Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
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- Create Date：2021-03-26 13:12:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Brian Greene
- ISBN：0141985321
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Summary
From the world-renowned physicist and bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos， a captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose
In both time and space， the cosmos is astoundingly vast， and yet is governed by simple， elegant， universal mathematical laws。
On this cosmic timeline， our human era is spectacular but fleeting。 Someday， we know， we will all die。 And， we know， so too will the universe itself。
Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it。 Greene takes us on a journey across time， from our most refined understanding of the universe's beginning， to the closest science can take us to the very end。 He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos， and how our minds， in coming to understand their own impermanence， seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in story， myth， religion， creative expression， science， the quest for truth， and our longing for the timeless， or eternal。 Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality-from the quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes-Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be， a finer picture of where we are now， and a firmer understanding of where we are headed。
Yet all this understanding， which arose with the emergence of life， will dissolve with its conclusion。 Which leaves us with one realization: during our brief moment in the sun， we are tasked with the charge of finding our own meaning。
Let us embark。
In both time and space， the cosmos is astoundingly vast， and yet is governed by simple， elegant， universal mathematical laws。
On this cosmic timeline， our human era is spectacular but fleeting。 Someday， we know， we will all die。 And， we know， so too will the universe itself。
Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it。 Greene takes us on a journey across time， from our most refined understanding of the universe's beginning， to the closest science can take us to the very end。 He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos， and how our minds， in coming to understand their own impermanence， seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in story， myth， religion， creative expression， science， the quest for truth， and our longing for the timeless， or eternal。 Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality-from the quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes-Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be， a finer picture of where we are now， and a firmer understanding of where we are headed。
Yet all this understanding， which arose with the emergence of life， will dissolve with its conclusion。 Which leaves us with one realization: during our brief moment in the sun， we are tasked with the charge of finding our own meaning。
Let us embark。
Reviews
Dick Olsen
，
I am not a physicist。 Not a mathematician either。 I'm fascinated by the physical space we human beings occupy but， as a rule， focus my attention more on the arts and humanities perspectives。 Occasionally I stray out of my lane， either because of a particular interest in an author or a curiosity about a topic。 I blame folks like Stephen Hawking and Neil DeGrasse Tyson for redirecting my attention。 Brian Greene has become another who introduces just enough humanity in his otherwise cosmological di I am not a physicist。 Not a mathematician either。 I'm fascinated by the physical space we human beings occupy but， as a rule， focus my attention more on the arts and humanities perspectives。 Occasionally I stray out of my lane， either because of a particular interest in an author or a curiosity about a topic。 I blame folks like Stephen Hawking and Neil DeGrasse Tyson for redirecting my attention。 Brian Greene has become another who introduces just enough humanity in his otherwise cosmological discussions to keep me entertained， informed and 。 。 。surprisingly 。 。 。wanting a little more。 My first exposure to Greene was "The Elegant Universe。" This， for me， was a tough read。 String theory concepts certainly don't come naturally to me and the book became a concentrated study rather than casual experience。 But I did get the basics。 So， when "Until the End of Time" was published I was willing to dive in to another Greene effort。 I was not disappointed。 Blending enough human interest into his largely physics-based exploration of how we have evolved and to what end we are heading， I felt informed， entertained， and intrigued， not so much with the answers provided but by the questions generated。 Any book that leaves me wanting to explore more is well worth the time invested。 "Until the End of Time" did just that。 。。。more
Borys
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It's very different from other Brian Greene's books I've read so far。 It was quite intriguing at first， discussing chaos and entropy but was less interesting to me moving forward as later chapters become more philosophical in subject。 Overall， I've enjoyed the read but after couple of months writing the review I've already lost most of what had been said。 It's very different from other Brian Greene's books I've read so far。 It was quite intriguing at first， discussing chaos and entropy but was less interesting to me moving forward as later chapters become more philosophical in subject。 Overall， I've enjoyed the read but after couple of months writing the review I've already lost most of what had been said。 。。。more
Ian Partridge
，
