Nothing is a compilation of works by New
Scientist writers on far reaching topics, with the one thing in common
being that they all relate to nothing in some way. Whether this be the placebo
effect, the number zero itself, black holes, or boredom. The articles are not
arranged by topic so if you read from cover to cover you jump around a lot,
which I enjoyed, but for the more conventional thinkers among us they have
handy pointers as to where to turn to in order to continue a thought.
The writing is accessible even for those sadly ignorant of
scientific theories such as myself. I’d say, however, that even if your
knowledge is sharper you’d still find something here to fascinate as the topics
are so broad. This book had me thinking in new ways, and considering ideas it
had never occurred to me to think about. The presence of the number zero now
seems obvious, necessary, permanent, but in fact it has only existed for around
half the time we have evidence of counting. The mental struggle for our
ancestors to come round to such an idea was surprising, and yet once thought
about more deeply, entirely understandable. The strength of the placebo effect,
although not a new idea to me, never ceases to amaze. Not, however, as much as
the power of the belief in being on death’s door. It is quite terrifying to
think how susceptible our minds are to suggestion, how our lives can be
extinguished by the mere belief that the end is nigh.
Nothing makes for an excellent read that will make you question the way
doctors talk to you about medicine, fear lack of exercise, and ponder the lives
of sloths. Rarely do you find a book that covers so much in such little space.
They are but mere tasters of much broader topics but if you want a book to
guide you toward your next topic of investigation or are merely after a few
scientific factoids to impress your friends, this book could well be what you’re
looking for. Who knew nothing could in fact encompass so much!
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