Thursday, March 21, 2013

Book Review: God's Debris

Book Review: God's Debris - A Thought Experiment
-- Scott Adams (Yes, The Dilbert guy)

As the punchline describes it, it's not a novel, it's just a thought experiment. A very short, couple of hours read. But, it has enough stuff to keep one's brain engaged for several weekends. The author recommends that one should share it with a smart friend after reading, and discuss it over the next weekend while enjoying a 'tasty beverage'. And, I am seriously looking forward to it.

The central idea is, if God is omnipotent and omniscient, the only challenge he would have is to annihilate himself. In fact, he actually did it and that's what is Big Bang for us. What's left is just God's Debris and probability. With this as the background, let us address all the circus in the world.

There is just one condition. Explanation should be simplest possible.

If one is of the type that says, "screw your logic, rationale and all that #$%^&, there is something called faith. I just have faith. I just believe", then one should stay away from this thought experiment. Otherwise, it is thoroughly enjoyable. 

Avatar, a supposedly enlightened soul and hero of the thought experiment, smartly puts his arguments, poses simple questions that tear apart age old beliefs around God, Soul, Free Will, Religions and turns most of them into simple to understand paradoxes. 

I particularly enjoyed it, as I could relate most of the discussion with the heated debates (more often than not, accompanied by all those tasty beverages) that I was part of, over the years, with some of my friends "who has faith and who just believe" :-)