The Janus Point: A New Theory of Time

What is time? The Janus Point offers a ground-breaking solution to one of the greatest mysteries in physics. For over a century, the greatest minds have sought to understand why time seems to flow in one direction, ever forward. In The Janus Point, Julian Barbour offers a radically new answer: it doesn't. At the heart of this book, Barbour provides a new vision of the Big Bang - the Janus Point - from which time flows in two directions, its currents driven by the expansion of the universe and the growth of order in the galaxies, planets and life itself. What emerges is not just a revolutionary new theory of time, but a hopeful argument about the destiny of our universe. 'Both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought' Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics 'Profound...original...accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time' Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal 'Takes on fundamental questions, offering a new perspective on how the Universe started and where it may be headed' Science Magazine

About the Author :
Julian Barbour is a former Visiting Professor in Physics at the University of Oxford and author of the highly regarded The Discovery of Dynamics and the bestseller The End of Time. His papers have been published in the world's most prestigious scientific journals, including Nature, Proceedings of the Royal Society and Physical Review Letters and he has made numerous appearances on national radio, television and in various documentaries. The Janus Point is his first book in twenty years and the culmination of five decades' work.

Review :
Julian Barbour is a profound and original thinker with the boldness to tackle some of nature's deepest problems. He is also a fine writer, and this renders his book - despite its conceptual depth - accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time With a rare humanity and a perspective based on a lifetime of study, Barbour writes a book that is both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought The origin of the arrow of time is arguably the most important conceptual problem in cosmology, and the prospect that it can be solved in a universe where time flows "backward" in the far past is as exciting as it is provocative. In this engaging book, Julian Barbour conveys this excitement admirably The Janus Point shows history-in-the-making: a project to recast the foundations of all of cosmology, gravity, thermodynamics and the arrow of time. The book has given me a lot to ponder. As Gauss said of Riemann's habilitation lecture, '[it] exceeded my expectations' Julian Barbour has no peer when it comes to explaining scientific ideas in a way that is accessible without being simplistic Julian Barbour has discovered an unexpected and remarkably simple feature of Newtonian dynamics that is the basis of his seductive and eloquently presented explanation of the history of the universe, even time itself This delightful, provocative book is a cosmic physics adventure, enlivened with history and poetry Julian Barbour has a complete mastery of the history of ideas yet a remarkable lightness and clarity in explaining what are profound concepts. The Janus Point is controversial and gripping, an extraordinary introduction to his view of the universe Barbour takes on fundamental questions, offering a new perspective - illustrated with lucid examples and poetically constructed prose - on how the Universe started (or more precisely, how it did not start) and where it may be headed. This book is an engaging read, which both taught me something new about meat-and-potatoes physics and reminded me why asking fundamental questions can be so fun A closely argued, substantive take on one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of physics, written by someone who has wrestled with not only the physics, but also the history and philosophy relevant to his subject. What's more, Barbour's approach, unlike many in the popular science game, is to publish only when he thinks he has something worth saying. That alone is enough to make him worth listening to