Rezension
From the reviews of the fifth edition:
"Why does one never see a broken cup on the floor, jump back on the table? A question that many will have heard during lectures on statistical physics … . Dieter Zeh addresses this and similar phenomena expressing the asymmetric evolution of time. … I would like to recommend this book to those who have a deep interest in the problems associated with the arrow of time, as it contains a enormous amount of information on the subject and explains the problems very well." (J. Dubbeldam, Kwantitatieve Methoden, 2008)
Zitat
From the reviews of the fifth edition: This book is a real gem, providing concise yet clear and comprehensive coverage of the classic problem of time, ranging from classical electromagnetism and thermodynamics to quantum cosmology. The discussion is lucid and intuitive without glossing over the important details. It is a treat to learn about the role of decoherence from the man who discovered it.
Max Tegmark
H. Dieter Zeh, one of the main founders of decoherence theory, sets forth here a most penetrating analysis of recent advances in classical statistical mechanics, quantum physics and theoretical cosmology, enabling him to convincingly establish the observer-relatedness of the concept of entropy, along with that of macroscopic description in general. Both, he shows, are ultimately due to the unavoidable use of the relevance notion, itself linked to the fact that we, observers, are local whereas whatever may be called objective (i.e. mind-independent) reality is unquestionably nonlocal.
Certainly one of the most informative, thorough and thought-provoking books on the subject.
Bernard d'Espagnat Dieter Zeh has made important pioneering contributions to the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the study of the direction of time. His comprehensive and frequently republished book on the fascinating issue of time's arrow has few if any rivals.
Julian Barbour
This is a great book. It engages the reader in a philosophical meditation on time (much clearer, and in my opinion deeper than Heidegger's "Being and Time"). It is moreover a learned book in which every necessary physical or mathematical argument is given explicitly and cleanly. I learned much from it and nothing that I happened to know was missing.
Roland Omnes
[...] an authoritative treatment of an exciting and controversial subject: The origins and implications of the arrow of time are traced from its genesis at the microscopic quantum level to the macroscopic thermodynamic setting and include the analysis of Maxwell's demon. The monograph concludes with a provocative discussion of the arrow of time in the context of quantum gravity and cosmology. Dieter Zeh guides the reader with a sure hand through the meanderings of the subject, pointing out unexpected connections, and shedding new light on the remaining mysteries.
Wojciech Zurek
"Why does one never see a broken cup on the floor, jump back on the table? A question that many will have heard during lectures on statistical physics ... . Dieter Zeh addresses this and similar phenomena expressing the asymmetric evolution of time. ... I would like to recommend this book to those who have a deep interest in the problems associated with the arrow of time, as it contains a enormous amount of information on the subject and explains the problems very well." (J. Dubbeldam, Kwantitatieve Methoden, 2008)
