Decoding Reality

Back when the world was powered by steam, scientists wondered whether the Sun was made of coal. In today’s computer-driven world, they think the Universe is processing information. It’s a powerful idea: “information is physical,” in the words of John Wheeler, inventor of the term ‘black hole’. And Vedral, in his excellent, thought-provoking book, expounds the idea clearly and persuasively. One wonders what the Universe is computing, and why – I recall Douglas Adams had something to say about that!

Marcus Chown is the author of We Need To Talk About Kelvin