Luke Muehlhauser

The Big Picture

May 11, 2016 by Luke 1 Comment

Sean Carroll’s The Big Picture is a pretty decent “worldview naturalism 101” book.

In case there’s a 2nd edition in the future, and in case Carroll cares about the opinions of a professional dilettante (aka a generalist research analyst without even a bachelor’s degree), here are my requests for the 2nd edition:

  • I think Carroll is too quick to say which physicalist approach to phenomenal consciousness is correct, and doesn’t present alternate approaches as compellingly as he could (before explaining why he rejects them). (See especially chs. 41-42.)
  • In the chapter on death, I wish Carroll had acknowledged that neither physics nor naturalism requires that we live lives as short as we now do, and that there are speculative future technological capabilities that might allow future humans (or perhaps some now living) to live very long lives (albeit not infinitely long lives).
  • I wish Carroll had mentioned Tegmark levels, maybe in chs. 25 or 36.

Filed Under: Musings

Comments

  1. Louis says

    June 14, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    You’re no dilettante.

    Reply

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