John Hunter

My early years were shaped by exposure to an accessible natural environment and undemanding parents who allowed unrestricted freedom to explore. It was mid-way through secondary education that my curiosity about how everything worked led to passion for Physics. At university, this passion developed further encompassing particle-physics, astrophysics, and everything in between.

One of my professors was a world-renowned expert in the field of particle physics who just happened to have an on-site particle-accelerator to experiment with. I felt extremely privileged that he could make time to spend with a few unruly undergrads. But he was not alone. We also had highly qualified lecturers in Cosmology, and a half-decent telescope to ‘play’ with. As a post-grad, I attended a lecture by Carl Sagan. It would be impossible for a young mind to come through this experience without it having a life-long impact.

Physics and Engineering are natural bedfellows – Physics leaning to the conceptual and theoretical, while Engineering more focussed on practical applications. In “Rules for Eternity” the theme is mainly about big-picture astrophysics, at times touching the boundary set by Philosophy’s unanswerable questions. To relate closer to the human experience, the book makes many references to the way humans rely on tangible engineering marvels to gain understanding of the big picture.

A ‘rite-of-passage’ at university is late-night beer-drinking, eating pizza, and debating whether or not God exists. Somewhere between these sessions came the realization that mere mortals will never get to know everything. Some things will be permanently assigned as ‘philosophical’ and therefore not expected to be resolved within a human framework.

I don’t actually see a divergence, or even a conflict, between Philosophy and Science. Put in its simplest form, Science is broadly about measuring the observable [and sometime theorizing about the unobservable], while Philosophy rarely addresses the tactile and tangible.

“Rules for Eternity” was a long time coming. The chapters in the book reflect the timeline in which the questions and ideas evolved. For me, writing the book became more and more important as I failed to find anything published that clearly addressed the core theme – “There is No Beginning and No End”. The punchline in the final chapter hopefully leaves the reader willing to consider that the rules governing our existence should be equally applicable well beyond the bounds of our universe.

Throughout the book there are many examples and analogies that relate to everyday experience. One example is likening the Big Bang explosion to the unprovoked eruption of a calm cup of superheated water. Perhaps a little more speculative idea is that mental telepathy might in some way be connected with the mysterious particle coupling known as quantum entanglement.

Science Fiction often conveys complex scientific concepts by relying on familiar graphic representations showing how those concepts might be applied in a human framework. Even if some S-F ideas might seem far-fetched, they usually relate back in some way to the basic laws of physics that most of us know about. Philosophical concepts can be more difficult to convey in a meaningful way as they do not always provide satisfying or verifiable answers. An example of this is mentioned in the book — “Why does ANYTHING exist at all?”.

The suggestion of ‘timeless principles’ is entirely intentional. Biological rules are a perfect example. The way they intertwine is essential to life as we know it. But they are equally essential to life as we don’t know it. Earth has an extremely diverse range of environments that sustain life which demonstrates just how tenacious life is. Rules dictate the chemical choreography that enables molecules to perform the dance of life. On another level, the molecules are built from atoms that have extremely tight specifications. The intricate and intimate interaction of these components form the rule-based framework for existence.

The book carries a message that may not be entirely unique – “There is No Beginning and No End”. Although this has probably been stated many times, “Rules for Eternity” attempts to differentiate itself from similar books on the subject by adding substance to the claim with a convincing argument that logically validates the premise. Any reader who makes it through to the final chapter will hopefully be convinced of the conclusion about Beginnings and Endings.

To believe that science alone can explain all the mysteries of the universe, is exceedingly arrogant, and any scientist who makes that claim is not worth his salt. Science is a discipline based on observation, and humankind will always have a very limited range of observation. Philosophy on the other hand has no such restriction – it can stretch to the outer-reaches of human imagination.

To my mind, the greatest misconception I’ve heard of is that the fundamental laws of physics can evolve or be altered to accommodate some particular environment. These rules are immutable and there is absolutely no evidence to the contrary. The intimate connection between many of the key rules simply does not allow variation without upsetting the delicate stability that is so essential for existence.

Writing “Rules for Eternity” has not changed my outlook on life at all. Instead, the book attempts to document that outlook. Research for the book over the years has greatly expanded my understanding of things cosmological, but my admiration and respect of the natural world has never wavered since my earliest memories were formed.

Philosophically, the main takeaway is the aforementioned continuity of existence in the form of matter and energy in some sort of eternal braid. In addition, a constant theme throughout the book encourages support for the goal of a sustainable planet that will be suitable for human habitation well into the future.

I was first introduced to AllAuthor with their book-cover contests. It was important to get a feel for what works and how the cover for my book rated. Pleasantly surprised by the response and the number of page views. So impressed in fact that I signed up for the annual promotion package. The results continue to be above expectations, although in a very crowded marketplace, my expectations are quite low. Not sure how this has translated to actual sales, but logs from the “Rules for Eternity” website show a healthy feed from AllAuthor.