There is so much to commend this book。 It’s breathtaking scope， the erudition of the author and the complexity of trying to forecast the future path of space and time。 However， for those more used to the earlier books by the author may find this book a challenge to read given the authors stance on trying to convince the reader that the universe is / may be subject to the same Darwinian explanation of its existence， life and ultimately， death。
Max Oss-Emer
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I think Brian Green is a terrific communicator of science。 But there is， to me， a fair bit of overreach in this book。 I could do without a lot of the discussion of art and philosophy。
Luke Spooner
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I typically do not like books about physics， but I loved this。 The writing was accessible and entertaining and the concepts were absolutely nuts （the Boltzmann brain！， higgs boson decay！， the end of conscious thought！）I want to relisten/reread
Max Taylor
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Interesting overall but doesn’t really add anything new to the conversation。 It’s more like a summary of all physics， biology and chemistry that we currently know rather than a new perspective or new research that we didn’t know before。 Still as a summary of materialist thought it works very well， going from the Big Bang， formation of the solar system， evolution of life， consciousness and the end of the universe （or not）。
Ram Kaushik
，
An ambitious sweep of the cycle of creation and destruction by a physicist whose IQ is probably in the stratosphere。 This book made my head hurt while trying （mostly unsuccessfull） to keep up。 Armed by judicious doses of Ibuprofen， the fog lifted a wee bit while I labored through the book。 Fundamentally， this book explains how natural forces - entropy and evolution - drove creation and will inexorably drive to destruction。 On route， Mr。 Greene muses about our place in a fleeting reality， the nat An ambitious sweep of the cycle of creation and destruction by a physicist whose IQ is probably in the stratosphere。 This book made my head hurt while trying （mostly unsuccessfull） to keep up。 Armed by judicious doses of Ibuprofen， the fog lifted a wee bit while I labored through the book。 Fundamentally， this book explains how natural forces - entropy and evolution - drove creation and will inexorably drive to destruction。 On route， Mr。 Greene muses about our place in a fleeting reality， the nature of consciousness and other fascinating topics。 I found many of his thoughts have echoes in Hindu Vedantic philosophy。 Interesting trivia: his equally brilliant brother apparently dove deeply into the spiritual end of the spectrum。Recommend reserving several weeks to plough through this book - ultimately rewarding， but expect to lose some hair and stretch your brain along the way。 。。。more
Jasmine Dk Shepard
，
14。5 hours later。That was a lot of book， kinda all over the place。 I definitely want to read the physical copy of this book someday。 Perhaps it's because I'm a childless 30-something woman I picked up on this more but there was much more talk about evolution and continuing the species than I expected。Not as good as Elegant Universe。 It's a 3 star book but I find Brian Greene dreamy so he'll get an extra star for that。 14。5 hours later。That was a lot of book， kinda all over the place。 I definitely want to read the physical copy of this book someday。 Perhaps it's because I'm a childless 30-something woman I picked up on this more but there was much more talk about evolution and continuing the species than I expected。Not as good as Elegant Universe。 It's a 3 star book but I find Brian Greene dreamy so he'll get an extra star for that。 。。。more
Ryan Mishap
，
As I suspected， the only meaning in the universe is the meaning we invest it and ourselves with as we live our meaningless lives in the face of the immense expansiveness of an indifferent universe。Great book for introducing the history of the universe， though。
Robin Tobin （On the back porch reading）
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Ehhhh。 A bit over the top and jargon filled。。。
Daniel
，
Perhaps alternatively titled “Deep Thoughts， by Brian Greene。” At times deeply thought provoking， at other times beyond my capability to imagine， and at other times simply uninteresting。 Overall a great read。
Katarina Janoskova
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I really enjoyed this。 Even the bits that went over my head。
Bruce
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Insightful， articulate exposition exploring the second law of thermodynamics （entropy） and evolution as they apply to quantum mechanics and cosmology from the start through the end of time。 Mind expanding and highly rewarding in making complex physics understandable。
Peter
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An excellent book by a brilliant mind and writer a Professor of physics and mathematics as well as the Director of the Columbia University centre for Theoretical Physics and is renowned for his ground-breaking discoveries on superstring theory。 Takes you on a journey from the beginning of Time， Space and life on Earth。Sadly once again God has been left out of the Equation， in his own words Prof Greene writes;"As we hurtle towards a cold and barren Cosmos we must accept that there is no Grand Des An excellent book by a brilliant mind and writer a Professor of physics and mathematics as well as the Director of the Columbia University centre for Theoretical Physics and is renowned for his ground-breaking discoveries on superstring theory。 Takes you on a journey from the beginning of Time， Space and life on Earth。