God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist by Victor J. Stenger (PDF)

Description

Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology, while science has sat on the sidelines. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. This book contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, physicist Stenger examines all of the claims made for God’s existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God’s influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God’s special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God. This paperback edition of the New York Times bestselling hardcover edition contains a new foreword by Christopher Hitchens and a postscript by the author in which he responds to reviewers’ criticisms of the original edition.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “I learned an enormous amount from this splendid book.”-Richard Dawkins, author of the New York Times bestseller The God Delusion”Marshalling converging arguments from physics, astronomy, biology, and philosophy, Stenger has delivered a masterful blow in defense of reason. God: The Failed Hypothesis is a potent, readable, and well-timed assault upon religious delusion. It should be widely read.”-Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation”Extremely tough and impressive…a great book…a huge addition to the arsenal of argument.”-Christopher Hitchens, author of the New York Times bestseller God Is Not Great About the Author Victor J. Stenger (1935 – 2014) was an adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and emeritus professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii. He was the author of the New York Times bestseller God: The Failed Hypothesis, God and the Atom, God and the Folly of Faith, The Comprehensible Cosmos, and many other books.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Victor J. Stenger’s overall thesis is this: That God is a testable hypothesis, therefore falsifiable; To say that God is a testable hypothesis is to say that God can be formulated in the scientific model in accordance to what most believers believe about God (given that there is sufficient consensus). The function of scientific models is to both explain the observable data and to make observable or testable predictions. If concept of God can be formulated into a scientific model, as Stenger suggested, then it follows that the scientific model of God can make testable predictions that can be tested, therefore falsifiable. Stenger also noted that the scientific model of God would not be concerned with the very nature of God, and this is important since many theologians and beleivers assert that God’s nature is ineffable. Rather, the scientific model of God concerns what the universe should look like if God exist, given that God is an agent with purpose and intention who performs actions that intervene into the natural order of things. The intervention of God’s actions in relation to Nature is a key concept of God that is testable, because if God truly does interfere with Nature, then the effects of that interference should be observable since any event in nature (including God’s interference) is observable.This overarching thesis is not only crucial, but detrimental, especially when Stenger gathers all the examples and evidences to support his argument that God-Hypothesis is either rendered falsified or superfluous. Stenger pointed out that because there are other hypothesis that explains many natural phenomena which believers insist requires Supernatural cause, the God-Hypothesis is not without its competitors. While the God-Hypothesis does have a potential to be a grand scientific theory in the midst of this competition, this is not the case given that many other independent hypothesis with a natural explanation has made observable predictions that have been successfully tested and supported. Given that these hypothesis explains the phenomena without resorting to the supernatural cause, what scientific value does the concept of God have?Theist can reasonably argue that Stenger has not falsified the God-Hypothesis, but such arguments do not bother me at all (nor do I think they would bother Stenger himself). Why is this? Because Stenger convincingly demonstrated that God can be a testable scientific model, thus a falsifiable hypothesis. By arguing this point, the theological ramifications are significant: There is no longer any excuse to vindicate God from scientific inquiry, and an appeal to Faith or Mystery simply will not do anymore. Appealing to faith or ineffability will not render God an unfalsifiable and untestable hypothesis, rather it would not do very much since the very definition of God as an intervening agent could sufficiently entail testability. A theistic believer (with the exception of a deist) cannot appeal to faith without also including the definition of God as an intervening agent, whose actions interfere with human and natural affairs, because the very faith that believers appeal to also depends on that definition.The scientific ramifications of Stenger’s argument is also significant in regards to theism, because this would mean that the scientific model of God would predict the effects of prayers, the occurrences of miracles, the prophecies, the problem of evil, and the fine-tune arguments. Stenger succeeded in articulating this implication to such a degree that nobody can easily argue that God transcends scientific inquiry. What is even more disturbing is that there actually has been scientific studies on prayers and miracles, and so far the majority of the results have been negative. This would be a problem to the majority of the believers who believe in intercessory prayers.So far, I applaud Stenger for making a successful argument that God can be a testable hypothesis, and showing many scientific evidences that could reasonably be construed as contrary to the predictions that the God-Hypothesis made. People can argue all they want about the existence of God, but if Stenger’s argument is both valid and sound, then the God-Debate may eventually end with a solid conclusion pretty soon.

