Michael Lockwood

The Labyrinth of Time

Previously when I've read books on the philosophy of time I've often found them to be full of obscure arguments (whose main purpose seems to be to show that the author is smarter than everyone else). Now Michael Lockwood has produced a work which doesn't get bogged down in abstract philosophising. That's not to say that you won't find some of the ideas in 'The Labyrinth of Time' challenging, but if you've read other 'popular science' type books then you shouldn't have too much trouble following this one. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the nature of time (and who isn't?)

The book is full of ideas about time, starting with what philosophers have had to say on the subject, and moving on to the nature of time in relativity, thermodynamics and quantum theory, as well as considering the possibilities of time travel.

One thing I wasn't too keen on was the derivation of the deterministic 'Block Universe' view from special relativity, a derivation which I think is philosophical sleight of hand. This doesn't detract from the rest of the book, although as I was reading I did begin to wonder about the lack of any discussion of Deutsch's many-worlds ideas of time travel, which was conspicuous by it's absence. It turned out that Lockwood was leaving it until last, as the method of time-travel which he thought of as most likely to be possible.

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Hardcover 414 pages
ISBN: 0199249954
Salesrank: 597659
Weight:1.68 lbs

Published: 2005 Oxford University Press, USA

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Amazon.co.uk info

Hardcover 414 pages
ISBN: 0199249954
Salesrank: 374671
Weight:1.68 lbs

Published: 2005 OUP Oxford

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Hardcover 414 pages
ISBN: 0199249954
Salesrank: 289280
Weight:1.68 lbs

Published: 2005 Oxford University Press

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Product Description
Modern physics has revealed our knowledge of the universe as a much stranger place than we could have imagined. The puzzle at the center of our understanding of the universe is time. Michael Lockwood takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the nature of things. He investigates philosophical questions about the past, present, and future, our experience of time, and the possibility of time travel. And he provides the most careful, lively, and up-to-date introduction to the physics of time and the structure of the universe. His aim is not just to boggle the mind, but to lead the reader towards an understanding of the science and philosophy.

Product Description

Modern physics has revealed our knowledge of the universe as a much stranger place than we could have imagined. The puzzle at the center of our understanding of the universe is time. Michael Lockwood takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the nature of things. He investigates philosophical questions about the past, present, and future, our experience of time, and the possibility of time travel. And he provides the most careful, lively, and up-to-date introduction to the physics of time and the structure of the universe. His aim is not just to boggle the mind, but to lead the reader towards an understanding of the science and philosophy.

Well Written *****
This book provides a great overview of the more interesting parts of modern physics, with some emphasis on time and the philosophy of time. It is less clearly focused on time than the cover suggests. If you want a deep and narrow focus on time, Huw Price's book Time's Arrow is more appropriate and provocative. Labyrinth of Time explains many things better than other physics books do. For instance, the standard description of the twin paradox suggests that acceleration is responsible for the differences in how each twin ages. Lockwood refutes that with a nifty diagram of a cylindrical space-time where unaccelerated twins age differently on world-lines of different lengths. The book provides good explanations of why the alleged paradoxes of time travel aren't sufficient to imply that time travel is impossible. Lockwood does a relatively good job of arguing in favor of the Everett (many world) interpretation of quantum mechanics, but that section requires enough experience with the subject that many laymen will have trouble following it. The speculations he reports about how time might mean before the Planck time are really strange.

Well Written *****

This book provides a great overview of the more interesting parts of modern physics, with some emphasis on time and the philosophy of time.
It is less clearly focused on time than the cover suggests. If you want a deep and narrow focus on time, Huw Price's book Time's Arrow is more appropriate and provocative.
Labyrinth of Time explains many things better than other physics books do.
For instance, the standard description of the twin paradox suggests that acceleration is responsible for the differences in how each twin ages. Lockwood refutes that with a nifty diagram of a cylindrical space-time where unaccelerated twins age differently on world-lines of different lengths.
The book provides good explanations of why the alleged paradoxes of time travel aren't sufficient to imply that time travel is impossible.
Lockwood does a relatively good job of arguing in favor of the Everett (many world) interpretation of quantum mechanics, but that section requires enough experience with the subject that many laymen will have trouble following it.
The speculations he reports about how time might mean before the Planck time are really strange.