Sadly once again God has been left out of the Equation， in his own words Prof Greene writes;"As we hurtle towards a cold and barren Cosmos we must accept that there is no Grand Design。" "Until the End of Time"。Well my faith tells me to the contrary that there is， hence I find his statement odd， not because he has a different view but because it is written as a statement of fact。 Whereas a lot of what is written is written as theory because that is what most are。 For me it was/is still a great insight into what science knows/ or think they know as to the formation of our universe， our world and life and our very DNA。 However where God has been left out I simply placed Him back into everywhere He has been omitted。I find it difficult to believe such a brilliant mind can not see the truth in everything he is seeing and describing in such detail。 However much like Russell and the philosopher Robert Nozick he thinks as they do。 Russell writes; "The universe has crawled by slow stages to a somewhat pitiful result on this earth and is going to crawl by still more pitiful stages to a condition of universal death。 If this is to be taken as evidence of purpose， I can only say that the purpose is one that does not appeal to me。 So I see no reason therefore， to believe in any sort of God"。And Robert Nozick says it this way; "Death wipes you out。。。 to be wiped out completely， traces and all， goes a long way to destroying all meaning of one's life。" Sad because Prof Greene himself says; Especially for those， like me， without a traditional religious orientation， an emphasis on not being wiped out a relentless focus on endurance， can pervade everything。" I would find it very difficult to live like that as such I am extremely grateful that I am known by God。 In accepting the fact of His presence I have been accepted by Him， hence bringing with that acceptance a completely different concept of life and who we are。"Therefore， if anyone is in Christ， the new creation has come: The old has gone， the new is here！ All this is from God， who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…2 Cor 5:17-18。Maybe having read "Until the End of Time" I should write to recommend "Time and Eternity" by William Lane Craig that places God right at the centre of Creation and writes; "The theory of time the beginning of the universe is the point at which the universe literally came into being。 The universe does not transition from nothingness into something; rather it comes into being absolutely。 But if anything seems metaphysically impossible， it is that something can come into being absolutely without a cause。 Being only comes from being。 There must therefore be causally prior （if not temporally prior） to the Big Bang an ultra-mundane cause of the universe。Such a cause must transcend physical space and time and therefore be immaterial not physical。 Since the only immaterial entities of which we know are either minds or abstract objects （like numbers）， and since the latter do not stand in causal relations， it is plausible that the cause of the universe is an unembodied mind or person who created the universe。 Thus， physical eschatology itself—in combination with an A-Theory of time—provides grounds for believing in the existence of just that sort of agent who is capable of altering the projections of physical eschatology"。Hence I ask as God does;"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation？ Tell me， if you understand。 Who fixed its measurements？ Surely you know！ Or who stretched a measuring line across it？… Job 38:4-5。 。。。more
Tracey
，
It's been a while since I've spent time reading about physics， evolution， or philosophy so I decided to read a book that spends about 400 pages explaining how all of these disciplines inform each other and make us possible。 Overall， this is a mind bending examination of time from the Big Bang to well beyond the existence of this galaxy （my mind broke a little as he worked through the question of whether or not thought can exist beyond life as we understand it）。 My favorite chapters were related It's been a while since I've spent time reading about physics， evolution， or philosophy so I decided to read a book that spends about 400 pages explaining how all of these disciplines inform each other and make us possible。 Overall， this is a mind bending examination of time from the Big Bang to well beyond the existence of this galaxy （my mind broke a little as he worked through the question of whether or not thought can exist beyond life as we understand it）。 My favorite chapters were related to language， time， and thought， the evolutionary connection to storytelling， and various applications of entropy。 I like Greene's work。 He is a theoretical physicist who is good at explaining complicated concepts without talking down to his reader。 He also honors the human pursuits of the arts and those who participate in organized religions， despite not being a religious person himself。 I just finished teaching an inquiry-based unit with my students and told them that if you're doing it right， you often have more questions than answers in the end。 This book accomplished that without a doubt。 。。。more
Sue
，
Tough book to read - really dense， theories well beyond my physics ability - but so worthwhile。 Had to check out of the librarty four times （couldn't renew as there were others waiting）。 Learning about theories of the universe and the future are fascinating。 So glad I muscled through。 Will not forget this book。 Tough book to read - really dense， theories well beyond my physics ability - but so worthwhile。 Had to check out of the librarty four times （couldn't renew as there were others waiting）。 Learning about theories of the universe and the future are fascinating。 So glad I muscled through。 Will not forget this book。 。。。more
