WHY DOES THE WORLD EXIST? by Jim Holt (non-fic)

I knew when I began this book there would not be an answer to existence vs. nothingness.  I asked myself why I kept reading.  The answer is, simply, that Jim Holt is an interesting and down to earth writer. As I have enjoyed his articles in the New Yorker, I was not disappointed in this book. It was a stretch to choose this for summer reading as it requires close concentration and mindfulness.  It is a good thing that Holt did all his research for me; I could agree/disagree or just throw up my hands in a complete lack of understanding, especially the bits containing mathematical formulas.  I didn't need Holt to remind me that there are limits to our intelligence.  However I kept returning for more.

While I didn't discover the meaning of nothing, I did discover that a number of modern cosmologists and philosophers have a sense of humor and are not imprisoned in ivory towers.  The reader meets:  David Deutch, Adolf Grunbaum, John Leslie, Derek Parfit, Roger Penrose, Richard Swinburne Steven Weinberg and most interestingly John Updike who not only was a surprise, but gave me new insights into his novels.  Holt's travels to meet these great and esoteric minds takes him to London, Oxford, Paris, Pittsburgh, and Austen, Texas.  There are delicious meals, wines sampled and sights to be enjoyed along the way.

One of the most delightful sections of the book tells of Holt's visit with Adolf Grunbaum.  We meet him in a chapter titled "The Great Rejectionist."  Grunbaum teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is a philosopher of science and we are told "the foremost thinker about the subtleties of space and time."  It turns out this visit was not all gobbledygook about nothingness, but includes good meals and a harrowing journey to a mountain-top restaurant (Mt. Washington) for dinner and a picturesque view overlooking the city of Pittsburgh.

If, as I, you find thinking about the meaning of life makes you feel like a dog chasing its tail, you couldn't have a better guide than Holt.  Likewise, if you just want to catch up on modern thinkers and haven't had a cosmology course since university.  As I finished the last page of the book, I was sorry to leave the company of Jim Holt, but happy to get back to the minutiae of my little life and leave the heavy thinking to the philosophers.