The Primacy of Doubt
From Quantum Physics to Climate Change, How the Science of Uncertainty Can Help Us Understand Our Chaotic World
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Narrated by:
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Tim Palmer
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By:
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Tim Palmer
About this listen
Why does your weather app say “there’s a 10 percent chance of rain” instead of “it will be sunny”? In large part, this is due to the insight of award-winning physicist Tim Palmer, who pioneered the introduction of uncertainty into weather and climate prediction.
Now, he wants to apply it to how we study everything else.
In The Primacy of Doubt, Palmer gives us a revolutionary vision of mathematical uncertainty that provides new insights into a range of practical problems and some of the deepest questions in science and philosophy. He draws connections that are in equal parts unexpected and fascinating: how ensemble forecasts can predict unpredictability, how the brain uses noise for creative thinking, how the geometry of chaos forces us to rewrite the laws of quantum mechanics, and in so doing reconciles determinism, free will, and moral responsibility.
A tour de force from a brilliant mind, The Primacy of Doubt shows that the fundamental law of the universe might just be to expect the unexpected.
©2022 Tim Palmer (P)2022 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Throughout history, scientists have come up with theories and ideas that just don't seem to make sense. These we call paradoxes. The paradoxes Al-Khalili offers are drawn chiefly from physics and astronomy and represent those that have stumped some of the finest minds. With elegant explanations that bring the listener inside the mind of those who've developed them, Al-Khalili helps us to see that, in fact, paradoxes can be solved if seen from the right angle.
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Almost Useless
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By: Jim Al-Khalili
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Spooky Action at a Distance
- The Phenomenon That Reimagines Space and Time-and What It Means for Black Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything
- By: George Musser
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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What is space? It isn't a question that most of us normally stop to ask. Space is the venue of physics; it's where things exist, where they move and take shape. Yet over the past few decades, physicists have discovered a phenomenon that operates outside the confines of space and time. The phenomenon - the ability of one particle to affect another instantly across the vastness of space - appears to be almost magical.
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Rambling but Asks Good Questions
- By Michael on 12-19-15
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The Science of Rick and Morty
- The Unofficial Guide to Earth's Stupidest Show
- By: Matt Brady
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Blending biology, chemistry, and physics basics with accessible - and witty-prose, The Science of Rick and Morty equips you with the scientific foundation to thoroughly understand Rick's experiments from the show, such as how we can use dark matter and energy, just what is intelligence hacking, and whether or not you can really control a cockroach's nervous system with your tongue. Perfect for longtime and new fans of the show, this is the ultimate segue into discovering more about our complicated and fascinating universe.
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Some good science in here?
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By: Matt Brady
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Beyond Biocentrism
- Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness, and the Illusion of Death
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In Beyond Biocentrism, acclaimed biologist Robert Lanza and astronomer Bob Berman take the listener on an intellectual thrill ride as they reexamine everything we thought we knew about life, death, the universe, and the nature of reality itself. The first step is acknowledging that our existing model of reality is looking increasingly creaky in the face of recent scientific discoveries.
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Here's the thing
- By Mikal on 11-09-18
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On the Future
- Prospects for Humanity
- By: Martin Rees
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- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
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Humanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes - good and bad - are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating book, renowned scientist and best-selling author Martin Rees argues that humanity’s prospects depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow.
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Science, the future, and great wisdom
- By Philomath on 10-29-18
By: Martin Rees
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Calculating the Cosmos
- How Mathematics Unveils the Universe
- By: Ian Stewart
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- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
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In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies form, why stars implode, how everything began, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, the fine-tuning of the cosmos for life, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of life on Earth being snuffed out by an asteroid.
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Crank alert: rejects modern cosmology
- By James Weisner on 03-20-17
By: Ian Stewart
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The Grand Biocentric Design
- How Life Creates Reality
- By: Robert Lanza, Matej Pavšič
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
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What is consciousness? Why are we here? Where did it all come from - the laws of nature, the stars, the universe? Humans have been asking these questions forever, but science hasn't succeeded in providing many answers - until now. In The Grand Biocentric Design, Robert Lanza, one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People", is joined by theoretical physicist Matej Pavšic and astronomer Bob Berman to shed light on the big picture that has long eluded philosophers and scientists alike.
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Should be in the fiction section.
