"In short, Life Is Simple is enthralling."--Michael Blastland,
Prospect
A biologist argues that simplicity is the guiding principle of the
universe
Centuries ago, the principle of Ockham's razor changed our world by
showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life
Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries,
taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing
that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries.
This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to
those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the
universe itself. And in McFadden's view, life could only have emerged by
embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe
a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest.
Recasting both the history of science and our universe's origins,
McFadden transforms our understanding of ourselves and our world.