Stephen Hawking Smoked My Socks: How beliefs contaminate our opinions: an astrophysicist's perspective

This is a great read. I am a Christian but also have an appetite for Physics. I believe Dr. Ratcliffe handles the topic of personal belief systems with an unusual degree of respect coming from the scientific community. In fact, if I understood him correctly he basically proves in this work that no opinion of theism is superior to any other. Including atheism! Again, such a refreshingly honest perspective, as so many seem to believe that their beliefs are superior to other people's beliefs just because they happen to base other aspects of their world-view on empirical evidence in formal scientific circles. It sounds irrational when put that way, but I cannot begin to count how many times I've been told that atheism is somehow scientifically superior to theism without any of the "evidence" to follow being remotely relevant to that specific question. Is this because they study biology, or climate, or stars? Dr. Ratcliffe really hands all sides of that debate a humble sandwich and tries to convince all of us to get our own beliefs (whatever they may be) out of the way of our science. You'll find no worn-out rehash of the "I don't have to prove there is no God, you have to prove there is one..." argument in this book.Then he takes the whole topic to another level. Establishing that major portions of what is called "settled science" is no more empirically proven than most religions. In fact, in many ways, the scientific community has created a religion of its own! Complete with orthodoxy, heresy, and reward/penalties for each.This book has incredible potential if the right people would take notice. If our academics could embrace the truth of this claim we could see research dollars producing breakthroughs again, rather than settling for empty headlines. Much like the ashera poles of the old testament, this credible agnostic calls on all of us to tear down our "hypo-stacks" and reestablish firm foundations in empirical reality.Even as a Christian, I cannot disagree. There is nothing about my faith that requires that I reject the existence of fossils, or other solar systems, or Earth's tiny little role in the universe. In fact, any God that made all of this, must also be so much bigger than I, that He'd be the first to criticize even my most "educated" assumptions. Combining this with my favorite Christian allegorical commentary so far ("So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore") and Jacobsen's: "do what we want and we reward you" charge and these two authors could be kindred spirits.Perhaps the two should co-author "So You Don't Want to Smoke My Socks Anymore"?Dr. Ellie Arroway would be proud.

You know you've got a good book in your hands when the material illuminates, not only the important matter of integrity in the sciences, but also underscores the need for integrity in other professions as well; where theories & assumptions get support from further theories & assumptions & sadly gain hegemony anyway. This is a very useful & eye-opening book; raising consciousness to the crisis in science & offering suggestions to get started with thoughtful remedies. Hilton's readable style, valuable insights & personal experiences keep the pages turning as he cuts through the fluff & makes a compelling argument.

I loved Ratcliffe's other two books. I did not like this one. The author writes very well--as far as diction and clarity--but, in this one, he rambles.For instance, I felt the (long drawn out) discussion on conspiracy theory was out of place (focused especially on the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York) . A bit of a strawman argument, because he goes on to say that Hawking and friends are NOT involved in conspiracy. How many people are worried that Hawking and friends are conspirators?The introduction states that the author has no intention of mentioning his own scientific basis for rejecting the theory on black holes (a lot of the theory being attributed to Stephen Hawking). I bought the book hoping it was focused on that topic. True to his promise, the book does not mention it and, instead, delves into the philosophy behind the science.I agree with some of things that he says in the book but disagree with more than I agree. He calls his philosophy "scientific pragmatism". He seems to think it's wonderful half-house between realism and idealism. I found his philosophical arguments lacking in precision, and worse, still, at least in my experience, anything but novel. Yes, big science is stuck in the rut of mathematical modelling. I don't need a whole book to tell me something other authors have already explained better. I ended up just skimming thru after reading the first three chapters carefully.The theological arguments -- this part REALLY turned me off -- were pathetic. And they are FRONT and CENTER from beginning to end (with illustrations no less). If you're going to use theological arguments, when writing about science, even if only to use such arguments as a point of comparison in order to explain the way scientists do science, you need to do a much better job than the one offered in this book. Granted, the author bends over backwards to be respectful to belief in God. But it was damnation by feint praise. He seems ignorant of the key fact of any good theological argument: belief is based on revelation; so the key is to determine not the plausibility of what people believe but rather to determine whether or not God truly revealed something and how well the revelation was transmitted. All religions are not the same. Ratcliffe's basic (unstated) supposition is that they are all the same in being all wrong, or at best, all no more than illusions that people cling to because of cultural indoctrination.A much better book on the subject of why science needs a good shake-up -- well, hard to compare because the styles are so different -- is Robert Laughlin's **A Different Universe** (which Ratcliffe quotes approvingly).So, in sum, the book has a few good points but I wouldn't recommend it. Too much trouble for little gain.

I bought the book because of all the great reviews. Yes, Ratcliffe identified a problem in the science of today. Belief and religion have a great deal in common in that both are deeply held. The Physics Community is being over run by people who share the same belief...String theory, M-theory and mathematical solutions to problems that can not be proved through the scientific method. In over 40 years, these math based beliefs have not produced one provable theory. Also, he points out the money controls all actions. If you want a job in theoretical Physics, you must toe the line with the current most popular theoretical Physics. The funding determines the current practice. In the end, Stephen Hawking is shown to have contradicted his life's work on black holes by stating that black holes don't exist. A much better book is by Lee Smolin https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Physics-String-Theory-Science/dp/061891868X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449064434&sr=8-3&keywords=smolin.

Time & time & time again, it's all to Brief...... Love this book.

Good polygraphy. Fast delivery. Thank you very much.

This book examines the natural and social factors that affect our interpretation of observations of the natural world, pre conditioned mindsets directing research, hero workshop of prominent figures and elevation of theoretical mathematics over observable reality, all leading to ideas of the universe which may be false.I would have preferred less sociology and much more history of scientific thought.

This is, in my view, an important book which should be read by ALL professional scientists as well as all interested in science. Basically, the book addresses a hitherto unmentioned problem which is widespread throughout science as a whole and that is the place and influence of personal beliefs or, if you prefer, faiths. Dr. Ratcliffe confines his comments re science to physics and especially astrophysics, which is understandable given his academic background, but the remarks apply far beyond the boundaries of those disciplines. Much of the book is devoted to a discussion about faith and it is discussed in a variety of contexts, including religious ones. As a practising Christian I feel his remarks concerning faith in Christianity absolutely true and I would not wish to disagree on any issue there. Hence, I hope his book is viewed for what it is as a whole, rather than via a tunnel-visioned view of his comments on faith in Christianity. It is to be hoped his words are read for what they really say and he is not afforded the same biassed, unthinking treatment Fred Hoyle received following his BBC lectures on the nature of the universe.This is important I feel because, in this book, Dr Ratcliffe has very carefully and accurately exposed possibly the biggest flaw in modern science - the place and influence of belief or faith!Some might be offended by his remarks concerning Stephen Hawking but, unfortunately, much of Hawkings contributions to physics have been confined to areas and topics where the influence of personal belief is almost paramount. He graciously acknowledges Hawking's recent partial retraction over the issue of black holes but here I hope Dr Ratcliffe's generosity is not misplaced because it seems the scourge of 'black holes' still remains to thwart advancement in astrophysics. This remark will, no doubt, offend many but the issue of black holes well illustrates the problem Dr Ratcliffe is addressing; this whole question of faith in science links very closely with indoctrination in education. Unfortunately far too much which is really speculative is forced into the minds of students with what seems an almost religious fervour. This issue must be addressed as a matter of urgency, otherwise the pursuit of real truth in science - ALL science, including medicine - will be delayed for a generation or more.Read this book but please do so with an open mind!