Free eBooks The Science Of Discworld IV: Judgement Day Available To Downloads
A brilliant new Discworld story from Terry Pratchett combined with cutting-edge science and philosophy from Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. This time the trio take on THE REALLY BIG QUESTIONS -- God, the Universe and, frankly, Everything Else. The fourth book in the Science of Discworld series, and this time around dealing with THE REALLY BIG QUESTIONS, Terry Pratchett's brilliant new Discworld story Judgement Day is annotated with very big footnotes (the interleaving chapters) by mathematician Ian Stewart and biologist Jack Cohen, to bring you a mind-mangling combination of fiction, cutting-edge science and philosophy. Marjorie Daw is a librarian, and takes her job -- and indeed the truth of words -- very seriously. She doesn't know it, but her world and ours -- Roundworld -- is in big trouble. On Discworld, a colossal row is brewing. The Wizards of Unseen University feel responsible for Roundworld (as one would for a pet gerbil). After all, they brought it into existence by bungling an experiment in Quantum ThaumoDynamics. But legal action is being brought against them by Omnians, who say that the Wizards' god-like actions make a mockery of their noble religion. As the finest legal brains in Discworld (a zombie and a priest) gird their loins to do battle -- and when the Great Big Thing in the High Energy Magic Laboratory is switched on -- Marjorie Daw finds herself thrown across the multiverse and right in the middle of the whole explosive affair. As God, the Universe and, frankly, Everything Else is investigated by the trio, you can expect world-bearing elephants, quantum gravity in the Escher-verse, evolutionary design, eternal inflation, dark matter, disbelief systems -- and an in-depth study of how to invent a better mousetrap.
Series: Discworld
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ebury Press (April 21, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0091949807
ISBN-13: 978-0091949808
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.3 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #488,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Science Fiction & Fantasy #216 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Literature #1036 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Astronomy
The Omnian sect refuses to accept that the world is a disc resting on the back of four elephants who in turn rest on the back of a space turtle. In spite of all evidence, they stick to their outdated belief that the world is round. While experimenting with high energy magic, the wizards of Unseen University have accidently created such a world in a magicless bubble, which they call Roundworld. The Omnians want Roundworld and they want the Wizards to cease all their sacrilegious activities.Science, as the Science of Discworld series presents it, is a means for understanding the world around us. We live in a causal world where everything happens for a reason (Science of Discworld 1) but those causes are behind us. Science is predictive it the sense that causes have effects, it is not predictive in the sense that it will predict the future.From Science's point of view, the world has no purpose. Paradoxically, we human beings love stories, in fact we absolutely need stories (Science of Discworld 2) or else we will never understand the raw data the universe bombards towards us. We call these stories "models" and we build models of the universe that are simple enough for us to understand but complex enough to predict how the universe works. Simpler models might be useful even when they are wrong. We say the sun rises and sets, even though we know the earth is spinning on its axis. We need myths and legends and we need Shakespeare to give some sort of spiritual meaning to our lives. From the power of narrative, we get the energy to study the world.But Science does not confuse these myths and legends with reality. When we impose a purpose or a direction to what the universe is doing, we aren't doing science anymore, we are doing theology (The Science of Discworld 3).
The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day (The Science of Discworld Series Book 4) TERRY PRATCHETT: SERIES READING ORDER: MY READING CHECKLIST: DISCWORLD SERIES, THE SCIENCE OF DISCWORLD SERIES, TERRY PRATCHETT'S OTHER BOOKS BASED ON DISCWORLD The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day 21 DAY FIX: 30 Top 21 DAY FIX RECIPES with complete container count PREP IN 15 MIN OR LESS (21 day fix recipes, 21 day fix cookbook, 21 day fix book) Critique of Judgement The Last Battle (Werewolf: Time of Judgement) Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (Discworld) The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld The Color of Magic: A Novel of Discworld The Color of Magic (Discworld) Mort: A Novel of Discworld Sourcery: A Novel of Discworld Guards! Guards!: A Novel of Discworld Men at Arms: A Novel of Discworld Witches Abroad: A Novel of Discworld Equal Rites (Discworld) New Word A Day: 365 New Words A Day - One word for each day! The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two B: The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame) The Science Explorer: The Best Family Activities and Experiments from the World's Favorite Hands-On Science Museum (Exploratorium Science-At-Home Book) Exploring Science Through Science Fiction (Science and Fiction)