- By Frank on 12-29-20
By: Robert Lanza, and others
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The Universe in the Rearview Mirror
- How Hidden Symmetries Shape Reality
- By: Dave Goldberg
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
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A physicist speeds across space, time, and everything in between showing that our elegant universe from the Higgs boson to antimatter to the most massive group of galaxies is shaped by hidden symmetries that have driven all our recent discoveries about the universe and all the ones to come. Why is the sky dark at night? Is it possible to build a shrink-ray gun? If there is antimatter, can there be antipeople? Why are past, present, and future our only options? Are time and space like a butterfly's wings? No one but Dave Goldberg, the coolest nerd physicist on the planet, could give a hyper-drive tour of the universe like this one.
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Good, but for whom?
- By Michael on 08-31-13
By: Dave Goldberg
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Dance of the Photons
- From Einstein to Quantum Teleportation
- By: Anton Zeilinger
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
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Einstein's steadfast refusal to accept certain aspects of quantum theory was rooted in his insistence that physics has to be about reality. Accordingly, he once derided as spooky action at a distance the notion that two elementary particles far removed from each other could nonetheless influence each others propertiesa hypothetical phenomenon his fellow theorist Erwin Schrdinger termed quantum entanglement.
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Brilliant author tries hard, but comes up short...
- By Michael on 07-27-12
By: Anton Zeilinger
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Quantum Enigma
- Physics Encounters Consciousness
- By: Bruce Rosenblum, Fred Kuttner
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
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In trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics, the most successful theory in science and the basis of one-third of our economy. They found, to their embarrassment, that with their theory, physics encounters consciousness. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner explain all this in nontechnical terms with help from some fanciful stories and anecdotes about the theory's developers. They present the quantum mystery honestly, emphasizing what is and what is not speculation.
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Wow. Very Informative and mind boggling.
- By Kevin Harper, Realtor on 08-11-17
By: Bruce Rosenblum, and others
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very interesting
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In the years following her role as the lead author of the international best seller, Limits to Growth - the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet - Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001. Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem-solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world....
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Skip to the Middle
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What listeners say about The Primacy of Doubt
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jacob Brenner
- 04-28-23
2/3 great science, 1/3 fun speculation
The application of nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory, primarily to weather and climate. The last third is very speculative and fun to think about, but even Palmer notes that this is currently unconstrained speculation. Also a very clear eyed view on human-induced climate change.
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- Eli L
- 07-09-24
Great
Loved the listen. Digestible but likely requires a bit of prior knowledge on some of the topics. Author does a great job breaking things down.
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- @DrCarlHoffman
- 02-03-23
Regarding God
He basically explains process theology in the last chapter. Although it is not published, I wrote a book on this subject.
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3 people found this helpful
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- James S.
- 03-10-23
Applied chaos theory; beware of quantum quackery
The author defended his physics PhD thesis on general relativity, but then switched to weather modelling where he made some important discoveries; e.g. the significance of large-scale atmospheric waves on climate.
He discusses many applications of nonlinear dynamics (aka chaos), e.g. in climate modelling, the spread of covid, etc. This part of the book is great.
He eventually meanders off into what many physicists would consider "the weeds" with discussions on consciousness and untestable connections between chaos and quantum mechanics. I don't think he made a very persuasive argument regarding the later, but it seems he ran out of space in the book to delve much deeper.
A good pop-sci book, with plenty of learning and edutainment to be had by all.
The book is well written, and equally well narrated by the author.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Cara Rhoades
- 10-01-23
Excellent critical thinking fuel
Including uncertainty as a value-adding component of reasoning about all of our modern complex issues is essential. This book describes why and how.
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- Brandon B.
- 01-08-23
Awesome
I really enjoyed this book. Well written, informative and thought provoking. Narration was excellent. Great if you’re into something a bit more challenging that typical popular science type books.
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- jhar14
- 02-01-24
Learned a ton
Scientists who have been in multiple industries should have more importance placed on what they have to say. This was an incredible book. The most fair and honest assessment of the climate situation I have come across. Super interesting and engaging. I learned a ton. I read/listen to ~50 books a year. This is going to be top 5 for sure. Thanks for writing this Tim Palmer!
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- Shalom Drimer
- 06-30-24
Good intentions but not great
Professor Tim Palmer has written a book with great potential but I was disappointed. He tried to be balanced on many issues like climate change and pandemics but seems to be unaware to the extent of bias in which, him and other scientists, have when they create prediction models. Even in the chapter of free will, it felt to me that it fell short on saying anything profound and substantial.
I was a bit disappointed.
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