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Rating: 
Summary: Circular Argument
Review: I enjoy having my brain stretched, so, with that goal in mind, I picked up Dr. Frank J. Tipler's "Physics of Immortality."
There are a number of serious problems with this book, logical, scientific, philosophical, and theological, to wit:1. The argument is completely circular. (The main thrust is that life, broadly defined, will be able to manipulate the physics of a closed universe in the final moments of its existence in such a way that a form of subjective immortality is possible, for all conscious intelligences, including ourselves.) In order to get from point A to point B, Tipler assumes part of his conclusion. He assumes that life must exist forever, and then uses that assumption in his proof, a definite logical no-no.
Similarly, Tipler includes a "proof" of his argument, saying, in essence that if certain facts about the Higgs boson and the top quark are true, he's right. His conclusions do not follow from his premises at all. 2. Even if one can accept Tipler's main argument, his subsidiary argument is weak. Tipler assumes that his future god-like intelligences will be beings of infinite compassion, who will grant you and I resurrection and immortality, essentially because they're nice guys. This seems like a very slender reed to lean on. The history of intelligent life on this planet (the only intelligence we know anything about) suggests that greater intelligence is not necessarily correlated with greater compassion. 3. Tipler goes off on a strange theological tangent when he attempts to equate his "omega point" being with the God of the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). While there are similarities between his concept and those of some theologians, there are very many more differences, the major one being that most theologians would assert that God transcends time and space, while Tipler's omega point is bounded by both. Whether God exists or not is usually not considered a scientific question; his attempt to make theology a branch of physics is somewhat embarrasing. 4. Finally, even if we can assume that Tipler's argument is plausible, (a stretch), it looks as though the Universe is not cooperating with him. While some of the bounary conditions listed in his proof are as he predicted, the most recent observations seem to show that the Universe's expansion is increasing, not slowing down. Most cosmologists conclude from this evidence that the Universe is open, not closed...and unless the Universe is closed, the rest of Tipler's case falls apart. It's far too early to conclude that the Universe is open (the observations of supernovae in other galaxies which underly the current consensus can be explained in other ways), but at the same time, even without the latest observations, there doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough mass in the universe to allow gravity to eventually slow the expansion down. Frank Tipler was a well respected physicist before this book, and is still regarded as an expert in the field of quantum cosmology. He is not the first world-class scientist to take a flyer on an implausible idea. I think it's interesting that in the book he condemns Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the French Jesuit paleantologist from whom he took the term "omega point" for doing precisely what Tipler does in this book. Teilhard did outstanding work investigating early hominid primates in Asia before he began working on his "omega point" speculations, which attempted to wed evolutionary biology and theology, and then began to believe that his speculations were scientific facts. Tipler has been caught in the same trap. I give the book two stars, not one, however, because I find the ideas fascinating, and I did spend a considerable amount of time grappling with the physics and philosophy, which is the precise reason I picked up the book. He shouldn't have attempted to present it as a scientific theory, though, at least in my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Book About a _POSSIBILITY_
Review: I personally thought this was a wonderful book. However, many people on this review page have written that the book was fantastic and unbelievable. It should be mentioned that there is a lot of material in this book that, yes, does sound fantastic to a normal person. But the book is sound in the mathematics and physics it is based it - in other words, most people would find relativity and quantum mechanics weird, never mind a book that would attempt to assert on the basis of these two theories that the existence of an afterlife is a good possibility. Also, it is important to recognize that this is a theory, and like any other theory, the finer points are open to debate. If you do not mind being challenged, and are open minded, you will find this book interesting and thought provoking. However, if you pick up this book assuming that it will be an easy read, you will be severely disappointed. The author, Mr. Tipler, makes full use of his knowledge of physics, and - despite constant explanations of terminology - he will lose the less tenacious of his readers. In the end, if you're a mathematics/physics genius/savant you'll love this book. If you're a student - or at least have some background in math and physics - you'll have to work to get through the book, and may find the experience rewarding. But if you're unwilling - or unable - to try and understand the concepts Mr. Tipler puts forth you will absolutely hate this book.
Rating:
Summary: Outlandish...but hey, so is the universe.