Ben Thompson
，
Greene tries to deal with the feeling of futility when one is faced with the eventual dissolution of the universe， at times fascinating （google "Bolzmann brains"） or silly （how can a living being be composed of nonliving particles？）。 Greene tries to deal with the feeling of futility when one is faced with the eventual dissolution of the universe， at times fascinating （google "Bolzmann brains"） or silly （how can a living being be composed of nonliving particles？）。 。。。more
B
，
My enormous compliments to Mr。 Greene。 I thought myself someone incapable of understanding basic physics - I was wrong！ He is such an effective science communicator and I am very grateful that he saw the need to put out a book with "nested stories"。 Can not recommend highly enough！ My enormous compliments to Mr。 Greene。 I thought myself someone incapable of understanding basic physics - I was wrong！ He is such an effective science communicator and I am very grateful that he saw the need to put out a book with "nested stories"。 Can not recommend highly enough！ 。。。more
Pooja Kashyap
，
There is no right or wrong in life。 More or less all these are personal experiences imposed on the external world。 The meaning or the value of all this completely manufactured， just like an acquired skill set。There is no universal answer waiting for us to find it， rather we are the product of mindless， purposeless laws of physics。From Greene’s point of view， this is deeply inspiring when you recognise that we are the product of nearly infinite collection of quantum processes。 We are the ordered There is no right or wrong in life。 More or less all these are personal experiences imposed on the external world。 The meaning or the value of all this completely manufactured， just like an acquired skill set。There is no universal answer waiting for us to find it， rather we are the product of mindless， purposeless laws of physics。From Greene’s point of view， this is deeply inspiring when you recognise that we are the product of nearly infinite collection of quantum processes。 We are the ordered collection of particles that can do amazing thing。 For instance， we can build the Hadron Collider， we have drifted in space with zero gravity， can experience beauty， we can feel adrenalin rush， varieties of emotions， all these bring in a sense of gratitude for being here。 Gratitude that borders on reverence for our existence。Until the End of Time: Mind， Matter， and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe is full of profundity。 A book that beautifully binds the threads of science， cosmology， philosophy， religion， creative expression， humanity/ consciousness until the end of time。 More: Until the End of Time 。。。more
Kristian
，
Don't be afraid of the physics and math。 But be prepared to reread some paragraphs。 How we came to be and how we cease to be， what forces are behind the known reality and what might have been or maybe even is， someplace sometime。。。 this book makes sense， even if you don't fully understand all of the known principles governing our reality。 Don't be afraid of the physics and math。 But be prepared to reread some paragraphs。 How we came to be and how we cease to be， what forces are behind the known reality and what might have been or maybe even is， someplace sometime。。。 this book makes sense， even if you don't fully understand all of the known principles governing our reality。 。。。more
John Scherpelz
，
A very comprehensive--judging from other reviewers' thoughts， perhaps overly-compehensive--study of the likely origins and end of the universe。 Greene explains in detail the more widely considered theories of how the universe that we know got its start; the vastness， the mindstretching expansiveness of the known universe， space and time that is orders of magnitude beyond what we can relate to from our own experience。I was challenged， and aided， within the limits of the puniness of my brain， by t A very comprehensive--judging from other reviewers' thoughts， perhaps overly-compehensive--study of the likely origins and end of the universe。 Greene explains in detail the more widely considered theories of how the universe that we know got its start; the vastness， the mindstretching expansiveness of the known universe， space and time that is orders of magnitude beyond what we can relate to from our own experience。I was challenged， and aided， within the limits of the puniness of my brain， by the author's use of the ascending stories of the Empire State Building as a log scale of time: the 1st floor represents 10 years after the Big Bang （AFBB）， the 2nd floor 100 years， the 3rd floor 1000， and so on。 My cognitive limits are evident in my inability to distinguish between the 12th floor， one trillion years AFBB， and the 13th floor， ten trillion years。 That assumes I can grasp the span from the ground floor and the 10th， where we live， 13。8 billion years AFBB。 The proverbial bottom line: really a lot of years。 I mean a LOT of years。 But these are the time and distance scales that we're considering， and the infinitesimal part of space and time that humans have inhabited。 One is tempted to say "insignificant，" but the significance of our lives， though very VERY brief， in an ordinary corner of a nearly infinite universe likely to end， is the point Greene drives toward in his closing chapter， "The Nobility of Being。" I agree with the author that "our existence is astonishing。" The middling chapters on entropy surprised and informed me， about how central the implications of the second law of thermodynamics are to our future; how thought will cease when the entropy of the Thinker， to use Greene's term， is less than that of the surrounding universe， and， unable to shed any more entropy， all Thinking activity must end。 And speaking of Boltzmann brains 。 。 。 how do we know that our perceptions of our self-awareness have continuity， and thus， fundamentally， are real？ For those tempted to skip the mid-chapters， "From Life to Mind，" "From Mind to Imagination， "From Imagination to the Sacred，" and "From the Sacred to the Sublime，" as being insufficiently about space， I recommend you persevere through them， because they help to properly place the experience of our lives in time and space。 "Until the End of Time" is not for the casual dabbler in cosmology。 If you're looking for cosmology lite--well， not watered down， but a briefer， easier read， check out Katie Mack's "The End of Everything。" Better yet， since you're probably sheltering at home， like most early in the year of 2021， as I write， read them both！ 。。。more
