Why people recommend it
What is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger is a classic collection of physics lectures that explores the biological concept of living systems through the lens of thermodynamics, famously describing life as a continual attempt to constrain entropy. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Bobby Azarian brought up Schrödinger's work to explain how living systems evade the second law of thermodynamics. On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, the host referenced the book while explaining the relationship between entropy, biological life, and emotional experiences. On Huberman Lab, the guest highlighted the 1944 publication as a pivotal work that drove many prominent physicists to establish molecular biology before the discovery of the double helix. On the Lex Fridman Podcast, Lex Fridman discussed the foundational lectures with Brian Greene, while Eric Weinstein mentioned the book to highlight the historical contributions of physicists to modern science. These frequent podcast mentions underscore the profound intellectual legacy of Schrödinger's short book, illustrating how its revolutionary interdisciplinary ideas continue to inspire contemporary scientists, physicists, and biologists seeking to understand the fundamental nature of living organisms and the physical laws governing biological complexity.
Who recommended it
- Bobby Azarian Discussed
- Jordan B. Peterson Discussed
- Oded Rechavi Discussed
- Lex Fridman Discussed
- Eric Weinstein Discussed
Bobby Azarian — 1 mention
“and erwin schrodinger one of the founders of quantum mechanics actually wrote a very influential book on biology called what is life”
Jordan B. Peterson — 1 mention
“The first person who figured this out technically was probably Erwin Schrödinger, who wrote a book called 'What is Life?' He described life essentially as a continual attempt to constrain entropy to a certain set of parameters.”
Oded Rechavi — 1 mention
“Even Schrodinger, the famous physicist, wrote a very important book in '44, before the double helix, called What is Life? This is actually a book that drove many physicists to establish molecular biology.”
Lex Fridman — 1 mention
“i mean so i have to ask as you described in your book once again uh schroedinger wrote the book what is life based on the few lectures he gave in 1944”
Eric Weinstein — 1 mention
“Yeah, I mean you know, Schrodinger wrote What is Life and that was highly inspirational.”