QUANTUM GODS --- CREATION, CHAOS, AND THE SEARCH
FOR COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS by Victor J. Stenger, 2009
OUTLINE OF BOOK'S FACTS & IDEAS
QUANTUM FLAPDOODLE AND OTHER FLUMMERY --- Forward by Michael Shermer (7-11)
PREFACE (13-19)
www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (21)
1) Belief and nonbelief in America (23-34)
2) What the bleep is the secret? (35-48)
3) Pursuing the Tao (49-54)
4) The guru of Guts (55-62)
5) Space, time, and matter (63-86)
6)The great paradigm shift (87-96)
7) Deism and Darwinism (97-106)
8) The spooky quantum (107-128)
9) The elements of matter (129-146)
10) Chaos, complexity, and emergence (147-162)
11) Return to reduction (163-174)
12)Ghostbusting the quantum (175-192)
13) Quantum philosophy (193-208)
14) Where can God act? (209-226)
15) The God who plays dice (227-238)
16) Nothingism (239-264)
BIBLIOGRAPHY (265-276)
INDEX (277-290)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (291-292)
BOOK'S DESCRIPTION AND REVIEWS:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR = Victor J. 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 the New York Times bestseller God, The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist; Has Science Found God?; The Comprehensible Cosmos; Timeless Reality; The Unconscious Quantum; Physics and Psychics; and Not by Design.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION = Does quantum mechanics show a connection between the human mind and the cosmos? Are our brains tuned into a "cosmic consciousness" that pervades the universe enabling us to make our own reality? Do quantum mechanics and chaos theory provide a place for God to act in the world without violating natural laws?
Many popular books make such claims and argue that key developments in twentieth-century physics, such as the uncertainty principle and the butterfly effect, support the notion that God or a universal mind acts upon material reality.
Physicist Victor J. Stenger examines these contentions in this carefully reasoned and incisive analysis of popular theories that seek to link spirituality to physics. Throughout the book Stenger alternates his discussions of popular spirituality with a survey of what the findings of twentieth-century physics actually mean. Thus he offers the reader a useful synopsis of contemporary religious ideas as well as basic but sophisticated physics presented in layperson's terms (without equations).
Of particular interest in this book is Stenger's discussion of a new kind of deism, which proposes a God who creates a universe with many possible pathways determined by chance, but otherwise does not interfere with the physical world or the lives of humans. Although it is possible, says Stenger, to conceive of such a God who plays dice with the universe and leaves no trace of his role as prime mover, such a God is a far cry from traditional religious ideas of God and, in effect, may as well not exist.
Like his bestselling book, God, The Failed Hypothesis, this new work presents a rigorously argued challenge to many popular notions of God and spirituality.
REVIEWS = "Lots of biologists defend evolution against creationism. Unfortunately, few scientists in the physics community speak up about the pseudoscience in their own field. The public understanding of modern physics is seriously out of whack, thanks largely to pop junk like The Secret and What the BLEEP Do We Know?
These books and movies promote a bogus version of quantum mechanics--the belief that 'you create your own reality' by controlling the laws of physics with your mind. They offer instant wealth and happiness, but they deliver medieval superstition. The sad part is that so many scientists are willing to let the public get their knowledge of physics from celebrity quacks.
That's why we re so lucky to have Victor Stenger. He knows quantum theory as well as anybody and, unlike most of his colleagues, he's willing to step outside the ivory tower and face those who misuse science. In Quantum Gods, Stenger confronts mainstream theologians and New Age gurus--anyone who tries to link physics to mysticism. He takes their theories seriously enough to examine them in detail and he finds that, so far, none of them live up to the standards of scientific truth. As we accompany him on his investigation, he guides us through the most important concepts in modern physics from relativity to string theory.
The world has needed a book like this for a long time. If you care about scientific literacy, Quantum Gods is not optional." --Geoff Gilpin, author of The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality
Return to Essay-Set #1: Focus on the Self-Liberation Philosophy