May 2, 1997

Lee Smolin, professor of physics, is the author of "The Life of the Cosmos," a book that contains his new theory of the universe, which has been described as "elegant, comprehensive, and radically different from anything proposed before." Smolin's theory is based on his premise that "The underlying structure of our world is to be found in the logic of evolution." It also is based on recent developments in cosmology, quantum theory, relativity, and string theory, which Smolin's clear and articulate text makes accessible to the layperson. The book offers an understanding of how these developments may fit together to form a new theory of cosmology that provides a framework for illuminating many intractable problems, from the paradoxes of quantum theory and the nature of space and time to the problems of constructing a final theory of physics.

Recently published by Oxford University Press, the book has received enthusiastic reviews by such well-known figures as Paul Davies, professor of natural philosophy at the University of Adelaide, who says "Smolin is a deep and original thinker. In this provocative book he merges key elements of Einstein and Darwin in a breathtaking synthesis. The result is nothing less than a radically new view of the cosmos and our place within it." Roger Penrose, the Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and the Francis R. Pentz and Helen M. Pentz Distinguished Visiting Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Penn State, says "Lee Smolin's 'The Life of the Cosmos' is a fascinating book. The central theme is an extraordinarily speculative idea, but very well argued for. There is a wealth of interesting information accompanying material here--as one would expect from an author of such breadth and depth of physical understanding." Stuart Kaufmann, a professor at the Santa Fe Institute, says "Lee Smolin asks some of the most fundamental unanswered questions in cosmology and physics" and describes "The Life of the Cosmos" as "a wonderful book--indeed a thrilling book."