Alan Lightman at the Harvard Science Center

Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome Alan Lightman—professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT and host of the public television series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science—for a discussion of his new book The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature, a gorgeously illustrated exploration of the science behind the universe’s most stunning natural phenomena. He will be joined in conversation by Melissa Franklin—the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University.

There are two ticket options available for this event.

Free General Admission Ticket: Includes admission for one.

Book-Included Ticket: Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of The Miraculous from the Material.

Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of those phenomena, we experience a feeling of connection to the cosmos. For acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, just as remarkable is that all of what we see around us—soap bubbles, scarlet ibises, shooting stars—are made out of the same material stuff and obey the same rules and laws. This is what Lightman calls “spiritual materialism,” the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview.
Pairing 36 beautiful, full-color photos evoking some of nature’s most awe-inspiring phenomena with accessible and lyrical personal essays, The Miraculous from the Material explores the fascinating science underlying the natural world. Why do rainbows make an arc? Why does a particular waterfall at Yosemite National Park sometimes glow like it’s on fire? How does a hummingbird fly? The world has so many things to marvel at—and the science is just as fascinating.
Lightman’s imagination travels from the world of atoms and molecules to the animal kingdom, from places like Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and the Grand Canyon out to the solar system and beyond, illuminating the majesty of the cosmos and the remarkable science behind it. The Miraculous from the Material is a stunning, soaring ode to the beauty and wonder around us, and the perfect holiday gift for photography aficionados, life-long learners, and admirers of the natural world.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Harvard Science Center (Hall C), 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, United States