Exhilarating and irritating ****
Michael Lockwood's book is both exhilarating and irritating. Chapter 1 introduces the ideas of tensed and tenseless time: this distinction contrasts the common sense view that time flows from an under-defined future through the instantaneous present to a fixed past, vs. the classical physics view that `now' is simply an index into a pre-existing space-time block universe, where there is no flow of time as such. This chapter may put off the casual reader, as it includes much conceptual hand-wringing on the meaning of words. It is a reminder of why science uses precise models expressed in mathematical language, with its clear semantics and rules of inference, rather than ordinary language discussion. Chapters 2-7 are far better. A conceptually clear explanation of special and general relativity, with a discussion of time travel (closed timelike curves) and mechanisms such as wormholes for accomplishing it. Chapter 8 changes gear as Lockwood introduces the Hamiltonian approach to classical mechanics, and phase spaces. Chapters 9 and 10 form an extended discussion about the role of entropy in time asymmetry, placed in a historical context. Again interesting and clear. Things get murky again in chapters 11-13. These purport to be a discussion about why we remember the past, but not the future, but the discussion is shapeless, visiting a number of topics in a meandering fashion. Chapter 14 brings us to Quantum Mechanics. As is the fashion these days, we are taken briskly through the `old quantum mechanics' to Hilbert spaces and energy eigenstate superposition as the driver of time-varying quantum probabilities. We are then brought to the Measurement Problem, the EPR paper and the various interpretations of QM. This is all pretty brisk, and the reader really needs to have had prior exposure to the Hilbert space formulation of QM to follow what is going on here. Lockwood, like David Deutsche, is a supporter of the `many worlds' interpretation of QM - he prefers a variant model comprising an `actuality' dimension. In chapter 15 he explains why this model (space-time-actuality) can resolve time travel paradoxes. Chapter 16 is a clear conceptual discussion of string/M-theory and loop quantum gravity - the two main unification thrusts in current physics. Chapter 17 suddenly goes off in an new direction, focusing on the neurological and philosophical basis of our psychological construct of the present moment. This is an extended period - Lockwood thinks about a second - called `the specious present'. The chapter ends in an obscure philosophical debate on `the temporal mode of presentation'. And that's it, the book ends. Read this book for the explanations of relativity, quantum mechanics and current frontier thinking in fundamental physics, where it is first-rate. The chapters which deal specifically with philosophical issues probably appeal to a different audience: they seem irritating and nit-picking to this reviewer - why not translate the discussions into formal models where they can be analysed properly? Finally, a number of issues are not well analysed or resolved, such as the nature of causality, the subjective view of time flowing and the reasons why we don't remember the future. Surely these are not purely philosophical issues, disconnected from our best physical theories? The lack of a concluding chapter is also a serious omission. Finally, you would need a degree in maths or a science subject to really engage with this book.

Exhilarating and irritating ****

Michael Lockwood's book is both exhilarating and irritating.

Chapter 1 introduces the ideas of tensed and tenseless time: this distinction contrasts the common sense view that time flows from an under-defined future through the instantaneous present to a fixed past, vs. the classical physics view that `now' is simply an index into a pre-existing space-time block universe, where there is no flow of time as such. This chapter may put off the casual reader, as it includes much conceptual hand-wringing on the meaning of words. It is a reminder of why science uses precise models expressed in mathematical language, with its clear semantics and rules of inference, rather than ordinary language discussion.

Chapters 2-7 are far better. A conceptually clear explanation of special and general relativity, with a discussion of time travel (closed timelike curves) and mechanisms such as wormholes for accomplishing it.

