Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal Issue 15 Article 17 7-1-1997 Book Reviews: Uncommon Sense, by Alan Cromer, and The hP ysics of Immortality, by Frank J. Tipler Harald M. Ness University of Wisconsin, Fond du Lac Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj Part of the Mathematics Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Ness, Harald M. (1997) "Book Reviews: Uncommon Sense, by Alan Cromer, and The hP ysics of Immortality, by Frank J. Tipler," Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal: Iss. 15, Article 17. Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss15/17 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Book Reviews: Uncommon Sense by Alan Cromer and The Physics of Immortality by Frank J. Tipler Harald M. Ness University of ~sconsin , Centers-Fond du Lac Fond duLac. WI54935 [email protected] George Polya, when asked why he became a mathematician, saidthat he was too good to bea physicist, andnotgood enough to be a philosopher. Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nat ure ifScience. Alan SO necessary, most of us in the business believe, for Crome r. Oxford Universit y Press: New York,1995. success in understanding ma thematics, science and, 256p. ISBN 0-19-509636-3. hence, the universe, is unnatural. He argues that if it is natural, it wo uld have evolved in most, if not all, The Pysics of Immortality:Modern Cos mology, God, and cultures. The only culture where it did evolve was, Resurrection of the Dead. Frank J. Tipler. Doubled ay: according to Cromer, the Greek culture. It is part of Anchor NY. 1995. ISBN 0-385-46799-0. OUI culture (so-called "Western" culture) because it was nurtured in Islam and came to Europe in the Euro­ This is a pair of interesting books written by physi­ pean Renaissance. Cromer lists seven cultural factors cists. Why, you might ask. are books written by physi­ that stimulated the development of objective think­ cists being reviewed in a ma the matics journal, in par­ ing in the Greek culture: (1) the assembly, where me n ticular, in a journal dedicated to mathematics as a first Learned to persuade one another by means of ra­ humanistic d iscipline? Well, in the first place. they are tional debate, (2) the maritime economy, th at pre­ of a mathematical nature. The first is about rational vented isolation and parochialism, (3) a widespread thought, which webelieve we use in mathematics; the Greek speaking world, (4) an independent merchant latter has a detailed mathematical development of class that could hire its own teachers, (5) the Wild and theorems leading to the major conclusion. Further­ the Odyssey, the epitome of rational thinking, (6) a lit­ more, mathematicians and physicists are of the same erary religion not dominated by priests, and (7) the ilk. I'm no t sure, but I think it was George Polya who, persistence of these factors for one thousand years. when asked why he became a mathematician, said His presentation is convincing. that he was too good to be a physicist, and not good enough to be a philosopher. 1hope these reviews will Un like the egocentricity of other cultures, w hic h make d ear why they are appropriate for a humanis­ Cromer says is na tural, the Greeks were able to sepa­ tic journal. rate internal thought from external objectivity. In ad­ d ition to objective think ing as unnatural. Comer cites Alan Cro mer is a th eoretical nuclear physicist at monogamy, honesty, and democratic governmen t. He No rtheastern University who is actively involved in says that in the Old and New Testaments, knowledge school science education. When teaching elementary is belief. Regarding his beliefs, Comer states, "I be­ college physics, he was always troubled by the inabil­ lieve that rational civilization, with its science, arts, ity of students to follow the rational analytical thought and human righ ts, is humankind's greatest hope for which, he believed, was necessary for the understand­ nobili ty. But like Jericho, it's but an oasis in the midst ing of basic physics. Well, welcome to the club. Any­ of a vast desert of human confusion and irrational­ one who has taught high school or beginning college ity." For elucidation of the last sentence in that quote, mathematics or physical science has encountered and I invite you to peruse the preface of the book. has been troubled by this. Cromer applied more ra­ tional thought than most of us to this problem and So, what is to be done about it? Cromer submits that came up with the primary premise of this book. The since ourhigher rational abilities do not develop spon­ reason for the d ifficulty for most people, he argues, is taneously, they must be cultivated by the formal ed u­ that the analytic, rational, deductive thought process cational system. He says that since many intelligent Humanistic Mathematics Network Jou rnal #15 51 students are unable to grasp mathematical logic, the schools in the United States . These broad generaliza­ normal sequence does not lead to this ability. He con­ tions are dangerous; there are many excellent schools cludes that while physical develop ment, given ad­ in the U.S. I won't debate the ideas presented there (I equate nutrition, is pretty well programmed in the cou ld write pages about that. In fact, I di d, but de­ genetic make-up, mental growth depends strong ly on cided to zap them), but I do agree that in many cases the cultural an d social environment. We should nur­ teachers and parents are not demanding enough and ture objective, rational thou ght in our culture, I would there is a great need for improved methods of devel­ imagine, through our educational system. Is there oping objective, rational thou ght in students. something wrong with this picture? I grew up in a fairly stable environment. There was very little change Cromer does a nice job of presenting historical and cultural information pertinent to his case. This is fa­ It is not that the use of the computer is bad; it is very miliar stuff, I think, to most of us, bu t I think it is good good and absolutely necessary. What is bad is the sub­ to be reminded and to get it from a different perspec­ stitution oflearning byobservation forlearning bythink­ tive. ing, and I think there is too much of that. My major criticism of this book is the author 's attack in the student population and in the teaching staff. on religion. He is as irrational in his criticism of reli­ Yet,when we got to geometry (traditionally, the first gion as he accuses religion to be. I really think this chance at de ductive thinking) some of us caught on detracts from his presentation and should have been early, while every week or so a couple more would left out. Belief in God, Mr. Cromer, is not ego-centric. catch on, and, perhaps, a few never did.Of course, God is no t an extension of self, but rather, self is an those in th e "other track" probably never had the extension of God. I quote from Albert Einstein, who chance. One of my earliest teaching positions (and a was, himself, a fair to middlin' physicist, "Science great experience it was) was in a small village where without religion is lame, religion without science is there was even less change in the student body and blind."All of which provides us with a neat segue to faculty. These students, as we, were subjected to es­ the other book to be reviewed. sentially the same learning environment. Although with the "new math," I started with deductive pro­ Frank Tipler, also a theoretical physicist, has written cesses in Algebra I, I still experienced the same thing a book, albeit a very formidable book, that provides with the rate and extent of student development in us with the science tha t Einstein suggested is needed deductive abiliti es. Again, the stu dents in the "other for religion. The author uses 339 pa ges of exposition, track" d idn't have the opportunity. Could there be a 35 pages of notes, and 123 pages of Appendix For Sci­ gene for relatively quick development of the ability, entists (well, maybe for some scientists) where he pro­ one for a slow development of the ability, and one for vides the deductive development to prove the immor- no development of the ability? Or could it be testoster­ one, as some have concluded? At any ra te, I think Tipler defines aI/life forms (including humans) as ma­ Cromer's suggestion of an educational environment chines, the brain as an information processing device, that attempts to develop rational thought is a good and the soul as a program being run on a computer one. I fear, however, the trend is in the opposite direc­ (brain). tion. One culprit, I believe, is the egalitarian move­ ment which pervades current ed ucation; everyone tality of all. The concepts he uses in the exposition should get the same education, they demand. Of and the mathematical mo del he uses in the deductive course, there were some flaws in the old tracking sys­ development are quantum field theory. Now, we all tem, but might there no t be some middle ground? know that for any deductive development, there must Another culprit, I believe, is the extensive use of the be definitions and postulates.