A Master Piece. Any good library must have a copy of this Classical work. The well-known author bases his philosophy on a very sound knowledge of present-day scientific theories. ...... Indian Journal of Physics

We are all Gal-Orians. ...... Foundations of Physics (Editor)

This is a great book, and an exciting book; readable, worth reading and enlightening. ..... Sir Karl Popper

Recommended by ..... Encyclopedia Britannica, Nature, Philosophy of

This is one of the most beautiful books that I have read.
................ Outstanding Books List.

Evokes a person heart! Has generated a large number of responses from around the world, some declaring that it has turned them into “Gal-Orians”. Since the thought presented by this book is so rich, translators of our country should recommend this book with all their intellectual power. ...... Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tour de force. A magnificent and sustained piece of work! Gal-Or’s net is widely cast – it reaches as far as science policy and political philosophy. ....... Sir A. Cottrell, Chancellor, Cambridge University

Appeals to scientists of all disciplines who are prepared to open their minds. Shines a welcome light in some dark corners of science. Sir Karl Popper, in a Foreword, correctly describes it “a great book”. ........ New Scientist

I do not know a better modern expression of science, philosophy and classical humanism than that of Gal-Or’s book. ....... Haarretz

Gal-Or’s “beauty” has always been the object of science, which, he lyrically observes as “a most fundamental aesthetic frame of mind, a longing for the run-away horizons of truth and symmetry that we always try to reach.” ....... Order Amidst Chaos, Enlightenment Aesthetics

The works of scientists like Gal-Or, Bohm, and (Noble Prize-Winner) Prigogine provide important resources. Prigogine's formalisms do not really tell us how irreversible change emerges from reversible [mathematics]. (in this Gal-Or is superior). [his] Doctrine is rather more promising … [concluding] that it is necessary to unify theories of reversible and irreversible change first (i.e., dynamics and thermodynamics), before attempting to unify relativity and quantum [physics]. He rejects, furthermore, attempts at unification which give a leading role to quantum [physics] and to information-theoretical understanding of organization. … Because of this, he argues, it must be treated strictly as a local theory and not as a matrix for unification. Gal-Or assigns priority instead to general relativity and [gravity, which he shows how it ] drives … the emergence of chemistry, life, and intelligence. ........ Philosophy of Science, Foundation for Social Progress

It is only in the quantum theory that Newton’s differential method becomes inadequate, and indeed strict causality fails us.
But the last word has not yet been said.
May the spirit of Newton’s method give the power to restore unison between physical reality and the profoundest characteristics of Newton’s teaching-strict causality. ........ Albert Einstein

“Objecting to the idea of quantum physics as the source of time asymmetry, Gal-Or pointed out that the mathematics of quantum mechanics maintains the same symmetry in time as the other laws of physics.”

”[Instead of this grand wrong theory of physics] Gal-Or claims that the irreversibility of thermodynamics is completely due to the time asymmetry of changing boundary conditions. [He claim] that a system which is in equilibrium consists only of reversible processes, but change the boundary conditions and there is an irreversible process as the system seeks a new equilibrium.

So the reason Gal-Or gives for why "entropy" is increasing is that the [boundaries between any nearby super-clusters of galaxies and the cold, void-space between & surrounding them ("SPACE-1")] are changing as [any such cooling space, by repeated observations] expands." [The well-verified 'expansion of the universe'.]

“[Another] problem is that the second law of thermodynamics has been erroneously identified with the increase of “disorder” and "entropy."

So the real time asymmetry is not the increase of entropy or disorder, but the decrease of usable energy.” [identified as the radiating energy outspreading to said "Space-1/voids" from all condensed-hot gravitational sources, and irreversibly being dissipated there.]. ........ Michell McKain, Science Forum , The Arrow of Time, Dec. 5, 2005.

"I have in the meantime studied your book, with great interest, and made pages of notes on it. I feel as if I had been on numerous walks and talks with you on the great questions, and know that would be great to go on with them!
Who cannot be impressed by your love for the great men of all times and all countries, by your phrase “working back and forth between theory and fact”, by your belief that philosophy is too important to be left to the philosophers, by your concern for where thought and language lie in the scheme of things – and by so much more!
I continue to reflect, again and again, on your central thesis that expansion is the origin of all asymmetry in time. What an ingenious phrase is your, “smuggle irreversibility in without declaring the contraband”!
I regard your book as seeking to accomplish two tasks – and being two books – at the very least. One is the exposition of your central thesis, with clarity, and careful mustering of every argument pro and con that can lead to testable consequences.
I don’t see how it is possible to do proper justice to a thesis of such importance by mixing it in with the other great task. That is to give students an appreciation of the unity of philosophy and modern physics. You do both tasks far better than I could hope to. I give you my personal thanks for putting the two books into a package that I personally have found most thought-provoking. ................... John A. Wheeler, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton

Einstein's time-symmetric tensor was elevated by Gal-Or’s “New Astronomical School of Unified Thermodynamics” to the status of the source of “Master Asymmetry” controlling not only irreversible thermodynamics, but all physical and biological phenomena!

