The Accelerating Universe

Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos

By: Mario Livio

Narrated by: Tom Parks

"The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things." (Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams)

"This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary discoveries that have made the last years a golden period for observational cosmology. But Mario Livio has not only given the reader one clear explanation after another of what astronomers are up to, he has used them to construct a provocative argument for the importance of aesthetics in the development of science and for the inseparability of science, art, and culture." (Lee Smolin, author of The Life of the Cosmos)

"What a pleasure to read! An exciting, simple account of the universe revealed by modern astronomy. Beautifully written, clearly presented, informed by scientific and philosophical insights." (John Bahcall, Institute for Advanced Study)

"A book with charm, beauty, elegance, and importance. As authoritative a journey as can be taken through modern cosmology." (Allan Sandage, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington)

©2000 Mario Livio (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

well written but not well argued

a nicely told story, good mix of physics/history of physics with humanities for tangible illustrations. but the author doesn't defend why the physics of an infinite universe should conform to some human ideal of beauty, let alone a 21st century Western one. and oddly he embraces this argument at the same time dismissing the anthropic principle which seems inconsistent to me.

terribly written book

the book starts with a complete rambling with no focus. the author might think beauty is important, but his approach does not work. the title of the book is "accelerating universe". after the first several chapters, I stopped listening.