Abstract
What is the "left hand of creation?" It refers to the "tiny, fortuitous breaches of complete symmetry" in the universe (229); these breaches are "the cogs of a glittering mechanism at the center of things, and one of the reasons our very existence is possible" (xxiv). As one reads the book, one is struck by the perpetual reminders of the delicately-balanced nature of the cosmos: "In many respects the universe is tailor-made for life" (227); "he universe is a surprisingly complex place" (26). Despite the non-theistic outlook of the authors, they inadvertently demonstrate the high plausibility of the Design hypothesis. At one point they admit, "Our new picture [of the universe] is more akin to the traditional metaphysical picture of creation out of nothing" (38).