Synopses & Reviews
More than one hundred of the world's leading thinkers write about things they believe in, despite the absence of concrete proof.
Scientific theory, more often than not, is born of bold assumption, disparate bits of unconnected evidence, and educated leaps of faith. Some of the most potent beliefs among brilliant minds are based on supposition alone, yet that is enough to push those minds toward making the theory viable.
Eminent cultural impresario, editor, and publisher of Edge (www.edge.org), John Brockman asked a group of leading scientists and thinkers to answer the question: What do you believe to be true even though you cannot prove it? This book brings together the very best answers from the most distinguished contributors.
Thought-provoking and hugely compelling, this collection of bite-size thought-experiments is a fascinating insight into the instinctive beliefs of some of the most brilliant minds today.
Review
"[An] informative and often surprising book....[T]he majority [of responses] are thoughtful, honest, and revelatory....And the book certainly gets us thinking about our own deeply held, if entirely unprovable, beliefs." Booklist
Review
"For the most part, it reads like a bunch of blog entries sound bites as short as a sentence that either state the obvious or cut off just as things get interesting, random bursts of intellectualizing designed for compulsive channel surfers." Los Angeles Times
Review
"It is interesting reading the explanations as well as the answers themselves. Some are philosophically intriguing....To me, what makes this book most interesting is how it sparks questions and answers within myself. Sure, it's interesting to know what Richard Dawkins believes (Darwinian natural selection is universal surprise), but reading the various answers reveals assumptions we all make about the world." Doug Brown, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
More than one hundred of the world's leading thinkers write about things they believe in, despite the absence of concrete proof.
Thought-provoking and hugely compelling, this collection of bite-size though-experiments is a fascinating insight into the instinctive beliefs of some of the most brilliant minds today.
About the Author
John Brockman is a writer, agent, and publisher of Edge, the "Third Culture" website (www.edge.org), the forum for leading scientists and thinkers to share their research with the general public. He is the author of By The Late John Brockman and The Third Culture and has edited several previous anthologies including The Next Fifty Years, Curious Minds, and My Einstein." He lives in New York City.