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Alan Lightman

Alan Lightman avatar consisting of their initials in a circle with a dark grey background and light grey text.

Alan Lightman earned his Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology and is the author of seven novels, including the international best seller Einstein’s Dreams. His nonfiction includes The Accidental Universe, and most recently, The Miraculous from the Material. He is currently a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. He is the host of the public television series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science.

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Philosophy

The Power of Small Wonderments

Alan Lightman’s three greatest revelations while writing <i>The Miraculous from the Material</i>.

November 19, 2024
Physics

When the Heavens Stopped Being Perfect

The advent of the telescope punctured our ideals about the nighttime sky.

March 22, 2018
Physics

My Personal Hero: Alan Lightman on William Gerace

December 24, 2016
Astronomy

Is Life Special Just Because It’s Rare?

Vitalism in the age of modern science.

October 8, 2015
Philosophy

My Own Personal Nothingness

From a childhood hallucination to the halls of theoretical physics.

July 31, 2014