The Romance of Reality, Bobby Azarian
The Romance of Reality, Bobby Azarian
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The Romance of Reality
How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Co...

Author: Bobby Azarian

Narrator: Kaleo Griffith

Unabridged: 12 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: BenBella Books

Published: 06/28/2022


Synopsis

Why do we exist? For centuries, this question was the sole province of religion and philosophy. But now science is ready to take a seat at the table.
According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning.
But this bleak interpretation of nature is currently being challenged by cutting-edge findings at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and information theory—generally referred to as "complexity science." Thanks to a new understanding of evolution, as well as recent advances in our understanding of the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature's simplest "parts" come together to form ever-greater "wholes" in a process that has no end in sight.
In The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains the science behind this new view of reality and explores what it means for all of us. In engaging, accessible prose, Azarian outlines the fundamental misunderstanding of thermodynamics at the heart of the old assumptions about the universe's evolution, and shows us the evidence that suggests that the universe is a "self-organizing" system, one that is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness.
Cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said of humanity that "we are a way for the cosmos to know itself." The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement in fact rests on a scientific foundation and gives us a new way to know the cosmos, along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning—nothing supernatural required.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bernie on May 30, 2022

This book presents a metaphysics based on the relatively new (but increasingly mainstream) sciences of complexity, chaos, and information. It boldly explores some of the major questions that consume both philosophers and scientists, such as: how life came to be, what life’s purpose is (to the degree......more

Goodreads review by Oliver, on May 19, 2022

This book is ambitious and inspiring for everyone interested in the topics of complexity, evolution and psychology. It tries to unify several theories from various epochs to provide a rather positive perspective of things in our difficult times. The figures inside of it are clear, well designed and......more

Goodreads review by Sue on May 19, 2022

In, "The Romance of Reality" author Bobby Azarian has used words to create a tapestry of life's origins and emergence. I found it to be very thought provoking that the world and life is not an accident and life is not necessarily destined to a doomsday ending. I am a voracious reader, but not a scien......more

Goodreads review by Nilesh on October 11, 2022

The Romance of Reality keeps shuffling between a bit of sublime and a lot of ridiculous. The prose gets extremely muddled with heavy name-throwing when the author makes significant, unsubstantiated claims as if they are accepted, scientific facts by many experts, or just so obvious that only narrowl......more

Goodreads review by William on January 13, 2023

Let us stipulate from the outset, that the physical science, the many many citations, and the host of new terms are acceptable and accurate. I would not be able to dispute them in any event. This is a book of cosmology that argues that the universe is a reality that is not only scientifically descri......more