John Lindvay
，
It is a fascinating book combining science and philosophy。 Every sci-fi author could read it to come up with new ideas。 Although some parts are hard to understand， as a whole it is very rewarding in new ideas。 It has a lot of footnotes to show the way to other books that might also be similar in exploring some of the ideas expressed in the book。 No doubt it is reading with a lot of work; it took me a year going back， to finish it。 It starts with the big bang and goes to the end of life。
Jamie
，
He used a nice poetic prose but it meanders in a way that I got board pretty quickly。
Andrew Oldham
，
A book of thirds。 Opening and closing thirds where the focus is on physics where the author is an expert are fascinating and deeply interesting。 The middle third where the author meanders around philosophy and aspects of human life， had me begging for mercy。 Take out the middle third and this is a five star book。
Terry Cooke-Davies
，
Prepare to have your horizons broadenedIf you value both the richness of the humanities and the rigour of science， you will find much to reward you in this stimulating book。 In a sense， it is the ultimate ‘big history’ book written from the perspective of a prominent theoretical physicist。 But， like all good stories， it takes the reader on an engaging adventure which will challenge them to explore their most deeply held values。 I enjoyed it immensely。
Kem White
，
Greene's book is likely the best science book I've ever read。 He considers two fundamental physical processes （the "entropic two-step" and evolution） and applies them along with quantum mechanics to the start of time through the end。 （What the end actually looks like is still under discussion。） Along the way he discusses how human consciousness can arise （we don't really know）， how organized structures arise in light of the Second Law of Thermodynamics， and why humans don't have free will。 Some Greene's book is likely the best science book I've ever read。 He considers two fundamental physical processes （the "entropic two-step" and evolution） and applies them along with quantum mechanics to the start of time through the end。 （What the end actually looks like is still under discussion。） Along the way he discusses how human consciousness can arise （we don't really know）， how organized structures arise in light of the Second Law of Thermodynamics， and why humans don't have free will。 Some of his thinking is speculative （for instance， the evolutionary benefit of the arts） but it is all carefully footnoted with the thinking of multiple scientists presented。 In fact， the footnotes are one of the best aspects of this book。 It is clear that even though Greene is a physicist， his thinking， study， and expertise is wide-ranging。 You will not read this book quickly; the information content is too dense。 But the book's insights and Greene's uncanny ability to pellucidly explain complicated， abstruse physics makes the effort so rewarding。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
RobS
，
Greene makes many difficult topics easy to read。 Great read。
Kevin Stephens
，
The bad news: free will is an illusion， and intelligent life， consciousness itself， is doomed to an itsy-bitsy part in the cosmic saga。 The good news， according to Greene: hey， at least there was a little blip of time where particles got arranged in exactly the right manner for life to arise and wonder for a brief moment just what the hell is going on。 If that 's the kind of epiphany that brings you joy， read this book。; otherwise， read this book for a sobering account of where the cosmos has be The bad news: free will is an illusion， and intelligent life， consciousness itself， is doomed to an itsy-bitsy part in the cosmic saga。 The good news， according to Greene: hey， at least there was a little blip of time where particles got arranged in exactly the right manner for life to arise and wonder for a brief moment just what the hell is going on。 If that 's the kind of epiphany that brings you joy， read this book。; otherwise， read this book for a sobering account of where the cosmos has been and where it's headed （spoiler alert: entropy prevails）。 Of course， according to Greene， you cannot "decide" to read this book， you either will or won't and there's nothing you can do about it。 So， whatever。 This is a pretty good book， especially if you were looking for an excuse to abandon whatever self-improvement program you've been pursuing or considering。 。。。more
Hazel
，
I really enjoy Brian Greene's outlook on the cosmos and in humans eternal search for meaning。 I love that this book tackled subjects that I didn't expect; consciousness， death， creativity， and more。 Well done！ I really enjoy Brian Greene's outlook on the cosmos and in humans eternal search for meaning。 I love that this book tackled subjects that I didn't expect; consciousness， death， creativity， and more。 Well done！ 。。。more
Rebecca Chekouras
，