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God's Debris: A Thought Experiment

God's Debris: A Thought Experiment

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good for people who don't know Dilbert
Review: As someone's who's read most of Scott Adamss books and most of the Dilbert comics, I was hoping for something new here. Unfortunately, it looks like he's taken 95% of the content from other books and just created a weak premise to slap it all together in new packaging. But it's still an interesting read.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Stupid, Stupid Book!
Review: Don't get me wrong. I like Scott Adams; he's a brilliant cartoonist. But he's a very bad philosopher. As near as I can figure it, his philosophy is that the universe is the debris of God, who decided to blow himself up just to see if he could. Apart from the scattered remains of the Lord, all that's left are probability and inertia, and somehow Adams combines this ridiculous melange into a "meaning of life" philosophy. According to Adams, the "law of probability" causes the atoms of God to come together (as opposed to gravity) and we should therefore favor beliefs and decisions that also cause us to come together as a society. I don't disagree with the idea, just the foundational premise. As so often happens when someone bases their beliefs on shaky science, science goes and changes on them. This is true of Adams theory, since cosmologists have recently discovered the the universe is not slowing down and contracting, but appears that it will expand forever. In fact, there's a mysterious force that is pushing the galaxies apart faster and faster. So, in Adam's world, this means that inertia beats probability, and we should all do everything we can to separate ourselves from each other. I kept hoping that Adams was going to redeem himself in the end by revealing that the "Avatar" was really Dogbert, just having us all on. Alas, no; it appears he's serious. The only positive thing I can say about the book is that it's short. I purchased it at an airport, and then my flight was delayed. I was able to read the whole thing in about an hour, and immediately returned it to the bookstore for a full refund. Save your money -- and your time. If your interested in subjects like this, read books by Paul Davies or Fritjof Capra.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A mental teaser designed to make you question your beliefs
Review:
In the Introduction, Adams states that some of the "facts" presented in the forthcoming view of the universe are consistent with prevailing scientific thought and others are "creative baloney designed to sound true". He also states that this book is a "thought experiment" - i.e. the purpose is to get you thinking - it's not meant as a serious attempt to explain the universe and God.

That said, - those folks out here who have panned this book because its assertions are not scientifically sound are [people] who missed the point and need to go back and read the introduction again. And those folks who dismissed the book out of hand as rehashed metaphysical stuff that they already know - well, they failed the thought experiment because they didn't use the book as a springboard to thought.

Both of the types of people above actually prove one of the points in the book - that they are totally wrapped up in either arrogance or delusion. In fact, they probably didn't even realize that Adams was poking fun at them - oh, well.

Anyway, in this book Adams' character presents, in somewhat herky jerky fashion, an odd view of the universe. Although the theory itself could probably be torn to shreds by an undergraduate philosphy class, the purpose is to get the reader to recognize the folly of thinking that we know the answers and to open themselves to the possibility that everything we think we know (religion and science) is a wrong, albeit useful construct - and in fact that we humans are intellectually incapable of fathoming reality.

If you ponder metaphysics/spirituality a lot then you might not find that this book breaks any new ground for you - given that you are already open to thinking strange thoughts.

If you're an unflinching religious zealot you'll find the book somewhat sacreligeous and, unwittingly proving his point, you'll either pray for him or send him an email informing him that he's going to hell.

If you're a sober, stuffy scientific sort you'll pick the specifics of the theory apart with righteous and snooty "I'm smarter than you" arrogance and in doing so, miss the whole point of the book.

But, if you enjoy mental exercises and realize that sacred cows make the best steaks, then you'll enjoy mulling over the ideas discussed in this book.

