The Secret Life of the Universe: The Quest for the Soul of Science

Have you ever wanted a concise explanatin of our world from an academically brilliant yet gentle spirit that understands the connections between man's quest for scientific knowledge and its relation to our need for universal truths? Amy Corzine puts it all together for you.

I was immediately intrigued by this book's title and cover. Its scope is daunting, and I was skeptical that Ms. Corzine could bring together so many perspectives, but she boldly tackles its wide-ranging topic with verve and studiousness. Not being a scientist myself, I appreciated the way she laid out the path of modern science - where it has been and where it has progressed. Step-by-step, the author deftly documents the story of conventional Western study and thinking. However, the strength of the text is not the study of mainstream conventions and research, but the look beyond. Far from being a dry monograph, The Secret Life of the Universe aptly illustrates the interconnectedness of science and philosophy by encompassing a myriad of perspectives. The text challenges one to reconsider how the world is perceived. This is a cautionary tale - a poignant reminder that we must take heed of forces greater than ourselves and examine the road less travelled, the pathway forgotten. The voice of the author, both professorial and anecdotal, is ideally pitched to draw upon a mosaic of professional and personal resources. Perceptive and timely, Ms. Corzine should be applauded for her latest effort. A reader with an open mind will be encouraged to find that science may indeed have a soul if we know where to look. Since reading it, I find that I am looking at the world in an entirely new way. Isn't that the point of her book? If so, she has achieved total success. I can't wait to reread it.

As if to illustrate her main point, the interconnectedness of all things, Amy Corzine moves in great leaps and bounds across the interface between the science of the material universe, and the science of the soul. Taking her lead from writers such as Fritjof Capra, she creates a guide to the new ways of seeing the world that are current amongst thinkers at the present time, all those many concepts of which we have heard, or of which we are just faintly aware. A book about ideas might become abstract and hard to read, but Amy recognises that we think with our emotions and all our being, and so each idea is told succinctly, and connected with a personality or anecdote that holds it in the memory. Her wonderfully eclectic mind keeps us guessing where she will take us next, but wherever she goes, she comes across with a real heartfelt passion for her subject.

A truly Herculean effort to "pull it all together."Very timely with all the recent fuss about the Large Hadron Collider and an increasing need and desire for people to understand the connectivity between mind and matter.

Amy Corzine's The Secret Life of the Universe is an amazing accomplishment (with extensive bibliography), connecting the human experience with the universe as a whole, especially that part of it which touches us... including, and perhaps most especially that which lies beyond our typical sensory perceptions... to compare the similarities of a more time-tested spiritual (across all mystical and religious spectra) view with a more recent scientific one. In doing so, she captures a common sense of universality in all things, with various perspectives merging beautifully to show a most magical world /universe in both simple and complex terms, and offers a clear and useful view of how we as humans can make the most of our place in this wondrous world and the universe beyond and around us. Very empowering and comprehensive! An easy must-read for anyone interested in the inner workings of life on earth.