About the Author

Robert B. Laughlin is the Robert M. and Anne Bass Professor of Physics at Stanford University, where he has taught since 1985. In 1998 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the fractional quantum Hall effect. The author of A Different Universe, he lives in Stanford, California.

Reviews

"The Tennessean"
"In this jeremiad against the stifling constraints of commercialized culture...Laughlin explains the problems well."

"Booklist"
"a deeply subtle account, full of insights not only into Ronald Reagan but also William Buckley, his longtime friend, supporter, and (occasional) critic."

"Library Journal"
"With humorous honesty (it can be fun to think apocalyptically from time to time), Laughlin uncovers the barriers scientists, engineers, and laypeople encounter when they try to learn how the world works by standing on the shoulders of giants, the discoveries of others.. His argument is profound and not easy to dismiss."

Peter Thiel, President, Clarium Capital Management
"Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin convincingly argues that we are on the verge of a new dark age as scientific and technical knowledge become the province of experts and the broader populace becomes more ignorant. "The Crime of Reason" is an eloquent plea for our civilization to keep its lights on."

"The Tennessean"
"In this jeremiad against the stifling constraints of commercialized culture...Laughlin explains the problems well."
"Booklist"
"a deeply subtle account, full of insights not only into Ronald Reagan but also William Buckley, his longtime friend, supporter, and (occasional) critic."
"Library Journal"
"With humorous honesty (it can be fun to think apocalyptically from time to time), Laughlin uncovers the barriers scientists, engineers, and laypeople encounter when they try to learn how the world works by standing on the shoulders of giants, the discoveries of others.. His argument is profound and not easy to dismiss."
Peter Thiel, President, Clarium Capital Management
"Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin convincingly argues that we are on the verge of a new dark age as scientific and technical knowledge become the province of experts and the broader populace becomes more ignorant. "The Crime of Reason" is an eloquent plea for our civilization to keep its lights on."