Fundamentals

Nonscientific societies often develop rich and complex technologies. Some of those technologies enabled ­and still do enable ­people to thrive in difficult environments, such as the Arctic or the Kalahari Desert. Others supported the construction of great cities and impressive monuments, such as the Egyptian and Mesoamerican pyramids.

Still, throughout most of human history, prior to the emergence of the scientific method, the development of technologies was haphazard. Successful techniques were discovered more or less by accident. Once stumbled upon, they were transmitted in the form of very specific procedures, rituals, and traditions. They did not form a logical system, nor was there a systematic effort to improve them.

Technologies based on rules of thumb allowed people to survive, reproduce, and, often, to enjoy some leisure and achieve satisfying lives. For most people, in most cultures, over most of history, that was enough. People had no way to know what they were missing, or that what they were missing might be important to them.

But now we know that they were missing a lot. This figure, which shows the development of human productivity with time, speaks for itself, and it speaks volumes.

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The modern approach to understanding the world emerged in Europe in the seventeenth century. There were partial anticipations earlier, and elsewhere. But the constellation of breakthroughs known as the Scientific Revolution provided inspiring examples of what could be achieved by human minds creatively engaged with the physical world, and the methods and attitudes that led to those breakthroughs gave clear models for future exploration. With that impetus, science as we know it began. It has never looked back.

The seventeenth century saw dramatic theoretical and technological progress on many fronts, including in the design of

humanistic book. It celebrates what we know without pretending that is more than it is: The world is complex beyond our ability to grasp, and rich in mysteries, but we know a lot, and are learning more. Humility is in order, but so is self-respect. Physics World

[Wilczek] turns out to be a true visionary. The Times (London)
 
"A gorgeous and inviting overview of the fundamental facts of physical reality.   Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now

This is an exuberant, gorgeously crafted, and intellectually thrilling book, written by one of our greatest living scientists yet hospitable to all. To be reminded that time and space, mystery and order, are so much stranger and more generous than we can comprehend this is a gift to public life and moral imagination in a young century where what is visible and tangible feels chaotic and constricting. This book is also unexpectedly spiritually thrilling. Wilczek makes the remarkable move of picking up and evolving the classic scientists faith that their investigations would reveal the mind of our maker, as well as Einstein s self-described cosmic spiritual sensibility. What began as an exposition, as Wilzcek writes, grew into a contemplation. The result is a profoundly enriched understanding, accessible to the religious and non-religious alike, of what it means to be human and what we might be pointing at when we use the word God.   Krista Tippett, host of On Being and author of Becoming Wise
 
"If you were to go back just two hundred years and tell people what we knew, from the origins of the universe to the molecular basis of life, and how weird and unintuitive nature is at the atomic scale, they would think we were crazy. But if you showed them what we have created with that knowledge, they would think we were magicians. In this engaging and highly accessible book, Frank Wilczek shows how the vast edifice that is modern science was constructed with only a few ingredients and assumptions, but depended crucially on a way of thinking about the nature of evidence and how it applied to the world around us. Anyone interested in the underlying basis of the complexity of today s science will enjoy this book.   Venki Ramakrishnan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and author of Gene Machine
 
"How is the universe put together? Beneath the bewildering clamor of the world around us, there lies a hidden realm of subtle mathematical beauty, a bedrock of fundamental principles in which all of nature is grounded. Few living scientists have accomplished more than Frank Wilczek in helping unveil that deeper layer of existence. With poetry and fervor, Wilczek takes us on a breathtaking journey to the frontiers of physics, and reminds us of just how privileged we human beings are to glimpse the foundations of reality.   Paul Davies, Regents' Professor at Arizona State University and author of The Demon in the Machine 
 
"Fundamentals reflects Frank Wilczek s extraordinary intellectual range as one of the most venerated, original, and daring physicists of our time. Frank s admiration for nature and mathematical beauty infuses his ruminations on 'ten keys to reality,' his curated collection of the most profound physical touchstones. Through the ten chapters, the reader has the privilege of following this great mind from discoveries into the realm of speculation for an exceptional opportunity to revel in the mysteries of the universe.   Janna Levin, author of Black Hole Survival Guide
 
This is a book about deep ideas, not passing fancies. It will teach you profound principles, not dry lists of facts. It's a rare treat indeed to get a glimpse into the mind of one of the world's leading physicists, presented in an engaging style that will be enjoyed by anyone at all.   Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden
 
Frank Wilczek is not only one of the world's greatest physicists; he's also one of its greatest explainers. Fundamentals is lucid, beautiful, and revelatory.   Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University, and author of Infinite Powers

"This book is a gem. As a school boy, I devoured popular science books by Gamow and Asimov, but kept wondering if anyone could succeed as admirably with modern theoretical physics, especially particle physics and cosmology with their counterintutive concepts and specialized jargon. The answer is the book that you now hold in your hands. The author manages to inspire us, transporting us into the wonderland of modern physics without ever compromising on facts."  V. S. Ramachandran, author of The Tell-Tale Brain 
 
Beguiling . . . Wilczek manages to convey advanced physics without overtaxing lay readers with complexities and knotty concepts, and does so by sticking closely to lucid accounts of the experiments and calculations scientists perform to establish how the world works, and by using straightforward but evocative descriptions of natural phenomena . . . a stimulating and very readable scientific tour of the cosmos. Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
All of the technical aspects are presented in accessible language, and Wilczek blends in relatable examples, anecdotes, quotes, and bits of humor, taking pains to differentiate between fact and theory. Booklist, starred review

A breathtaking feat . . . the narrative is a mind-bender of the first order in the best way possible but what makes it so engrossing is that the author does far more than just present the facts and speculations, however fascinating; on every page, readers will glean his exhilaration and joy in discovery . . .  Another winner from Wilczek, who invites us to be born again into a richer, deeper understanding of the world.   Kirkus, starred review