Review: I was not expecting a lot from this book. I figured it would have to be about as vague and suggestive as one usually finds in a book about physics and religion. I never expected the sort of specific and rigorous statements that Tipler makes (whether they are true or not). I was pleasantly suprised and found the book fascinating. Tipler may be generous in his view of how accessible this book is to the general public. To really follow the reasoning, one would need to be a physics major or fairly well versed in the popular physics literature. If phrases such as 'phase space', 'many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics', 'strong AI', 'Hawking's no boundary proposal', and so on, are foreign to the reader, they are likely to find the book hard to digest. The use of computer terminology and concepts to describe the increasing mental capacity of the universe and ultimately god, may put some people off. More etheral sounding terms could be substituted (perhaps a new age tilt could have widened his audience), but if you don't care much for strong AI, then you probably won't care much for god as the Omega point either. In understanding this book, it helps if you are somewhat familiar with the material in "the cosmological anthropic priniple" which is a previous book by Tipler (and Barrow). The basic idea is that it seems very difficult to dream up a universe in which intelligent life is possible. If you just start picking the number of dimensions, pick some forces and strengths of interaction, etc. one usually ends up with a model that doesn't have the variety or stabity or something to give rise to life and intelligence. Not all Physicists agree that this is a accurate assessment, but those who do often suggest that perhaps there is a selection principle of sorts. Perhaps the whole universe we see is just one tiny inflated bubble out of many. Most of these bubbles don't contain life, so no one is there to ask the questions. Only in the few bubbles that can support intelligent life are th
Rating:
Summary: WOW !
Review: The title of this book grabbed me and I had to read it - I am sooo glad I did. This is one of the best books I have every read. Anyone who is interested in science and religion should definately read this book. It may be a difficult read for non-scientific people, but it would be well worth it. Tipler presents some of the most mind-blowing theories I have ever encountered, and what's more, he is very convincing in making us believe that his prophecies may come true. This book could turn any scientific-atheist into a believer. This book is Science asking for Religion's hand in marraige, and it leaves the reader hoping and praying that Religion will say "yes".
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Summary: An optimistic look at the end of the universe
Review: This was a mind-blowing book for me. Tipler lays out a testable hypothesis (The Omega Point Theory or OPT) about the end of the universe that shows how it would be possible for "life" to last forever in subjective time, even though the universe will end in a finite amount of "proper" time. Furthermore, based on projections of computing power available near the end of the universe, Tipler tries to show that the resurrection (via perfect emulation) of all humans who have ever lived is not only possible, but very likely. This "Omega Point Theory" comes across as extremely controversial because of Tipler's efforts to integrate religion into his physics. The Omega Point, which is a virtual computer that will have near-infinite computing power, is predicted to have many of the abilities of what most people think of as God. A lot of the book is taken up with passages from religious texts in an attempt to show the the Omega Point corresponds closely to the God referred to in many different religions. There are also discussions of free will, hell and heaven. The section on an Omega Point-created future heaven opens Tipler to easy ridicule by skeptics, since it discusses not only why there will be sex in heaven, but how it will be possible for a man to make love to, not only the most beautiful woman who ever lived, but the most beautiful woman that can theoretically exist! Tipler takes great pains to make sure that he is presenting a true scientific theory and not just some new age gobbledygook mixed in with particle physics and general relativity. To that end, he makes several testable predictions based on his theory, including a couple that might be resolved soon, the mass of the top quark and the Hubble constant. If recent calculations of the Hubble constant prove to be correct, the Omega Point Theory may have already been proven false. If you can wade through the math and physics, I highly recommend reading this book. It is a fascinating speculative look at the far flung future.
Rating: 
Summary: Giant E for Effort
Review: Tipler has done something which must be respected: he has given a rigorous existence proof for God, resurrection, and immortality, and done so knowing full he would be standing alone among his peers. For that alone he is to be commended. No longer can scientists say that there is no scientific proof for God. Having said that, a believer will have to go a long way to stretch his traditional concept of theology to fit the Tipler model. He has invented a god only an atheist could love. The model is based on certain assumptions which Tipler embraces with glee but which are not necessarily true. The whole theory rests on the veracity of the assumptions, since the arguments proceeding from them are presented with mathematical precision. But at least you can point to it and say, here is one possible scientific scenario for the existence of God. The book is a mind bender, and barely qualifies as a layman's science book, even ignoring the Appendix for Scientists. If you aren't familiar with general concepts of physics and computer science you won't be able to follow along. I personally reject his theory, but still found it fascinating to read. If you can handle the science, you'll probably be fascinated too.
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