Serious science and mathematics readings discussion

Hi esteemed members of this wonderful group!

I was waiting for the new year to start before embarking upon our first collective reading project on this group. It seems there are 5 of us here, and we may fancy ourselves as the founding fathers and mothers of what will hopefully grow into a huge family of science lovers.

Please leave a small note about yourself. Also suggest upto five books that you may wish the group to read in January, in preference order. I will create a poll on basis of those. Please try to suggest stuff easily accessible in a popular bookstore or on Kindle, and hopefully costing less than a television.

My name is Swapnam and I currently work for S&P Global in Amsterdam as a Software Developer. I have a Masters in Computer Science, so my interests lean heavily towards the mathematical sciences and the issues of interpretation and philosophy surrounding them. I am also an avid lover of art and love going to museums and perusing through art theory/history to make my visits more illuminating (ditto for music).

I think the profound truths unearthed in the sciences and the transcendent patterns discovered by artists are two sides of the same coin, and the only activities that bring joy, meaning and purpose in our ephemeral human lives. I hope I can learn a beautiful thing or two from you all.

The books I suggest are :
1. Philosophy of Physics - Quantum Theory, Tim Maudlin : Self contained
2. Quantum Mechanics and Experience, David Albert : Self contained
3. General Relativity, The Theoretical Minimum, Leonard Susskind : needs some knowledge of Special Relativity, beginner friendly otherwise
4. The Beginning of Infinity, David Deustch : I have often heard the AGI community talk in concepts/ideology borrowed from here, whether consciously or otherwise
5. The Alignment Problem : The least technical book on this list, but perhaps the most pragmatic and topical

Hello everyone,

First and foremost, I'd like to say I’m very excited to explore some of the most pressing questions in physics and philosophy with kindred spirits!

My name is Ana, and I am an engineer by training, currently working in finance. I love reading anything that challenges my mental constructs and belief systems, pushing me out of my comfort zone to grow. This way, my internal program of reinforcement learning stays model-free (no pun intended—tee hee!).

That being said, here are my personal picks. I’ve been procrastinating on reading many of these, but what better opportunity than with a group? I trust this books will be entertaining at the very least and enlightening at best. Looking forward to reading with y’all! <3


Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality - Max Tegmark

Talks about the ultimate ensemble hypothesis where the universe is not just described by mathematics but is itself a mathematical structure. the idea of the Ultimate Ensemble, suggests that all possible mathematical structures exist as physical realities, with profound implications for cosmology, physics, and the nature of existence.
Complexity - Low

Fractals and Chaos - Benoit Mandelbrot

This book explores the mathematics of fractals and chaos theory, illustrating how irregular shapes and patterns in nature can be modeled mathematically. Mandelbrot emphasizes their applications across diverse fields, from physics to finance.
Complexity - Med

New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram

Wolfram explores the concept of computational systems as the foundation of physical and biological complexity. Like the other books, it bridges mathematics, physics, and biology, emphasizing how simple rules can generate intricate patterns and systems.
Complexity: Medium-High


The Geometry of Biological Time by Arthur T. Winfree
Winfree explores how biological rhythms, such as circadian cycles and cardiac rhythms, can be understood through the geometry of time, revealing patterns in the synchronization and stability of oscillatory systems.
Complexity med-high

Thermodynamic Theory of Structure, Stability, and Fluctuations by Ilya Prigogine and Paul Glansdorff

This text expands on non-equilibrium thermodynamics, focusing on dissipative structures and their role in creating order and complexity in natural systems far from equilibrium
Complexity med-high

Ana wrote: "Hello everyone,

First and foremost, I'd like to say I’m very excited to explore some of the most pressing questions in physics and philosophy with kindred spirits!

My name is Ana, and I am an en..."

Welcome to the group Ana! It is clear you'll have much of value to say here, at least until the New Year enthusiasm fades away, tee hee :)

My local library has Mandelbrot's "The Fractal Geometry of Nature" (another one of the half-read-got-interrupted-by-life). I hope that is acceptable as a substitute.

The poll is now up on the group home page with the 10 books mentioned till now. I will add more to it as members make proposals. Please vote, results are visible but submissions are anonymous.

Deadline to submit your books is upcoming Sunday midnight, Greenwich time. We will begin reading on Monday, unless everyone has already voted earlier and we are in agreement on the final choice.

I have added all the above books to the group's bookshelf, so that we can revisit them later. Members can also freely add books there, do remember to shelve them under "to-read".

The poll has ended (without much voting sadly) and Tim Maudlin's text of Philosophy of Physics, Quantum Theory shall be the book of the month. I will start a discussion thread on the book. Happy reading everyone.