A Many-Colored Glass - 9780813926636

Drawing from his 2004 lectures as part of the Page-Barbour series at the U. of Virginia, Dyson (physics emeritus, Princeton U.) speaks to ordinary people who are interested in science but have not specialized knowledge of biology or astronomy. As he speaks of how life fits into the seemingly unconcerned and unconvinced universe, he finds room for the practical and the political, the implications of biology for philosophy and religion, and disciplines ranging from astronomy and ecology to neurology and theology. Dyson makes not attempt to consolidate all his ideas into a unified theory but instead celebrates each notion in turn, whether or not it fits neatly with any of the rest. Dyson's great skills in communication keeps this from rambling, and the effect is a celebration of diversity and difference. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)