Looks at the growth of chemical and structural order in the universe and discusses the origin of the universe, quantum physics, and evolution

Cosmogenesis: The Growth of Order in the Universe

Politics & Social Sciences

Layzer, David

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

Eminent Harvard astrophysicist David Layzer offers readers a unified theory of natural order and its origins, from the permanence, stability, and orderliness of sub-atomic particles to the evolution of the human mind. Cosmogenesis provides the first extended account of a controversial theory that connects quantum mechanics with the second law of thermodynamics, and presents novel resolutions of longstanding paradoxes in these theories, such as those of Schroedinger's cat and the arrow of time. Layzer's main concerns in the second half of the book are with the philosophical issues surrounding science. He develops a highly original reconciliation of the conflict between traditional scientific determinism and the intuitive notion of individual freedom. He argues that although the elementary processes underlying biological evolution and human development are governed by physical laws, they are nevertheless genuinely creative and unpredictable.

Traces the history of theories about the nature of the universe, looks at the contributions of scientists from Copernicus to Einstein, and summarizes current theories of cosmic evolution

Constructing the Universe (Scientific American Books)

Science & Math

Scientific American Library

Book by Burbidge, Geoffrey, Layzer, David

Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics: 1984 (Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics)

Burbidge, Geoffrey

Astronomy & Space Science

Annual Reviews

Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics: 1987 (Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics)

In Cosmogenesis, his first book, David Layzer showed that the universe had not begun, as many physical scientists believe, with a large amount of information and order that is slowly being destroyed by the increasing entropy and disorder demanded by the second law of thermodynamics. Instead of approaching a "heat death," the universe began in a state of maximum disorder, with a primordial randomness that is a new source of objective indeterminacy. The growth of order in the universe is seen in the creation of atoms and molecules as well as the creation and evolution of the planets, stars, and galaxies. In this, his last book, Why We are Free, Layzer sees the origin and evolution of the living world as the result of Ernst Mayr's two-step creative process, with randomness in the first step and natural selection determining the outcome. Layzer's libertarian free will also comes in two stages, as described by William James, the first is the chance generation of alternative possibilities, the second is the decision and choice that grants consent to one possibility, making it actual, an act of self-determination. Layzer's account of cosmic evolution fits comfortably with biological evolution and with the traditional view of free will, which holds that we are the authors of actions that help shape the future. Why We are Free also fits nicely with Albert Einstein's view that our physical theories are "free creations of the human mind."

Why We are Free: Consciousness, free will and creativity in a unified scientific worldview

I-Phi Press

Das Universum: Aufbau, Entdeckungen, Theorien (German Edition)

Mathematics

Spektrum Akademischer Verlag

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Books by Layzer, David