This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress

by John Brockman

Overview

The bestselling editor of This Explains Everything brings together 175 of the world’s most brilliant minds to tackle Edge.org’s 2014 question: What scientific idea has become a relic blocking human progress?

Each year, John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org—”The world’s smartest website” (The Guardian)—challenges some of the world’s greatest scientists, artists, and philosophers to answer a provocative question crucial to our time. In 2014 he asked 175 brilliant minds to ponder: What scientific idea needs to be put aside in order to make room for new ideas to advance? The answers are as surprising as they are illuminating. In :

• Steven Pinker dismantles the working theory of human behavior
• Richard Dawkins renounces essentialism
• Sherry Turkle reevaluates our expectations of artificial intelligence
• Geoffrey West challenges the concept of a “Theory of Everything”
• Andrei Linde suggests that our universe and its laws may not be as unique as we think
• Martin Rees explains why scientific understanding is a limitless goal
• Nina Jablonski argues to rid ourselves of the concept of race
• Alan Guth rethinks the origins of the universe
• Hans Ulrich Obrist warns against glorifying unlimited economic growth
• and much more.

Profound, engaging, thoughtful, and groundbreaking, This Idea Must Die will change your perceptions and understanding of our world today . . . and tomorrow.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062374349
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/17/2015
Series:	Edge Question Series
Pages:	592
Sales rank:	387,525
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.95(d)

About the Author

The publisher of the online science salon Edge.org, John Brockman is the editor of Know This, This Idea Must Die, This Explains Everything, This Will Make You Smarter, and other volumes.

Editorial Reviews

12/22/2014
Brockman (What Should We Be Worried About?), founder of the Edge Foundation, has compiled a series of humorous and thought-provoking short essays from a wide array of scientists, science writers, and assorted academics. Several essays deal with concepts that aren’t fully understood, even by experts; string theory, for instance, is addressed in several sections, each from a slightly different angle. More philosophical topics receive consideration as well, such as free will, nature vs. nurture, and the difference between the brain and the mind (if there is one). Even economics is included. Some topics, like the lament over the term rocket scientist or the problem with artificial intelligence, are arguments about definitions, while other discussions contemplate the morality of certain practices in science. One fascinating result of having several authors address the same topic is seeing firsthand the ways experts disagree with one another. A common thread throughout is the reminder that science and its practitioners do not exist in a vacuum: those who work in areas that many consider esoteric still fight traffic and worry about what their work will do to make the world better. Brockman succeeds in presenting scientific work that will appeal to a variety of readers, no matter their background. Agent: Max Brockman, Brockman Inc. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

A fascinating smorgasbord of 175 short essays about every field and facet of research.

Science News

Discern[s] the zeitgeist of ideas with which some of our era’s greatest minds are tussling. ... Profound. ... Provocative. ... Mind-stretching.

Brain Pickings

Praise for This Idea Must Die: “Take a look. No matter who you are, you are bound to find something that will drive you crazy.

New York Times

Garrulous and argumentative. ... Brockman’s formula is tried and tested. Better still, it shows no sign of getting old.

New Scientist

This Idea Must Die is an excellent gathering of thoughts, rants and lamentations to add to your book list.

Forbes

An epicenter of bleeding-edge insight across science, technology, and beyond.

Atlantic Monthly

A forum for the world’s most brilliant minds.

The Observer (UK)

Offers a rare chance to discover big ideas before they hit the mainstream.

New York Times Book Review

The brightest minds in the known universe.

Vanity Fair

Praise for Edge: “Physics, statistics, robotics, linguistics, medicine-all are zestfully scrutinized in this exuberant, mind-blowing gathering of innovative thinkers.

Booklist

02/01/2015
"What scientific idea is ready for retirement?" was the question chosen by edge.org publisher Brockman (This Explains Everything) in 2014 as part of an annual exercise to solicit original thoughts from a wide range of people. The result is 175 short essays by individuals from fields dominated by science. These include 43 psychologists, 27 physicists, and 16 neuroscientists, as well as others from such disciplines as business, economics, mathematics, and Asian studies. Participants include individuals who are broadly well known, such as Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, and the actor/writer Alan Alda, among others acclaimed within their disciplines. The writers were given free rein, leading to examinations of evidence-based medicine, the uncertainty principle, and "our narrow definition of science." Some pieces, such as Robert Kurzban's "Cartesian Hydraulicism," delve into areas that would require most lay readers to do parallel research to pick up the threads. Contrarian novelist Ian McEwan suggests: "Beware of Arrogance! Retire Nothing!" VERDICT The brevity of the essays and the apparent attempt to make most understandable to a general audience have produced a provocative and informative compilation. Readers will find plenty here to both agree and disagree with.—Richard Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver

Library Journal

2014-11-18
New science has a difficult time. As physicist Max Planck said long ago, a good idea does not automatically replace a bad one; "opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."In his latest compendium, Brockman (What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios that Keep Scientists Up at Night, 2014, etc.), publisher of the online science salon, Edge.com, asked 175 scientists, philosophers and intellectuals for ideas that have outlived their usefulness. At one to four pages, these are thoughtful essays that answer the question when they're not doing the opposite (defending the author's life's work) or wandering off to answer a different question. There are the usual suspects. Free will, Malthusianism, racism, IQ tests and religion do not do well. Mostly, the contributors hate simple explanations. Scientists studying the brain insist that it's not a computer, that the left-brain-right-brain dichotomy is silly, and that studying neurological activity won't explain consciousness because it's an illusion. Some ideas were never true: Rationality is not a major feature of human behavior. Some debates (nature vs. nurture) are nonsense. Occasionally, the news is good. Altruism is not necessarily self-sacrifice. We benefit as individuals, and most of us experience pleasure when we help others. Finally, novelist Ian McEwan disparages the book's theme, pointing out that you never know when you'll need an old idea. "It might rise again one day to enhance a perspective the present cannot imagine." No one wants to retire Shakespeare. Other contributors include A.C. Grayling, Richard Dawkins, John McWhorter, Sherry Turkle and Jared Diamond. Although they often beat dead or nonexistent horses, these ingenious cerebral tidbits will stimulate, provoke and confuse (in a good way) intelligent readers.

Kirkus Reviews

"Physics, statistics, robotics, linguistics, medicine—all are zestfully scrutinized in this exuberant, mind-blowing gathering of innovative thinkers." —Booklist

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