The Mysterious Universe - James Jeans

1948 hardcover with dust jacket and 141 pages in very good condition.
In the first chapter,1 Jeans reflects on the meaning of life in a seemingly indifferent universe. And for him, modern physics does have something to say on the matter: It leads people to recognize an intimate connection between human beings and the universe. The philosophical framework underpinning Jeanss worka form of metaphysical idealism, in which ultimate reality is mind-like rather than matter-likemay strike modern readers as odd.
Many present-day popularizers, from Neil deGrasse Tyson to Sean Carroll, would probably agree with Jeans on the importance of addressing existential questions, since they frequently explore such questions in their own books and television shows. But they would likely take issue with Jeanss idealism. Reading Jeans today illuminates a long tradition of existential, best-selling popular science and inspires an investigation into the philosophical assumptions in current popularizations.