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Alan Lightman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Memphis, TN, The United States

Website

https://cmsw.mit.edu/alan-lightman/

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Science, Memoir

Member Since

February 2019

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Alan Lightman is an American writer, physicist, and social entrepreneur. Born in 1948, he was educated at Princeton and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. He has received five honorary doctoral degrees. Lightman has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. His scientific research in astrophysics has concerned
black holes, relativity theory, radiative processes, and the dynamics of systems of stars. His essays and articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper’s, the Alan Lightman is an American writer, physicist, and social entrepreneur. Born in 1948, he was educated at Princeton and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. He has received five honorary doctoral degrees. Lightman has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. His scientific research in astrophysics has concerned
black holes, relativity theory, radiative processes, and the dynamics of systems of stars. His essays and articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper’s, the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications. His essays are often chosen by the New York Times as among the best essays of the year. He is the author of 6 novels, several collections of essays, a memoir, and a book-length narrative poem, as well as several books on science. His novel Einstein’s Dreams was an international bestseller and has been the basis for dozens of independent theatrical and musical adaptations around the world. His novel The Diagnosis was a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent books are The Accidental Universe, which was chosen by Brain Pickings as one of the 10 best books of 2014, his memoir Screening Room, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best books of the year for 2016,
and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine (2018), an extended meditation on science and religion – which was the basis for an essay
on PBS Newshour. Lightman is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also the founder of the Harpswell Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to advance a new generation of women leaders in Southeast Asia.” He has received the gold medal for humanitarian service from the government of Cambodia.

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Average rating: 3.81 · 169,279 ratings · 12,310 reviews · 50 distinct works • Similar authors

	Einstein’s Dreams 4.06 avg rating — 43,684 ratings — published 1993 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew 3.85 avg rating — 4,879 ratings — published 2013 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine 4.01 avg rating — 2,312 ratings — published 2018 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr g 3.63 avg rating — 2,425 ratings — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In Praise of Wasting Time (TED Books) 3.68 avg rating — 1,471 ratings — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings 3.94 avg rating — 1,024 ratings — published 2021 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ghost 2.96 avg rating — 1,184 ratings — published 2007 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Good Benito 3.41 avg rating — 982 ratings — published 1995 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Diagnosis 2.86 avg rating — 1,159 ratings — published 2000 — 40 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Sense of the Mysterious: Science and the Human Spirit 3.83 avg rating — 671 ratings — published 2005 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Alan Lightman's Blog

Alan Lightman's Blithering Blog

Hello Goodreads Community.

This is the first posting on my first blog. The occasion of starting this blog is the publication of my new novel,
THREE FLAMES.Three Flames
This book is dear to my heart, as it comes out of 30 trips to Cambodia over a 15 year period and listening to the stories of people and a culture that was devastated by the Khmer Rouge army in the mid 1970s. I am particularly impressed Read more of this blog post »

6 likes · Like • 1 comment • flag

Published on September 07, 2019 09:02

Quotes by Alan Lightman (?)

“Suppose time is a circle, bending back on itself. The world repeats itself, precisely, endlessly.”
― Alan Lightman, Einstein’s Dreams

1249 likes

“The tragedy of this world is that no one is happy, whether stuck in a time of pain or of joy. The tragedy of this world is that everyone is alone. For a life in the past cannot be shared with the present. Each person who gets stuck in time gets stuck alone.”
― Alan Lightman, Einstein’s Dreams

tags: loneliness, sadness, tragedy

352 likes

“The tragedy of this world is that everyone is alone. For a life in the past cannot be shared with the present.”
― Alan Lightman, Einstein’s Dreams

tags: human-nature, loneliness, tragedy

215 likes

See all Alan Lightman's quotes »

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Alan Lightman’s Followers (1,346)

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Alan Lightman

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Alan Lightman's Blog

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Alan Lightman’s Followers (1,346)

Alan’s Bookshelves

Alan’s Friends (1)

Alan Lightman

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Popular Answered Questions

Combine EditionsAlan Lightman’s books

1 postAlan Lightman's Blog

Alan Lightman's Blithering Blog

Topics Mentioning This Author

Alan’s Friend Comments

Learn more
Ask the Author

Combine Editions
Alan Lightman’s books

1 post
Alan Lightman's Blog