An Infinity of Worlds

Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

By: Will Kinney

Narrated by: Graham Rowat

Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

In the beginning was the Big Bang: an unimaginably hot fire almost fourteen billion years ago in which the first elements were forged. The physical theory of the hot nascent universe—the Big Bang—was one of the most consequential developments in twentieth-century science. And yet it leaves many questions unanswered: Why is the universe so big? Why is it so old? What is the origin of structure in the cosmos? In An Infinity of Worlds, physicist Will Kinney explains a more recent theory that may hold the answers to these questions and even explain the ultimate origins of the universe: c, before the primordial fire of the Big Bang.

Kinney argues that cosmic inflation is a transformational idea in cosmology, changing our picture of the basic structure of the cosmos and raising unavoidable questions about what we mean by a scientific theory. He explains that inflation is a remarkable unification of inner space and outer space, in which the physics of the very large (the cosmos) meets the physics of the very small (elementary particles and fields), closing in a full circle at the first moment of time.

Kinney considers the consequences of eternal cosmic inflation. Can we come to terms with the possibility that our entire observable universe is one of infinitely many, forever hidden from our view?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (P)2023 Tantor

higher level

I read a lot of these pop-sci books and I really appreciated that this one didn't treat me like an idiot. I was familiar with most of the terminology already and this exploration of how the theories fit together was the next level of thinking about these concepts. Dr Kinney succeeds at giving me much to ponder without insulting my intelligence.

Raised my interest in inflation

When it comes to multiverses, I don’t need a lot of evidence, having thought a good deal about it and concluded that the idea of just a single universe is cartoonishly absurd. But when it comes to cosmic inflation I have been stubbornly skeptical and unconvinced. This book changed that. As it pretty convincingly shows, if you don’t believe cosmic inflation happened, you’ve got some ‘splainin to do- in fact you just might be a super horizon CMB polarization co-correlation denier. Don’t be that guy. Believe science.
It’s a testament to how interesting and informative this book is that I was able to bear with the reader for 6 hours. It’s not as bad as the sample the whole time.

Informative But Difficult Subject Material

This is one of the most thorough books on inflation, so it's the best or one of the best on the topic. I listened to the audio book three times and still do not feel I have a solid grasp on the subject. I think this book could be twice as large to go over the subject in more detail.