Guest Review: A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing by Lawrence Krauss

A Universe From Nothing is a non-fiction science book about the origins of the universe by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss. Krauss is a phenomenally insightful writer that approaches this cosmological argument from a point of view that is accessible and digestible to someone with no prior experience of physics or astronomy.

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Some of the questions Krauss tackles in his book include where the universe came from, what came before it, what the future entails and why there is something instead of nothing. Krauss begins his tale diagnosing the origin of the universe from the Big Bang up to the Cosmological Microwave Background Radiation.

In A Universe from Nothing, Krauss dismisses String Theory as he claims it provides an inadequate amount of scientific proof for success. In addition, Krauss has argued effectively in A Universe from Nothing that the origins and physics of the Universe do not require any supernatural deity or god.

Krauss argues that “nothing” is unstable and eventually through quantum fluctuations a an immense period of inflation could occur which was the result of the Big Bang. Moreover, this is a book for anyone interested in learning more about cosmology in a way that is not theoretical or academic. Additionally, it is a book that paints a picture of the cosmos in a very simple, straightforward and concise way.

The origin of the book was inspired by a lecture Lawrence Krauss gave on the subject of why there is something rather than nothing in the universe. In addition, famous evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins gave an afterword to the book. Christopher Hitchens was supposed to give a forward to the book, but was too ill to produce the writing before he passed about in 2011.

Lawrence Krauss is the foundation professor of Earth and space exploration and physics department and Director of the Origins Initiative, Arizona State University. His work has made vast contributions in particle physics and theoretical physics. What makes this book such a rich and integral read is because it goes from the beginning of the universe up to how it will end.

The core of the book deals with a common mystery of our universe. That mystery includes both the origin and end of the universe. Moreover, Krauss covers the terrain from what led up to these massive investigations in cosmology in the past decade. In addition, Krauss traces the thread back to Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Einstein and Edwin Hubble. Krauss also explains how 2 people who were not looking for it discovered the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation in NJ. In fact, this was one of the most remarkable discoveries in cosmology, which awarded these 2 pioneers with the Nobel Prize.

Furthermore, A Universe from Nothing is a book for scholars, nonprofessionals, teachers, artists and everyone in between. A highly digestible science book does not overwhelm the reader with excess jargon or theoretical equations. In this sense, it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. That is coming from something that had only the slightest interest in physics and cosmology before reading the book. It is definitely a life changer and an immensely inspiring work of non-fiction. This book should be a staple in any collection.

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Author Bio:

Jack Meyers is a regular contributor for www.nannybackgroundcheck.com. As a detective he wants to spread the knowledge of terrible things that can happen when people don’t fully verify the credentials of a caregiver or any employee. He also writes for various law enforcement blogs and sites.

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