Gal-Or calls “GRAVITISM” (his philosophy) that gravitation is the prime cause of structures, irreversibility, time, geo-chemical and biological evolution -- that the expansion of the universe is the cause of the second law of thermodynamics -- that microscopic physics, and thermodynamics in particular, cannot be understood without reference to cosmology. He ties “irreversibility” to the “expansion of space itself”, i.e. as far as space is expanding, the contribution of all kinds of radiation in space is weakened “irreversibly” due to the expansion phenomenon itself. Such loss, or “degradation” of energy in the depth of inter-cluster expanding space, may then be considered as a universal sink for all the radiation flowing out of the material bodies in the expanding universe. ............ Advancement of Physics, APEIRON

Gal-Or's remarkable book sees and seizes the world whole. He emphasizes that all scientists operate under some set of philosophical prejudices, and that failure to acknowledge this is self-delusion. Furthermore, he argues that a failure to attend to the philosophical base of physics leads to an empty scientism.
His work is challenging on many levels, constituting a review 'with derivations' of general relativity 'as applied to cosmology', thermodynamics, the current state of theoretical particle physics, astrophysics, as well as a summary history of western philosophy, 'especially the philosophies of time and mind' and critiques of western society, the intelligentsia and the relationship between academic science and government.

One 'and perhaps the central' theme explored, is that of the interplay between symmetry and asymmetry. His primary interest is not in the recent progress in the unification of forces in gauge theory, although he finds support in it for his Einsteinian outlook, but is rather time, time's arrow, and the asymmetry between past and future. Around time are accumulated discussions, both mathematical and philosophical, of thermodynamic reversibility, time reversibility, the nature of causality, and the use of advanced and retarded solutions to wave equations.

The second major theme is that of gravity and its overwhelming domination of the actual form of the universe, at all scales. The combination of these themes is not accidental; they are point and counterpoint to his thesis that the time asymmetries are connectable to and perhaps even determined by the master asymmetry given by the gravity of general relativity: the remorseless cosmological expansion. He argues that only the expansion can provide the unification of time asymmetries.

The expansion provides, among other things, an unsaturable sink for radiation, which, in turn, permits the establishment of gradients in temperature and density, which provide the basis for the physical process that leads to life.

He also criticizes the sloppy and improper use of the concepts of entropy 'and the related notions in information theory' and quantum indeterminism, especially as covers for an inadequate understanding of temporal asymmetries.

Taking an Einsteinian position on the interpretation of quantum mechanics, he looks forward to revitalization of Einstein's quest for a deterministic interpretation of quantum events.

The value of this book lies in the challenging combination of ideas which Gal-Or presents, which goes far beyond what can be sensibly described in a review. [This] work may be too large to digest as a text in these days of the decline of academic institutions "as Gal-Or describes them", but that will be the loss of both the faculty and the students. ................... AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS

"The Judeo-Christian Tradition” is in accord with Gal-Or’s conclusions states Weisskopf and quotes “Cosmology, Physics & Philosophy”: "Most astrophysicists, cosmologists and astronomers agree that the biblical account of cosmic evolution, in stressing a beginning´ and the initial roles ofvoid,´ light´ and astructure-less´ state, may be uncannily close to the verified evidence with which modern science has already supplied us." ............ V. F. Weisskopf, Scientific American

One noted scientist [B. Gal-Or], even affirms that the stress placed by Genesis, Chapter one, on ‘beginning’ and the initial roles of ‘void’, ‘light’ and a ‘structure-less’ state, “may be uncannily close to the verified evidence with which modern science has already supplied us.” ................ Christian Apologetics Journal

A comprehensive explication of a large area of science which the reader may study in many subjects. Highly recommended to the philosopher of science. ............. Contemporary Philosophy

An interesting and original book, easy to read, interesting and fascinating. ........ Novo Cimento

This book has a wide-ranging scope. Dr. Gal-Or develops a philosophy of science which he calls Havahyism. .......... NASA-Smithsonian Astrophysics Data Systems, NL

Interesting to read, integrating much of scientific material.
............ Deutsche Literaturzeitung

Gal-Or launches a new spirit of inquiry by his excellent and thought provoking writings. I would recommend awarding a prize and would hope that this would serve to focus attention on a most important subject. ............ T. Gold, Cornell University

One of the best books on the totality of the sciences & the universe. It was one of the favorite books of Sir Karl Popper. It looks at physics and the universe as a totality of the mathematical philosophical understanding. It also combines the physical concept of time with human psychological perception and brain understanding of languages. ............ Robin (forumhub.com/expr/@202.54.92.222

A book like this should be in all libraries and in the hands of many astronomers. .............. NASA-Smithsonian Astrophysics Data Systems, NL