what is the nature of the universe we live in? what is it made of? is there purpose in it? these are among the fundamental questions addressed by this book, which includes two brief and accessible overviews, one on philosophy, the other on physics without the use of any math. over the centuries, a number of philosophers have speculated about the existence of a non-material world in addition to, or to the exclusion of, the material world we believe we live in. their statements, however, have tended to be too abstract, too difficult to relate to daily experiences. contemporary physics, on the other hand, has been very successful in accounting for many aspects of the world we experience. yet, at a fundamental level, physics makes some counter-intuitive assertions with very puzzling philosophical implications that remain largely unexplored. the central theme of this book is the author''''s conjecture that: 1) we live in a nonmaterial virtual universe, which is somewhat similar to the highly publicized virtual reality being developed by computer science, and 2) this virtual universe, which includes our whole bodies, is the creation of a cosmic mind, of which our individual minds are integral parts. the idea of a nonmaterial world sounds certainly bizarre, if not absurd. and yet, a virtual universe provides a perspective from which meaningful, common sense interpretations can be given to some abstract philosophical statements of the past, and also to some strange assertions of contemporary physics. readers who disagree with the conjecture of a virtual universe might still appreciate the informative overviews on philosophy and physics. editors of major publishing houses have called the virtual universe ''''an accessible, compelling book,'''' ''''highly informative and accessible'''' and ''''an important and intense endeavor.'''' others have called it ''''intelligent and written in a very straightforward manner'''' and ''''a clear, concise book and one that gives an excellent overview of the philosophical tradition.'''' recent book review from kirkus discoveries: "virtual reality is an all-encompassing simulation generated by algorithms to create artificial environments, as well as a metaphor used to clarify the mysterious paradoxes in our universe that have been explored by philosophers and confirmed by leading physicists. raspanti attempts to fit all the scientific laws describing nature under the umbrella of virtual reality, in which everything is regulated by an omnipresent entity. he also uses that structure as a means of clarifying the counterintuitive foundation of modern physics. for ages, scientists, philosophers and physicists have attempted to organize the observed patterns of natural phenomena in our universe, from the elliptical orbits of the planets in the solar system calculated by the german astronomer johannes kepler, to the behavior of electrons, protons and neutrons in a highly charged, unseen quantum subspace envisioned by the eminent american physicist richard feynman. “/p>