The Science of Discworld
When a wizardly experiment goes adrift, the wizards of Unseen University find themselves with a pocket universe on their hands: Roundworld, where neither magic nor common sense seems to stand a chance against logic. The Universe, of course, is our own. And Roundworld is Earth. As the wizards watch their accidental creation grow, we follow the story of our universe from the primal singularity of the Big Bang to the Internet and beyond. Through this original Terry Pratchett story (with intervening chapters from Cohen and Stewart) we discover how puny and insignificant individual lives are against a cosmic backdrop of creation and disaster. Yet, paradoxically, we see how the richness of a universe based on rules, has led to a complex world and at least one species that tried to get a grip of what was going on.
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7recommend
20mentions
16people
2011–2026years
40% recommend55% neutral5% critical
Mentions per year
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- I remember this paper being discussed in the novel "Science of Discworld" -- a super interesting book involving collaboration between a fiction author and some real world scientists -- where the fictional characters in the novel discover our universe and its rules ... I always thought there was some deep insight to be had about the universe within this paper. Now moreso I think the unexpectedness says something instead about the nature of engineering and control and human mechanisms for understanding these sorts of systems ... -- sort of by definition human engineering relies on linearized approximations to characterize the effects being manipulated -- so something which operates in modes far outside those models is basically inscrutable. I think that's kind of expected but the results still provoke the fascination to ponder the solutions super human engineering methods might yet find with the modern technical substrates.
- The Science of Discworld series of books are surprisingly good for things that sound, on first hearing of them them, like a quick cash in.
Both the science writing and the Discworld content is pretty great and well integrated together.
The Folklore of Discworld book is also great, digging into the myths and folklore that was referenced and lampooned.
- I highly recommend the *unabridged* original audio books, especially the later stories narrated by Stephen Briggs or Celie Imrie (Witches series). The earlier stories narrated by Nigel Planer sounded like he was still in his "The Young Ones" [0] character and grated on me for many years although now I find him easier to accept when I re-listen (which I do frequently!).
Unfortunately (for me at least), the recently re-recorded collection (by the Pratchett estate) using different voice artists (Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy, Steven Cree) don't capture the same 'magic' as the original voices and often fail to recognise and pronounce the subtle double and triple entendres (e.g. of the Nac Mac Feegles) - which suggests they and the editors don't fully appreciate the humour Pratchett intended.
Don't miss the "The Science of Discworld" series (book I (1999), II:The Globe (2002), III:Darwin's Watch (2005), IV:Judgement Day (2013)) where the chapters alternate between stories of the Wizzards (voiced by Stephen Cohen) of Unseen University accidentally creating Roundworld (Earth and our universe) and then tinkering with its evolutionary timeline in a battle with the Elves, eventually leading to humans leaving the planet using a Space elevator, and serious explanation and exposition of the sciences by Jack Cohen and Professor Ian Stewart (voiced by Michael Fenton-Stevens).
Those make a great introduction to science for kids young and old!
"The Folklore of Discworld" and some of the loosely related stories such as Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook (voiced by Penelope Keith - a skit on the Victorian era "Bradshaw's" railway travel guide [2] and a spin-off from "Raising Steam", featuring her travels on the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygienic Railway), "The World of Poo" (Sam Vimes son's fascination with collecting poo specimens) and, unrelated to Discworld but written in the same tongue-in-cheek style "Dodger", a tale set in Victorian London featuring a lovable Tosher discovered by 'Charlie' (Charles Dickens).
[0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00glhzn
- I'm not sure that's the case. I think there's been some times (like maybe pre-Devonian), where the Earth was pretty much Waterworld.
There was a series of books that Terry Pratchett co-authored, called The Science of Discworld, where a bunch of wizards were creating a planet, and it went through a bunch of phases, punctuated by E.L.E. asteriod impacts. I think it was a fanciful chronicle of early Earth.
Interesting books.
- Do a thing: read the Science of Discworld books.
I posit that Terry Pratchett also has a lot to say about narrative causality as it applies to IRL.
- I learned about this from the "Science of Discworld" books, I believe the first one, which I cannot recommend enough if you like Sir Terry.