⭐Two Pew Research Center surveys in 2006 and 2009 showed 83% of the general public and 33% of scientists believe in a traditional God. If you include a “universal spirit or higher power” this becomes 95% and 51%. Victor Stenger’s 2007 book God: The Failed Hypothesis is probably best suited for the 51% of scientists, assuming they’re real scientists, that is, that they base their beliefs on evidence and understand the necessary protocol for doing so. Scientists who don’t believe have probably already thought these issues through, and most of the general public may find Stenger’s approach either tedious or offensive. For a more conversational treatment of the same issues they should pick up Sam Harris’ The End of Faith or the slightly more confrontational The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.The hypothesis is written in the positive – that God exists. This is important because it as an extraordinary claim and normally would require extraordinary evidence. Regardless, the author looks for *any* evidence. While God can not be disproven with 100% certainty (maybe He exists and has yet to reveal himself) the hypothesis can be confidently dismissed by an overwhelming lack of evidence. This would be analogous to concluding that your elderly neighbor in Chicago is not also the masked gunman of Toronto. You don’t *know* that it’s not the same person, but you have absolutely no reason to think it. The same type of standard can be directed to the hypothesis that God exists.The first step is to nail down the definitions. He distinguishes between lowercase god and uppercased God with the former includes all sorts of deities, spiritual beliefs, and supernatural forces. This would be the 12% and 18% in the graph above. The God of his hypothesis is the capital-G God, the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God, and the version of this which would be recognizable to the vast majority of believers. It does not include any abstracted, esoteric, clever interpretation of this God which often comes from theological gymnastics. The God is the God of most believers of these three faiths.And then the hypothesis, which he explains must have several characteristics: 1. protocols must be impeccable, 2. it must be established before the data are collected, 3. the work must be done without prejudice, 4. the hypothesis must be falsifiable, and 5. results must be independently replicable.People should feel comfortable embarking on this inquiry. If God probably exists, they’ll see, and God may be pleased. If God most very probably doesn’t exist, that’s good to know too. To cling to the idea that it still *might* be true despite complete lack of evidence would be analogous to living in fear of the elderly neighbor because they *might* be a frequent-flying ruthless killer of Canadians. Why would anyone choose to do that?There are plenty of ways the hypothesis of God would have been supported. If lightning were to only strike wicked people, revelation were to predict future events, or if prayer improved the health of the prayed-for … these would all support the hypothesis. But it fails, which won’t come as a surprise to those who have been through this exercise in other ways.After addressing the question from many sides: illusion of design, evidence from the cosmos, failures of revelation, do values come from God, the argument from Evil, and more, he addresses the important question of whether beauty, hope, morality, kindness, generosity, love, forgiveness, and all those good things exist without God. The evidence shows clearly, strongly, thankfully: yes.There are also extensive end-notes and references after each chapter, as one would expect. The scientifically minded and the clear-thinkers will appreciate this book’s direct treatment of this important question.

⭐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. In this regard the book is fantastic. What I didn’t realise before purchase was that Stenger is also adjunct professor of philosophy at Colorado university. Whilst I agreed these arguments added completeness and were often edifying, I felt they watered down the strength of the other arguments, here’s why:The philosophical material regularly took the form of syllogisms to make a point. These sets of statements always start with positions which are held to be self evidently true and swiftly draw a logical deduction. The trouble in my view is, it is far to easy to make a ‘false syllogism’ to prove an absurd point of view. This is often because the initial statements are out of context, or have obscure but relevant exceptions. Therefore, Stenger’s subtitle “How science shows that God does not exist” seems to have be stretching the subtitle from “science showing”, to “syllogisms suggesting”, in order to include other interesting material.The core of the book, however, involves the debunking of some really hard hitting questions. Stenger’s knowledge and scientific expertise are in their element here. The central chapters easily justify the meagre price of this book. These are real answers, not amateur fudging or political spin. I would like to see this section with an extra chapter (expanding p231-233), it would reveal the impossibility of explaining through natural causes a universe that really had been designed.Finally, I found this book very readable and structured. Stenger has a truly wicked sense of humour (the hiddenness of God paradox and the Ecclesiastical solution is a classic.) I hope Stenger’s enthusiastic disbelief hasn’t translated to biased objectivity where opinion inevitably arises. This book is a keeper!

⭐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. I was a bit skeptical about the title, but having read the book I’m convinced: the God/Gods of Christianity, Islam and Judaism don’t exist.

⭐A brilliant and well written summary of much more than I have discovered alone when researching the God question. Stenger takes what was spinning around in my head after years of looking at the question, puts it together methodically and adds crucial logic and references. Just when you think of the next “but” he pre-empts your but with his simple logical reasoning.

⭐Well researched well documented. A very able view of religion from a scientific view point. I don’t know how those who believe in a God any God can ignore this and still expect to be taken seriously. But they will.

⭐I read this book twice to really get to grips with the depth and breadth of great content, evidence and rationale that Senger brings. Will probably read again and get a whole lot more from it

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