What Is Life?

With Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches

By: Erwin Schrödinger, Roger Penrose - foreword

Narrated by: Bob Souer

Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the 20th century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular biology and the subsequent discovery of the structure of DNA. The philosopher Karl Popper hailed it as a "beautiful and important book" by "a great man to whom I owe a personal debt for many exciting discussions."

It appears here together with "Mind and Matter", his essay investigating a relationship which has eluded and puzzled philosophers since the earliest times. Schrödinger asks what place consciousness occupies in the evolution of life and what part the state of development of the human mind plays in moral questions.

Brought together with these two classics are Schrödinger's autobiographical sketches. They offer a fascinating fragmentary account of his life as a background to his scientific writings, making this volume a valuable addition to the shelves of scientist and layman alike.

©1967 Cambridge University Press (P)2019 Tantor

Dr Schrödinger- An excellent mind

interesting to take part of this highly intelligent person’s thoughts around the profound questions of life and consciousness

A rare and valued find

This book was published 2 mo before I was born almost 75 years ago. it's amazing how a great mind can make such accurate observations before Watson and Crick'. You'll find this confirmed in 'A Crack in Creation' by Doudna

Clearly explaining complex ideas

Still holds up a real science banger FR. Modern science really stands on the shoulders of giants and this book sums up a whole bunch of that stuff for the layman its p rad

Scientific Thinking At Its Very Best.

The only thing that parallels the quality of this writing is the quality of the reader. I listen to this book over and over - the clarity of Schrödinger, his thought and syntax style is inspiring.

useful new ideas

the book contains some very useful insights about what are characteristics of life and, I would say, question evolution as theory about life. but it the text was unnecessary confusing at times.