# The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity - Hardcover

by **Bobby Azarian** (Author)

**Why do we exist? For centuries, this question was the sole province of religion and philosophy. But now science is ready to take a seat at the table.**

According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning.

But this bleak interpretation of nature is currently being challenged by cutting-edge findings at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and information theory--generally referred to as "complexity science." Thanks to a new understanding of evolution, as well as recent advances in our understanding of the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature's simplest "parts" come together to form ever-greater "wholes" in a process that has no end in sight.

In The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains the science behind this new view of reality and explores what it means for all of us. In engaging, accessible prose, Azarian outlines the fundamental misunderstanding of thermodynamics at the heart of the old assumptions about the universe's evolution, and shows us the evidence that suggests that the universe is a "self-organizing" system, one that is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness.

Cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said of humanity that "we are a way for the cosmos to know itself." The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement in fact rests on a scientific foundation and gives us a new way to know the cosmos, along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning--nothing supernatural required.  

### Author Biography

**Bobby Azarian** is a science journalist and a cognitive neuroscientist with a PhD from George Mason University. He has written for publications including _The Atlantic_, _The New York Times_, BBC, _Scientific American_, Slate, HuffPost, Quartz, and Aeon. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as _Human Brain Mapping_, _Cognition & Emotion_, _Acta Pychologica_, and _Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society_. His blog "Mind in the Machine," hosted by Psychology Today, has received over 8 million views. Azarian worked on Season 2 of the YouTube Premium psychology-based series _Mind Field_ (as a consultant and researcher), which helped the show win its first Emmy nomination. He has appeared on _The Joe Rogan Experience_, _The Michael Shermer Show_, The David Pakman Show, and _The Young Turks_ to discuss his work. He is based in Arlington, Virginia.

**Number of Pages:** 320

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 9.1 x 6.3 IN

**Publication Date:** June 28, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 26.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 26.95 USD | In stock |

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- The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity - Hardcover

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