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Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings

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By Alan Lightman ’70

Published April 19, 2021

In his newest novel, Lightman probes some of the most basic questions about human life and its origins, down to the anatomy of a smile or what creates consciousness. Through 17 essays, ranging from vignettes to journal entries, Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings leaves the reader marveling at the simplest, yet most complex aspects of our universe.

Paw in print

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Terri Sewell ’86 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, stands next to a portrait of civil rights leader John Lewis.
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November 2026

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