The human touch

Mankind, Scientists Agree, Is A Tiny And Insignificant Anomaly In The Impersonal Vastness Of The Universe. But What Would That Universe Be Like If We Were Not Here To Say Something About It? Would It Even Be So Vast, Without The Fact Of Our Insignificance To Give It Scale? What Would The Universe Be Like If Human Beings Were Not Here To Observe It? Would There Still Be Numbers, Or Scientific Laws? Would The Universe Even Be Vast, Without Our Tininess To Give It Scale? This Paradox Is What Michael Frayn Calls 'The World'S Oldest Mystery'. He Shows How Fleeting And Indeterminate Our Contacts With The World Around Us Are. After His Award-Winning Novels (Spies), Plays (Copenhagen And Noises Off) And Films (Clockwise), He Produces His First Work Of Non-Fiction , One Which Explores All Of The Ideas Behind His Brilliant, Funny And Hugely Popular Work. The World Is What We Make Of It - But What Are We?