Comparing the search for a unified Theory of Everything underpinning existence to the great monotheistic religions of humankind, physicist Marcelo Gleiser argues that the rise of life and intelligence on earth are in fact the accidental results of a gloriously messy, disordered universe, and are all the more rare and precious because of it.
"A scientist's deeply personal plea to accept and cherish the universe as it is—with all its rich and creative imperfections—rather than seek in vain some sterile notion of simplistic 'oneness.' Urging humility above all before the fantastic complexity of our universe, Gleiser reminds us that neither the universe nor life needs a 'reason' in order to be meaningful. Only by embracing the fragility and unlikeliness of our existence can we create a new morality aimed at fighting not each other, but together as a species, for the continued existence of what is probably the only life in the universe capable of fully appreciating all that surrounds us."—K.C. Cole
