This is just bizarre and astonishing. I can't really sum it up, you'll have to read it yourself:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/feb/19/science.sciencenews
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Stephen Hawking - The Grand Design
The Grand Design
Looks Awesome. Here's an excerpt from amazon:
How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? Over twenty years ago I wrote A Brief History of Time, to try to explain where the universe came from, and where it is going. But that book left some important questions unanswered. Why is there a universe--why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why are the laws of nature what they are? Did the universe need a designer and creator?
It was Einstein’s dream to discover the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything. However, physicists in Einstein’s day hadn’t made enough progress in understanding the forces of nature for that to be a realistic goal. And by the time I had begun writing A Brief History of Time, there were still several key advances that had not yet been made that would prevent us from fulfilling Einstein’s dream. But in recent years the development of M-theory, the top-down approach to cosmology, and new observations such as those made by satellites like NASA’s COBE and WMAP, have brought us closer than ever to that single theory, and to being able to answer those deepest of questions. And so Leonard Mlodinow and I set out to write a sequel to A Brief History of Time to attempt to answer the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The result is The Grand Design, the product of our four-year effort.
In The Grand Design we explain why, according to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence, or history, but rather that every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously. We question the conventional concept of reality, posing instead a "model-dependent" theory of reality. We discuss how the laws of our particular universe are extraordinarily finely tuned so as to allow for our existence, and show why quantum theory predicts the multiverse--the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. And we assess M-Theory, an explanation of the laws governing the multiverse, and the only viable candidate for a complete "theory of everything." As we promise in our opening chapter, unlike the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life given in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the answer we provide in The Grand Design is not, simply, "42."
Looks Awesome. Here's an excerpt from amazon:
How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? Over twenty years ago I wrote A Brief History of Time, to try to explain where the universe came from, and where it is going. But that book left some important questions unanswered. Why is there a universe--why is there something rather than nothing? Why do we exist? Why are the laws of nature what they are? Did the universe need a designer and creator?
It was Einstein’s dream to discover the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything. However, physicists in Einstein’s day hadn’t made enough progress in understanding the forces of nature for that to be a realistic goal. And by the time I had begun writing A Brief History of Time, there were still several key advances that had not yet been made that would prevent us from fulfilling Einstein’s dream. But in recent years the development of M-theory, the top-down approach to cosmology, and new observations such as those made by satellites like NASA’s COBE and WMAP, have brought us closer than ever to that single theory, and to being able to answer those deepest of questions. And so Leonard Mlodinow and I set out to write a sequel to A Brief History of Time to attempt to answer the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The result is The Grand Design, the product of our four-year effort.
In The Grand Design we explain why, according to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence, or history, but rather that every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously. We question the conventional concept of reality, posing instead a "model-dependent" theory of reality. We discuss how the laws of our particular universe are extraordinarily finely tuned so as to allow for our existence, and show why quantum theory predicts the multiverse--the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. And we assess M-Theory, an explanation of the laws governing the multiverse, and the only viable candidate for a complete "theory of everything." As we promise in our opening chapter, unlike the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life given in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the answer we provide in The Grand Design is not, simply, "42."
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Amazing Atheist is on a Roll
I have so been saying the same shit to people for the past couple of weeks. And BTW, all of this video is great for pointing out how muslims have the right to build whatever they want wherever they want, however, the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" isn't exactly on Ground Zero and it isn't exactly a mosque.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Contra Collins
I recently saw a book called Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer?
It's a response to Francis Collins' book The Language of God.
It looks interesting and I may just read it. If you don't know: Francis Collins is a geneticist who is currently the head of the Human Genome Project, and he also dabbles in Christian apologetics to some extent. He argues faith and reason, as well as faith and science, are completely compatible.
Incidentally, the blog Daylight Atheism has been turning out some posts that review and criticize Collins:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Good Stuff.
It's a response to Francis Collins' book The Language of God.
It looks interesting and I may just read it. If you don't know: Francis Collins is a geneticist who is currently the head of the Human Genome Project, and he also dabbles in Christian apologetics to some extent. He argues faith and reason, as well as faith and science, are completely compatible.Incidentally, the blog Daylight Atheism has been turning out some posts that review and criticize Collins:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Good Stuff.
Friday, August 20, 2010
On the Rocks
Once or twice in the past I have reached out for help from my readers and recieved it quite generously, and for that I am very thankful. My readers have always been the best in the world at providing helpful and critical comments, and have even come through for me financially.
Well, it's that time again: I am now working two part-time jobs to make ends meet. I've only recently started the second job and have not recieved my first paycheck from them. Until I do, I will be getting eaten alive from the extra money I have to spend on gas, and food, for that matter.
Right now I need financial support. If you like this blog, and you can afford it, I'd really appreciate a little extra help. I can accept paypal payments through ncovington89@yahoo.com
Well, it's that time again: I am now working two part-time jobs to make ends meet. I've only recently started the second job and have not recieved my first paycheck from them. Until I do, I will be getting eaten alive from the extra money I have to spend on gas, and food, for that matter.
Right now I need financial support. If you like this blog, and you can afford it, I'd really appreciate a little extra help. I can accept paypal payments through ncovington89@yahoo.com
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
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