David Layzer Book order

Exploring the interplay between randomness and order, this book presents a unique perspective on the universe's beginnings, arguing that it started in maximum disorder rather than pre-existing order. Layzer integrates Ernst Mayr's two-step creative process to explain the evolution of life, highlighting randomness and natural selection. He also examines libertarian free will through William James's framework, emphasizing the role of self-determination. Ultimately, the work harmonizes cosmic and biological evolution with traditional notions of free will, resonating with Einstein's philosophy on human creativity in science.

Eminent Harvard astrophysicist David Layzer offers readers a unified theory of natural order and its origins, from the permanence, stability, and orderliness of sub-atomic particles to the evolution of the human mind. Cosmogenesis provides the first extended account of a controversial theory that connects quantum mechanics with the second law of thermodynamics, and presents novel resolutions of longstanding paradoxes in these theories, such as those of Schroedinger's cat and the arrow of time. Layzer's main concerns in the second half of the book are with the philosophical issues surrounding science. He develops a highly original reconciliation of the conflict between traditional scientific determinism and the intuitive notion of individual freedom. He argues that although the elementary processes underlying biological evolution and human development are governed by physical laws, they are nevertheless genuinely creative and unpredictable.