Sunday, September 13, 2009

Trying to get through God's Debris

The free e-book "God's Debris" by Dilbert creator Scott Adams is potentially the worst book I've ever read, and I'm only half way through it. Each page is filled with at least a dozen logic errors, misunderstandings or misuses of current knowledge, and attempts to merge philosophy and physics to gain some heretofore unknown deeper understanding of the physical universe, all done in crazy Socratic words play that you have to try to decipher before you can even understand what the protagonist is actually saying.

It exemplifies almost all of the errors in thinking that prevail in the world, very nicely wrapped up in one book. Philosophy does not give you insight into physics, without first testing your hypothesis. Word play does not make statements closer to being true. And not personally understanding something does not mean nobody understands it, and it certainly does not make it fundamentally unknowable.

This book bothers me so much because it is widely revered and talked about, and it angers me to see so many people mislead by such blatant errors in reasoning.

It is available here:

http://nowscape.com/godsdebris.pdf

I am strongly considering going over this with a "red pen" and sending it to Scott Adams.

For a movie version of similar errors in reasoning, check out one of the worst bleeping movies ever, entitled "What the Bleep Do We Know". There are a dozen or so scientists interviewed in the movie. They filed a class action lawsuit against the producers claiming the movie gravely misrepresented their views with fanciful editing.

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