Over the last few hundred years an avalanche of discoveries have changed our world dramatically, having a profound effect on what we think really matters. Now, theoretical physicist Sean Carroll breaks down how the universe works at the quantum, cosmic and human levels, and links them together to reveal how our human values relate to scientific reality.

A synthesis of cosmos-sprawling science and the most profound questions about life, death and our place in the universe, The Big Picture is the ultimate guide through the scientific revolution that has taken us from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness and the universe. As Carroll’s eloquent quest to explain everything demonstrates, our lives may forever be dwarfed by the immensity of the universe but they can be redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning.