God, the Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist [Hardcover]

 

 

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This is not a bad book; it contains some interesting facts and asks some reasonable questions. However, it is overall just not as interesting and gave me fewer new ideas than some other sceptical literature.

Those wanting to read a reasoned case against the existence of God may often do better to read Richard Dawkins 'The God Delusion', Christopher Hitchens 'God is not Great', Sam Harris 'Letter to a Christian Nation' or (a different kind of book, addressing only one religion) 'Why I am Not a Muslim' by Ibn Warraq.

However, if you want a shorter summary of the argument than some of the above, the latter part of Stenger's book is quite a good one.

In a debate in which the sceptical case is often made by biologists (e.g. Darwin & Dawkins) the earlier part of Stenger's book is a welcome attempt to make such a case from the evidence of physics and astronomy, but one would probably need to study those subjects for a long time to be able to judge whether he is right.

This is an outstanding book. Victor Stenger, a Professor of both Physics and Astronomy, convincingly argues against the existence of God (by which he means the Judea-Christian version, although most of the book could equally apply to the interpretations of other religions such as Islam etc) by examining a wide variety of scientific evidence. In my view Stenger succeeds in disproving God beyond a level of reasonable doubt. Certain high profile atheists (Richard Dawkins and Same Harris, to name but two) have already written bestsellers on this subject, and I would evaluate Stenger's work as one that fully deserves the same level of success and recognition.

The structure of the book is roughly as follows:

In the first chapter, Stenger lucidly explains the scientific method and what makes it such a potent investigative tool. This is important because many people have no real understanding of these concepts. He also refutes the widely held (at least, by religious people) view that science has nothing to say about religion. This is a very important point, which sets the foundation for the rest of the book.
Stenger also deals with another common misconception, which is that scientists are somehow opposed to, or in denial of the discovery of any supernatural forces, whether religious, psychic, or anything else which violates the natural laws as they are currently understood. In reality the only reason why most scientists do not acknowledge the evidence of such things is because the evidence does not exist.

In the remainder of the book, Stenger goes on to assess the objective evidence for and against the God hypothesis by investigating a plethora of scientific and historical research. He covers everything from biblical prophecies to the illusion of design to prayer experiments and much more. All of this research could very well have produced compelling evidence for God, but none of it has. Stenger logically concludes that the evidence looks exactly the way we would expect it to look in the absence of God.
As a mild criticism, I found that certain topics could have been covered in a bit more detail. On the other hand, some of these issues could easily form the subject of entire books, and so it would have been almost impossible to discuss them in full detail within just a single chapter. Overall I think the author has penetrated to the heart of most of the important issues, and there are plenty of references for those who which to carry out further reading.

Chapters 4 and 5 (entitled Cosmic Evidence and The Uncongenial Universe) deserve a special mention. These two chapters are the undisputed gems of the book, in my opinion. Perhaps this is not so surprising given Stenger's expertise in physics and astronomy. For me personally, the knowledge I gained from these two chapters was easily worth the price of book by itself, and it was an absolute joy to have my eyes opened to some of the mind-boggling secrets of the universe that have been yielded by the investigative efforts of physicists and astronomers. Things do get a little hard to follow at times, but this is pretty much unavoidable for such a complex subject, and overall I think that Stenger does a great job of making it understandable to the lay reader. I won't give too much away, but rest assured that pro-god arguments like "how can something come from nothing?" (with reference to the 'big bang') and "how do you explain the fine-tuning of the universe" are comprehensively dismantled.

To conclude, I would strongly recommend this book for:
- Atheists wishing to learn about how science can be used to disprove God beyond a reasonable doubt.
- People who are vaguely religious/agnostic who wish to learn about the objective evidence for and against a supreme being.
- Religious people who:
a) wish to strengthen their faith by familiarising themselves with arguments for the opposing viewpoint, and/or
b) are brave enough to admit that they could be wrong, and wish to assess the objective evidence for and against God.

In a nutshell, I think that Victor Stenger has done a wonderful job with this book. I have no hesitation in awarding it five stars - with six stars for chapters 4 and 5!

A number of years ago, the late [great?] Stephen J. Gould produced "Rocks of Ages". The work was designed as a peace offering between those relying on reason and those relying on faith to view the cosmos. Gould, like some others of the time, was willing to let "moral" issues remain in the hands of religious leaders. Science, he declared, was a separate "magisterium". Victor Stenger declares that such a separation is false and misleading. He argues that gods, particularly that of the "three great monotheisms" is a fit subject for scientific study. In this captivating and skillful analysis, he does just that. The results, ably presented in fluent language, are devastating to the notion that any supernatural being, especially the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity, has substance. If such a thing could exist, it would be too remote from human conditions to have any meaning.

Although Stenger credits Galileo and Darwin with significant contributions to pushing a god away from human affairs, it's his own field of physics that provide the most compelling evidence, or lack of it, for any gods. As with any research subject, the author formulates hypotheses explaining why a god should exist, then tests them for valid evidence. To apply scientific methods to examining the evidence for the supernatural, he explains that ideas about the world are observed and models derived to explain their workings. Those models must be tested by valid methods, comprehensive and definitive. His examination of intercessory prayer as a healing mechanism [Chap. 3] demonstrates how flawed methods skew evidence. Ignoring real evidence, as his examination of the "Illusion of Design" demonstrates, has allowed such commentators as Michael Behe and William Dembski to forward untestable concepts of how life's processes work.

Perhaps the most compelling section [Chap. 4 "Cosmic Evidence"] in this book is his discussion of the big bang. How often have we heard the challenge: "What caused the Big Bang?" by believers who need a deity to initiate the cosmos, even if it clearly has no role in it. Stenger takes us back to the first instance of the universe's beginning. He notes that the actual origins may be debated: the universe may recycle itself or have come from another universe, for example. Ours, however, began in chaos, but quickly followed the laws of physics the author has studied for so long. From that point, there's no role for a deity to play - Nature's own rules are in command. Physics, not gods, gave us stars, galaxies, the heavy elements needed to form life and a place where conditions were conducive to that result. As a conclusion to this segment, he even asks why there should be a universe at all - the ancient philosophical question: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" His answer clarifies the question from a physicist's empirical stance.

As he progresses through the book, the author postulates questions about what justifies a god - particularly that of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. The roles assigned to the deity, one whose adherents declare it to be "omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent [at least to humans]" fail every empirical test. It is certainly not "all-knowing" or it would prevent some events that go against its own dicta. It is clearly not "completely powerful" since too many phenomena cannot be attributed to it. The "benevolent" argument was destroyed by Charles Darwin, and the history of its own actions belie that contention. A god demanding genocide or acts such as the destruction of the World Trade Center, can hardly claim "benevolence". To attribute to such a deity the origin or definition of "morals" is false, and Stenger rebukes Gould and others for making such an attribution. Morality, as Stenger shows, is widespread across the animal kingdom, a product of natural selection, not divine ordinance or declaration. This fact, he contends, is important for us all to understand in order not to fall prey to leaders who inflict arbitrary decisions on us claiming divine inspiration.

It is difficult to praise this book highly enough. Although there have been many books recently published to show why belief in the supernatural is misplaced, few have taken a hard scientific path to make their case. Stenger's book, although the latest in a string by this author, is his most outstanding effort. Readable and informative, it should be taken up by any who make arguments for faith in deities and who declare religion should guide our lives. Even the dedicated non-theists will find it useful. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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5.0 out of 5 stars He proves it!
A must-read for everyone who wants to understand what's real and what's not. The book is filled with strong arguments and evidence to counter the claims of theists. Read more

Published 17 days ago by Petri

3.0 out of 5 stars Would have been better (though presumably less lucrative) without the religious framework
Warning: Contains Spoilers!

Having been an open atheist (technically agnostic, but only in the same way that most people are agnostic about invisible pink unicorns) for... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Luce

4.0 out of 5 stars Stenger missile!
There is a profusion of books on the existence or non-existence of God. I wanted a perspective from a professor of physics and astronomy. Read more

Published 5 months ago by J. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars What the actual evidence shows
What an excellent read. Downloaded to my Kindle, started reading immediately, finished reading it over two evenings. Read more

Published 5 months ago by "Untitled"

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally excellent
Astronomer Victor Stenger has studied the Universe and concludes that Gods/ supernatural forces are not here, there or anywhere. I love the way Stenger writes. Read more

Published 10 months ago by A.

1.0 out of 5 stars Fundamentally flawed, assumes its conclusion.
This book fails to address a number of things:

> Ignores every kind of counter-argument - for example the work of people such as that of Stephen Meyer (Signature in... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Francis, A

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, scientific demolition of a clearly dead hypothesis
In this enjoyable read, Victor J. Stenger presents a convincing, if not water-tight, case using easily accessible and eloquent language, littered with copious amounts of... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Mr. Wayne Bagguley

2.0 out of 5 stars Failed Hypothesis?...Failed Physicist!
This book really puzzles me. Victor Stenger's latest book in line with the New Atheists attempts to show that the universe and everything in it can be explained in completely... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Mr. JL Gidney

2.0 out of 5 stars How do we reconcile our existence with God's creation
This book appears to capitalize on the much publicized controversy regarding the teaching of Biblical evolution, referred to as intelligent design, as a biology subject. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Rama Rao

2.0 out of 5 stars The case for atheism
God, the Failed Hypothesis: How science shows that God does not exist, by Victor J. Stenger, Prometheus Books, New York, 2007, 296 ff. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Dr. H. A. Jones

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