It's short and a bit rough, but I gave it five stars simply becuase it earnestly attempts to give the reader's brain a good kick in the arse (if a brain can have an arse), and because it tries to slap some sense into prevailing scientific and religious cultures which have raised "believing one's own hype" to an artform.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: cough, bunch of junk, cough
Review: This book is a giant load of bull. Forgive me, but I don't think some guy writing comics has the answers to the universe. "Gods Debris is full of nonsense and New-Agey bs. Besides that, the whole premise of the book contradicts what is said inside. It claims that it is absurd to look at God through a human perspective, yet that is precisely what it does! It attempts to explain God through our emotions, our perceptions, and our experiences, yet the Avatar cries foul at anyone who would do so. I expect the people who take this book to heart will soon be digging through the Redwood Forest looking for crystals with the rest of the loonies. All I can say is, remember what Jesus said. "Come to me with the faith of a child." When you try to understand our majestic universe, you end up sounding like a blabbering idiot, and Scott Adams is a case in point. Do your own thinking folks, don't let the Dilbert dude do it for you. What do I know though, Im just some 18 year old kid, probably on the second level ;)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Fine Little Experiment
Review: The evidence for the success of Scott Adam's "Thought Experiment" is the 50+ reviews posted below, ranging from "love it" to "hated it." The success of the experiment is nothing more than it got people thinking. Those who are disturbed by the fact that they disagree with the conclusions of the book (most notably, are we really God's Debris, not unlike the Kabbalistic notion of the divine sparks in all of us...) are actually missing the point. Scott Adam's makes no claim regarding the factual accuracy of his little tome. In fact, to do so would violate one of its central tenets, namely that what we observe is nothing but illusions. Those who are scientists who complain that his science is bad, or philosphers who claim that his philosophy is bad, or spiritualists who claim that his views of God are bad, point exactly to the failure of most of us to recognize that what we think is reality is in fact absurdly simplified paradigms that may or may not actually resemble reality. If this book does nothing more than encourage the reader to ask questions and think openly, then it is indeed successful. I rate it 4 stars only because the dialogue seemed a little forced. I appreciated the use of the two person interaction as the vehicle for communicating the ideas, but I didn't feel it was as effective as it could have been. But the "thought experiment" is wonderful.

If you are pretty sure that your view of the world, the universe, God and your place in relation to all of that is the only right view, then don't even touch this book. You will hate it. On the other hand, if you enjoy having your perspectives and paradigms poked and prodded periodically, stretched, kicked and rolled around on the ground, then you will in all likelihood find this book as fun and as interesting to read as I did.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A complex but very interesting book.
Review: The very funny writer of Dilbert has produced a thoughtful and entertaining book. If you enjoy books, movies, ect.. that question the fundemental beliefs about the world held by everyone from scientists to the religous, you will enjoy this. It will make you think. Some ideas you have probably already thought of yourself but never imagined others thought about. Some will surprise you. Some may confuse you. But it will certainly be enriching and entertaining if you approach it positively.

A gave it four because the fact that the whole book is basically a conversation between two strangers makes it less compelling than I would hope. But it is still a great book to read and discuss with others.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exercise your mind
Review: This little book contains a lot of thought-provoking material. Scott Adams approaches some profound thoughts from a practical perspective. Read this book chapter by chapter so you can spend some time thinking about the questions that are presented.

This book is a permanent part of my library, designed to be read again and again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Read the introduction
Review: I read God's Debris last week, and it's a winner. I was looking over a few of the other reviews, and a number of people have pointed to Adams' incorrectly stated facts as reasons why they did not like the book. Well, congratulations ladies and gentlemen, you've just illustrated the point. Adams said, "The central character states a number of scientific 'facts.' Some of his weirdest statements are consistent with what scientists generally believe. Some of what he says is creative baloney designed to sound true. See if you can tell the difference." This wasn't an obscure, hidden objective - the quote is taken out of the introduction. That stated, I highly recommend this book. It's a great catalyst for conversation, and it brings some ideas to light which, whether they are factual or fictional, give you a new point of view from which to view the world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I read it 3 weeks ago, and I can't stop thinking
Review: First off, this is NOT a Dilbert book. It is not a humor book, it has almost no humor whatsoever. It is a "thought experiment wrapped in a novel," according to the man himself. It provides the reader with the platform for a discussion with an intelligent friend over a really good drink. It is a short, extremely interesting book, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to have their brain "spun around in their skulls."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Adams calls his book a "thought experiment" - and it's failed. Pretending to rise to an intellectual challenge of the human mind, it does little to stimulate and tends to serve at best as bedtime reading when you are trying to fall asleep.

Some of the premises are plain absurd. The idea of the "all-knowing" character is a good start, but what comes after that is flat and uninspiring. Take the first point: Probability triggers off no "why". Statisticians and mathematicians must cringe at the suggestion that the chances of a flipped coin falling on one side (head or tail) are 50%. A coin is three-dimensional - not for Adams.

A disappointing read - unless Adams wishes to persuade the reader that the "all knowing" character is as flawed as we all are.


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