The Secret Life of the Universe

Religion and Science are often seen as opposing one another, but in fact they are both ways of searching for the truth about the universe. Could it be that in time science will come to converge with what has previously been seen as mystical or religous. Such is the claim of Amy Corzine in The Secret Life of the Universe: The Quest for the Soul of Science

Well at least that's what the blurb suggests. The trouble is that it's hard to see just what the book is saying. It jumps around from topic to topic, never staying with one long enough to give any useful information. The only consistent thing is a nagging criticism of Western society - it seems its easy to be negative about the society we live in, especially when you aren't constrained by facts. But one might hope that someone recommending a positive outlook on life could have followed her own recommendation. It's such as shame - towards the end Corzine devotes a whole ten pages to the subject of near death experiences and this is enough to begin to be of interest. But there are so many other things that could have been interesting if they had been dealt with more fully, such as Corzine's time with the Findhorn community. The book may be of use to those who want for a starting point for looking into the convergence of science and mysticism - it has useful endnotes, bibliography and resources pages. Otherwise I would suggest that you leave it alone.