Chapter 8 changes gear as Lockwood introduces the Hamiltonian approach to classical mechanics, and phase spaces. Chapters 9 and 10 form an extended discussion about the role of entropy in time asymmetry, placed in a historical context. Again interesting and clear.

Things get murky again in chapters 11-13. These purport to be a discussion about why we remember the past, but not the future, but the discussion is shapeless, visiting a number of topics in a meandering fashion.

Chapter 14 brings us to Quantum Mechanics. As is the fashion these days, we are taken briskly through the `old quantum mechanics' to Hilbert spaces and energy eigenstate superposition as the driver of time-varying quantum probabilities. We are then brought to the Measurement Problem, the EPR paper and the various interpretations of QM. This is all pretty brisk, and the reader really needs to have had prior exposure to the Hilbert space formulation of QM to follow what is going on here. Lockwood, like David Deutsche, is a supporter of the `many worlds' interpretation of QM - he prefers a variant model comprising an `actuality' dimension. In chapter 15 he explains why this model (space-time-actuality) can resolve time travel paradoxes. Chapter 16 is a clear conceptual discussion of string/M-theory and loop quantum gravity - the two main unification thrusts in current physics.

Chapter 17 suddenly goes off in an new direction, focusing on the neurological and philosophical basis of our psychological construct of the present moment. This is an extended period - Lockwood thinks about a second - called `the specious present'. The chapter ends in an obscure philosophical debate on `the temporal mode of presentation'. And that's it, the book ends.

Read this book for the explanations of relativity, quantum mechanics and current frontier thinking in fundamental physics, where it is first-rate. The chapters which deal specifically with philosophical issues probably appeal to a different audience: they seem irritating and nit-picking to this reviewer - why not translate the discussions into formal models where they can be analysed properly?

Finally, a number of issues are not well analysed or resolved, such as the nature of causality, the subjective view of time flowing and the reasons why we don't remember the future. Surely these are not purely philosophical issues, disconnected from our best physical theories? The lack of a concluding chapter is also a serious omission. Finally, you would need a degree in maths or a science subject to really engage with this book.

A non-Mathematical Description of Modern Cosmology *****
As I picked up this book I was reminded of the old story of how at around 1900 the world's understanding of physics was considered 'all knowed up.' To be sure, there were a few constants to be evaluated to a few more decimals. Then came 1905 and an obscure physicist published a paper that turned everything upside down. His name was Einstein. Among the things that was turned upside down was our understanding of time. It appears that the fundamental nature of time is very far fron what common sense would lead us to believe. This book has the simple intent of changing the way that we look at time. It discusses the latest theories to in a non-mathematical approach intended for the non-scientist. The concepts he discusses are at the leading edge of presently understood cosmology. Perhaps understood is to strong a word, believed. Surprising to me is that the author has taught philosophy at Oxford for many years. As such he is willing to talk about things like time travel that the more doctrinaire physicists don't mention. Note that non-mathematical does not necessarily mean simple. These are not elementary concepts. Good Reading!

A non-Mathematical Description of Modern Cosmology *****

As I picked up this book I was reminded of the old story of how at around 1900 the world's understanding of physics was considered 'all knowed up.' To be sure, there were a few constants to be evaluated to a few more decimals. Then came 1905 and an obscure physicist published a paper that turned everything upside down. His name was Einstein. Among the things that was turned upside down was our understanding of time. It appears that the fundamental nature of time is very far fron what common sense would lead us to believe.

This book has the simple intent of changing the way that we look at time. It discusses the latest theories to in a non-mathematical approach intended for the non-scientist. The concepts he discusses are at the leading edge of presently understood cosmology. Perhaps understood is to strong a word, believed.

Surprising to me is that the author has taught philosophy at Oxford for many years. As such he is willing to talk about things like time travel that the more doctrinaire physicists don't mention. Note that non-mathematical does not necessarily mean simple. These are not elementary concepts. Good Reading!