The Universe Within

The most anticipated nonfiction book of the season, this year's Massey Lectures is a visionary look at the way the human mind can shape the future by world-renowned physicist Neil Turok.

Every technology we rely on today was created by the human mind, seeking to understand the universe around us. Scientific knowledge is our most precious possession, and our future will be shaped by the breakthroughs to come.

In this personal, visionary, and fascinating work, Neil Turok, Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, explores the transformative scientific discoveries of the past three centuries — from classical mechanics, to the nature of light, to the bizarre world of the quantum, and the evolution of the cosmos. Each new discovery has, over time, yielded new technologies causing paradigm shifts in the organization of society. Now, he argues, we are on the cusp of another major transformation: the coming quantum revolution that will supplant our current, dissatisfying digital age. Facing this brave new world, Turok calls for creatively re-inventing the way advanced knowledge is developed and shared, and opening access to the vast, untapped pools of intellectual talent in the developing world. Scientific research, training, and outreach are vital to our future economy, as well as powerful forces for peaceful global progress.

Elegantly written, deeply provocative, and highly inspirational, The Universe Within is, above all, about the future — of science, of society, of ourselves.

The 2012 CBC Massey Lectures Tour

Lecture 1 — Magic That Works — St John's, Newfoundland

Wednesday, October 10, 8:00 p.m.

Lecture 2 — Our Imaginary Reality — Montreal, Quebec

Friday, October 12, 8:00 p.m.

Lecture 3 — What Banged? — Vancouver, British Columbia

Tuesday, October 16, 8:00 p.m.

Lecture 4 — The World in an Equation — Calgary, Alberta

Thursday, October 18, 8:00 p.m.

Lecture 5 — The Opportunity of All Time — Toronto, Ontario

Wednesday, October 24, 8:00 p.m.