GOD --- THE FAILED HYPOTHESIS --- HOW SCIENCE SHOWS THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST by Victor J. Stenger, 2009
OUTLINE OF BOOK'S FACTS & IDEAS
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (7- )

    PREFACE (9- )

      1) Models and Methods (21- )

      2) The Illusion of Design (47- )

      3) Searching for a World beyond Matter (77- )

      4) Cosmic Evidence (113- )

      5) The Uncongenial Universe (137- )

      6) The Failures of Revelation (169- )

      7) Do Our Values Come from God? (193- )

      8) The Argument from Evil (215- )

      9) Possible and Impossible Gods (227- )

      10)) Living in the Godless Universe (243- )

    BIBLIOGRAPHY (261- )

    INDEX (283- )

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR (293- )
BOOK'S DESCRIPTION AND REVIEWS:
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR = Victor Stenger (Lafayette, CO) is adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii. He is the author of Has Science Found God?, The Comprehensible Cosmos, Timeless Reality, The Unconscious Quantum, Physics and Psychics, and Not by Design.

    SUMMARY = No post-modern pussy-footing for Stenger (emeritus, physics and astronomy, U. of Hawaii and adjunct, philosophy, U. of Colorado) as he subjects the notion of god and various derivative concepts to the cold logic of science. His perspectives include the illusion of design, the failures of revelation, the argument from evil, and living in the godless universe. Annotation #169;2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

    PRODUCT DESCRIPTION = This edition includes a new Foreword by Christopher Hitchens, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling God is Not Great.

    In the paperback's afterword, Victor Stenger addresses criticisms of his New York Times bestselling first edition.

    Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology. In the meantime, science has sat on the sidelines and quietly watched this game of words march up and down the field. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality.

    Physicist Victor J. Stenger contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, Stenger examines all of the claims made for God's existence.

    He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God's influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God's special creation.

    After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God.

    Reviews = "I learned an enormous amount from this splendid book." -- Richard Dawkins, Author of the New York Times bestseller The God Delusion

    "Extremely tough and impressive...a great book...a huge addition to the arsenal of argument." -- Christopher Hitchens, Author of the New York Times bestseller God Is Not Great

    "Marshalling converging arguments from physics, astronomy, biology, and philosophy, Stenger has delivered a masterful blow in defense of reason. God: The Failed Hypothesis is a potent, readable, and well-timed assault upon religious delusion. It should be widely read." -- Sam Harris, Author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation

    CHOICE REVIEW = In the 17th century Spinoza wrote on ethics, treating the subject in a geometrical fashion, with definitions, proofs, and all. This book considers God as a scientific hypothesis and purports to show that it fails miserably when tested on the basis of the criteria physics uses to test any hypothesis. Stenger (Univ. of Colorado) states questionably that "the main purpose of scientific models is to describe rather than explain," and equates natural and supernatural with material and nonmaterial, which would imply that nonmaterial electromagnetic waves and abstract thought are supernatural.

    Nevertheless, the book is based on sound scientific principles and accomplishes its goal of proving that the God of traditional religions cannot stand scientific probing. This should be no revelation to people who have different understandings of God and experiential appreciation of the divine. In spite of the book's presumptuous title, science does not prove or disprove God, only some scientists do, and often only to the satisfaction of fellow atheists. This book is another contribution to the growing God-bashing literature that serves as a healthy antidote to religious-fundamentalist ranting in science-religion debates.

    Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by V. V. Raman. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

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