacoli di mostruosa fecondità non si confacciano a una pianta; assomigliano piuttosto agli eccessi della nostra specie， con la sua crescita esorbitante e fuori controllo。 Gli chiedi quanto tempo rimanesse da vivere al mio limone。 Mi disse che non c’era modo di saperlo， non senza tagliare il suo tronco per contarne gli anelli。 Ma chi mai avrebbe voluto fare una cosa del genere？ 。。。more
Angela
，
Quick-flowing interconnected stories about real-life mathematicians driven mad by their discovered equations。 Gosh， I wish I understood math and physics。
Blair
，
This is a remarkable book， a blend of fiction and non-fiction somewhat in the vein of WG Sebald。 The focus is on a number of genius scientists and mathematicians of the 20th century， including Schrodinger and Heisenberg in the longest section。 Labatut makes subtle connections and focuses on moments when we move beyond the realm of comprehension。 I loved it。
Cristina López Casas
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muy atractivo para los que gozamos con las historias de científicos。 tiene su estructura propia， una crescendo desde historias de puros hechos hasta pura especulación que hace un contraste divertido hacia el final。 un especie de paseo por la fascinación del autor por las mentes brillantes sin caer en clichés。 aunque no está escrito desde una mente científica， hay que decirlo， así que hay cosillas que hacen un poco de ruido si tu background es de hecho científico。 es novedoso。
Chiara Cabini
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È proprio una bella domanda， quella del titolo。 La carrellata di esempi di scoperte， tramutatesi a volte in disastrose calamità per l’uso sconsiderato che si è deciso di farne， serve a mostrare come il genio spesso porti le grandi menti alla deriva。 Grandi fisici e matematici da premio nobel caduti in disgrazia e dimenticati， incapaci di difendere il proprio credo di fronte al progresso， sono assoluti protagonisti del saggio。 La rivisitazione libera e fantasiosi di aneddoti storici mi ha fatto s È proprio una bella domanda， quella del titolo。 La carrellata di esempi di scoperte， tramutatesi a volte in disastrose calamità per l’uso sconsiderato che si è deciso di farne， serve a mostrare come il genio spesso porti le grandi menti alla deriva。 Grandi fisici e matematici da premio nobel caduti in disgrazia e dimenticati， incapaci di difendere il proprio credo di fronte al progresso， sono assoluti protagonisti del saggio。 La rivisitazione libera e fantasiosi di aneddoti storici mi ha fatto sorridere， anche se a tratti ha ampiamente deviato dallo scopo della narrazione （vogliamo parlare del pippotto su Schrodinger nel sanatario svizzero， senza capo né coda？）。 。。。more
Joe M
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A brief history of a handful of brilliant and eccentric visionaries， straddling the lines between genius and madness。 Going into this， I had only scarce knowledge of the lives of these notorious men of science， so I was surprised and amazed reading about them， and felt like I gained a much deeper appreciation of their scientific achievements。 Benjamín Labatut writes with a captivating urgency that underscores the significance of their work， but while I was blown away by their epiphanies and gian A brief history of a handful of brilliant and eccentric visionaries， straddling the lines between genius and madness。 Going into this， I had only scarce knowledge of the lives of these notorious men of science， so I was surprised and amazed reading about them， and felt like I gained a much deeper appreciation of their scientific achievements。 Benjamín Labatut writes with a captivating urgency that underscores the significance of their work， but while I was blown away by their epiphanies and giant contributions to their fields， I think it's the human stories， and particularly the quiet aloneness they share—be it Heisenberg's isolation in Heligoland， Schwarzschild's wartime experiences on the Russian Front， Schrödinger quietly witnessing St Elmo's Fire， or Grothendieck's retirement into reclusion in the Pyrenees—that really struck a chord， and I suspect will leave the longest lasting impression。 In contrast to the historical essays that come before it， the book closes with a fictional story called "The Night Gardener" which was exquisite， and an excellent piece to wrap-up and reflect on。 This is a short but enlightening book that's packed with fascinating history and ideas。 。。。more
Maria Magdalena
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Not really interested in science， some of the chapters where way too long and complicated for me， but overall it was OK。 Had to read it as part of my Booker shortlisted books。
andreea。 （paperrcuts）
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