What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty
by John Brockman
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Book Summary Information
Author: John BrockmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-01
ISBN: 0060841818
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Harper Perennial
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- ISBN13: 9780060841812
- Condition: NEW
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Book Reviews of What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty
Book Review: A real treat -- stimulating and informative
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was inspired by the late James Lee Byars who sought out John Brockman (editor) in 1969, after reading Brockman's book, "By the Late John Brockman." In 1971 Byars created a conceptual art project called "The World Question Center" that contained some of the seed ideas for the Edge concept. According to Brockman in his Introduction, "Byars inspired the idea of Edge and is responsible for its motto:
'To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and interesting minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves.'"
At that time, Byars gathered his list of the "100 most brilliant minds", made phone calls to all 100 and ended up having 70 simply "hang up" on him. "By 1997 the Internet and e-mail allowed for a serious implementation of Byars' grand design, and this resulted in launching Edge." There have been, as of the writing of the book, eight annual Edge Questions. In 2005, psychologist Nicholas Humphrey came up with the Edge Question that is the feature of this book:
"Great minds can sometimes guess the truth before they have either the evidence or arguments for it. (Diderot called it having the 'esprit de divination.') What do you believe is true, even though you cannot prove it?"
The Hard Problem of Consciousness asks, "Why do we have a subjective nature at all?" What I believe, but cannot prove is we have a subjective nature so that we can make the world into anything we want it to be. There are a couple of contributions on this very problem. That neuroscience is facing this challenge and taking it head-on is simply inspiring, at least from where I sit.
After reading this book, I need to ask, "Do we live in an 'age of certainty'"? Quantum mechanics has disposed of that hasn't it? I'd answer that by saying, "Yes and no. Depending on how you look at it or who you ask. The debate between so-called Newtonian Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics is, of course, a relevant question and is very much en vogue right now, but would be a study in-and-of itself."
Then, of whose "certainty" is the subtitle referring? Materialists? Spiritualists? Again, I don't know. But, for the record and somewhat broadly speaking, I include any type of atheism as belonging to a Materialist camp and I include any type of theism as belonging to a Spiritualist camp. You know what, though, they are both bent, I'm certain of that! I kid, we are all human beings here.
I think I might have found a clue to whose certainty the subtitle is referring to. It is found in the Preface:
"Edge is a celebration of the ideas of the third culture, an exhibition of this new community of intellectuals in action. They present their work, their ideas, and comment about the work and ideas of third culture thinkers. They do so with the understanding that they are to be challenged. What emerges is rigorous discussion concerning crucial issues of the digital age in a highly charged atmosphere where 'thinking smart' prevails over the anesthesiology of wisdom."
It's that last sentence that I am focussing on, especially the part "where 'thinking smart' prevails over the anesthesiology of wisdom". To anesthetize someone is to bring them into a state in which they are unconscious. The editor is, in a matter-of-fact way, pointing directly at any "wisdom", then. He is saying that typical and traditional thinking which becomes rigid, dogmatic, and "certain" must be disposed of in favor of "thinking smart". I agree with this, basically, but need more information as to, again, who is being addressed, and now, what he means by "thinking smart". My two cents is that "thinking smart" is thinking while conscious, not duped by tradition, which often requires only a rudimentary understanding of our own nature and the nature of the world, where belief is indoctrinated and believed "unconsciously".
For instance, when a Scientist becomes a Materialist, he becomes rigid, dogmatic and "certain". When a spiritualist becomes a fundamentalist, he becomes rigid, dogmatic and "certain". Division and debate soon follow. I don't mind healthy debate, but the polarization of the fundamentalist from any camp leads most directly to divisional rhetoric and personal agendas that are reflected within the individual and his work.
For instance, in the consciousness debate, which is covered in several contributions (Donald Hoffman and Ned Block come to mind), a strict materialist will simply assert that there is no "mind" and the Hard Problem will dissolve when we completely answer the Easy Problem. This approach to human consciousness led the founder of behaviorism, John B. Watson, to "dismiss the significance of a mind capable of reflection." "The behaviorist, declared Watson, "recognizes no dividing line between man and brute." (From The Mind and The Brain by Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley, pg 7.) The strict spiritualist, on the other hand, will simply assert that there is no "brain" and the Easy Problem will dissolve when we completely answer the Hard Problem. This approach to human consciousness led the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, to dismiss the existence of matter as "mortal error". Both extremes split mind and brain and thus divide a human being into separate components. This division leads to very real suffering in this world.
So, I agree that we have to think outside the box, put our nose to the grindstone (do good science), keep an eye on God (look out for your fellow man and his pursuits, prove him "right", not "wrong") but strict materialist (or spiritualist) thinking isn't always "thinking smart". The main contributors come from the materialist camp, but I think their contributions are fair minded, even if biased by their point-of-view. We need a certain amount of personal bias to keep us on track and keep us motivated. I think the author knows this, too, at least as it pertains to this work's central question about belief in all walks of life.
If you want some insight into, basically a materialist take on the Problems of Consciousness, "evolutionary biology, genetics, computer science, neurophysiology, psychology, and physics" this book has many, many great contributions (some not so great ones, too) that are very much worth a read.
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