The Order of Time

May 7, 2018
In this far-reaching text rife with references to poets, artists, and philosophers, as well as scientists, theoretical physicist Rovelli (Seven Brief Lessons on Physics) takes readers through the current scientific understanding of time, stating that “we inhabit time as fish live in water.” Rovelli begins with a look at why time, Rainer Maria Rilke’s “eternal current,” only flows forward. Humans can see the past but not the future, he writes, because of how heat flows, from hot to cold. He states that “only where there is heat is there a distinction between past and future,” using as an example a film of a rolling ball gradually slowing, due to heat-producing friction; if run backwards, the film becomes absurd. Entropy, “the quantity that measures this irreversible progress of heat in only one direction,” provides the direction of “time’s arrow.” Meanwhile, the human perception of simultaneity, the idea of “now” in two different locations, is an illusion, an insight that Rovelli calls “perhaps the greatest and strangest of Einstein’s discoveries.” In considering time, Rovelli also explores quantum time, loop theory, and the nature of memory. As much philosophy as physics, this accessible study introduces the complex questions behind the perception and study of time.

Keep your finger near the rewind buttons as you listen to this stunning exploration of the physics and philosophies of time. Rovelli is a patient teacher, but the subject matter is very difficult to grasp. Fortunately, we have narrator Benedict Cumberbatch's talents to carry us along. His velvety bass voice is a delight to listen to--comforting and companionable, with perfect cadences to signal when the difficult concepts he's speaking about need extra attention (or a 30-second skip-back to hear again). The result is a performance that feels like a conversation with Professor Rovelli himself steadily guiding you as he dismantles all notions of time and helps you rebuild your understanding of it. D.L.Y. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine