In Benjamin Labatut’s WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD, we are given an extraordinary literary tapestry revealing the connections between science and consequence, madness and genius, and knowledge and oblivion.
This is not typically written, somewhere between an essay and a novel, a work of creative nonfiction that explores the brilliant minds and tortured souls of some of early twentieth century’s most brilliant scientists. With a quick pace that had me turning pages as if it was a thriller, Labatut shows us major discoveries in mathematics and physics and what they meant. The personalities are compelling, tortured geniuses for the most part, raising the old question of whether madness produces genius or if it’s the other way around. A novel of theme, the primary exploration is knowledge and the toll this takes on people and societies, with vast leaps in human understanding of the universe contrasted against the backdrop of two global wars and the rise of fascism. It all leads to the boldest leap into triumph and tragedy as several men carve out quantum physics, upending centuries of physics and showing that the pinnacle of knowledge may mean knowing nothing for certain.
Overall, WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND was different than most books I’ve read and a fascinating story not only of science and what it costs but of the geniuses who shook the world.
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