The Physics of Immortality

I have now finished The Physics of Immortality. There are a lot of things that could be said about this book and you'll find many other reviews and rants about it on the web; I'll try to keep mine relatively brief and to the point.

The subtitle "Modern Cosmology, God and the resurrection of the dead" hints at the intriguing premise behind this challenging book: a scientific eschatological theory combining modern cosmology with the idea of eternal life and an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God. It sounds like something from the New Age aisle of your book store, except for the fact that the author is a renowned physicist and a professor of mathematical physics at Tulane University.

Frank J. Tipler does indeed demonstrate remarkable knowledge of a wide variety of subjects while explaining theories related to his Omega Point hypothesis. Unfortunately, Tipler's arguments for the main thesis lack the same scientific rigour displayed in his explanations of physics and mathematics. Rather than a testable physical theory we get a semi-coherent collection of postulates; central claims and conclusions are supported by assumptions that cannot be justified.

Tipler spends several chapters showing how traditional theological myths and related philosophical concepts can fit into this framework. For example, he argues that the concept of afterlife in the world's great religions matches that predicted by his own hypothesis. A provocative and controversial proposition at best, this aspect of the book has predictably attracted criticism from scientists and theologians alike. I find it an unnecessary and boring tangent, as well as a spectacularly bad idea.

Systems of thought such as Christianity and Islam are deliberately designed to "explain everything" and uses vague, unsupported, and circular arguments to justify their existence. It's hardly surprising that their features can be made to resemble those in a metaphysical theory. While I'm OK with finding some comfort in unproven philosophical ideas, it's incredibly dangerous to lend any kind of scientific credibility to beliefs that have repeatedly proven themselves to be harmful for individuals, society, and civilization.

Ultimately, The Physics of Immortality is speculative to the point of fantasy and fails to deliver what it promises. Even the author admits to not believing in the theory, so there's no reason for the reader to do so. If anything, I feel less optimistic about the prospects for eternal life than I did before.

Despite all its shortcomings, I found reading this book worthwhile. Not for the misguided attempt to unify science and religion or for the Omega Point hypothesis itself, but because of the fascinating scientific and philosophical ideas explored in the process. If you read it with an open but highly skeptical mind, you'll be hard pressed not to find some inspiration and food for thought.

After this I yearn for more light-weight literary entertainment; Use of Weapons would seem appropriate.

31 December, 2004