Believe it or not a professor of mathematics and physics at Tulane University, a Dr. Frank J. Tipler, has a scientific theory that "proves" that heaven exists. I wanted to include this in the "Paradise" comic to depict science's response to heaven. Some people DO believe it you know? But, I want to be a responsible skeptic too.
Upon reading the theory, my skeptic alarms were going off all over the place. I knew there was something wrong, there's bad science going on here. So, I turned to the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe forums and they cleared it all right up. They are getting a sweet "thank you" in Everything Dies #3 for sure.
Further: Everything Dies 1 and 2 is supposed to be delivered today! Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Dude, I read a book by a precursor of this guy who argued the same thing. Everything was heading towards "the Omega Point" at which point we will all live forever as EMULATIONS (not simulations) of ourselves. I am still obsessed with it. Like a chlid who's pretty sure it's wrong, there's still a nagging part of me that thinks, but what if...? And then I get all shiverry and close my eyes and look away.
ReplyDeleteI like this cartoon.
haha, basically, I think that's what most people "secretly" think about all heavens. This is just the closest thing to a logical belief in heaven (even though it's pretty illogical). Definitely an interesting thing to research.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little mind-f*cked thinking about that...
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ReplyDeleteI was just excited that "Everything Dies" #1 and #2 were coming out....
ReplyDeleteAs far as heaven goes, the strip kind of reminds me of "I <3 Huckabees" and Dustin Hoffman's "Blanket" theory.
Hi, Box Brown. I responded to your inquiry at the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe Forum (boxbrown, "Frank J. Tipler's Omega Point," February 17, 2010) that you link to in your blog post.
ReplyDeleteSee also Prof. Frank J. Tipler's below paper, which in addition to giving the Feynman-Weinberg quantum gravity/Standard Model Theory of Everything (TOE) correctly describing and unifying all the forces in physics, also demonstrates that the known laws of physics (i.e., the Second Law of Thermodynamics, general relativity, quantum mechanics, and the Standard Model of particle physics) require that the universe end in the Omega Point (the final cosmological singularity and state of infinite informational capacity identified as being God):
F. J. Tipler, "The structure of the world from pure numbers," Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 68, No. 4 (April 2005), pp. 897-964. http://math.tulane.edu/~tipler/theoryofeverything.pdf Also released as "Feynman-Weinberg Quantum Gravity and the Extended Standard Model as a Theory of Everything," arXiv:0704.3276, April 24, 2007.
Out of 50 articles, Prof. Tipler's above paper was selected as one of 12 for the "Highlights of 2005" accolade as "the very best articles published in Reports on Progress in Physics in 2005 [Vol. 68]. Articles were selected by the Editorial Board for their outstanding reviews of the field. They all received the highest praise from our international referees and a high number of downloads from the journal Website." (See Richard Palmer, Publisher, "Highlights of 2005," Reports on Progress in Physics website.)
Reports on Progress in Physics is the leading journal of the Institute of Physics, Britain's main professional body for physicists. Further, Reports on Progress in Physics has a higher impact factor (according to Journal Citation Reports) than Physical Review Letters, which is the most prestigious American physics journal (one, incidently, which Prof. Tipler has been published in more than once). A journal's impact factor reflects the importance the science community places in that journal.
See also the below resource for further information on the Omega Point Theory:
Theophysics: God Is the Ultimate Physicist http://theophysics.chimehost.net , http://theophysics.host56.com
Tipler is Professor of Mathematics and Physics (joint appointment) at Tulane University. His Ph.D. is in the field of global general relativity (the same rarefied field that Profs. Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking developed), and he is also an expert in particle physics and computer science. His Omega Point Theory has been published in a number of prestigious peer-reviewed physics and science journals in addition to Reports on Progress in Physics, such as Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (one of the world's leading astrophysics journals), Physics Letters, the International Journal of Theoretical Physics, etc.
The leading quantum physicist in the world, Prof. David Deutsch (inventor of the quantum computer, being the first person to mathematically describe the workings of such a device, and winner of the Institute of Physics' 1998 Paul Dirac Medal and Prize for his work), endorses the physics of the Omega Point Theory in his book The Fabric of Reality (1997). For that, see:
David Deutsch, extracts from Chapter 14: "The Ends of the Universe" of The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes--and Its Implications (London: Allen Lane The Penguin Press, 1997); with additional comments by Frank J. Tipler. http://theophysics.chimehost.net/deutsch-ends-of-the-universe.html
Skeptic's Guide rulez!
ReplyDeleteI've listened to a few eps of Little Atoms too (Australia) to fill in the gaps between SGU podcasts.
I'm looking forward to #3 even more now.