This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress

by John Brockman

Overview

Reporting from the cutting edge of scientific discovery, today's visionary thinkers target the greatest roadblocks to innovation.

Few truly new ideas are developed without first abandoning old ones. In the past, discoveries often had to wait for the rise of the next generation to see questions in a new light and let go of old truisms. Today, in a world that is defined by a rapid rate of change, staying on the cutting edge has as much to do with shedding outdated notions as adopting new ones. In this spirit, John Brockman, publisher of the online salon Edge.org ("the world's smartest website"—The Guardian), asked 175 of the world's most influential scientists, economists, artists, and philosophers: What scientific idea is ready for retirement?

Jared Diamond explores the diverse ways that new ideas emerge * Nassim Nicholas Taleb takes down the standard deviation * Richard Thaler and novelist Ian McEwan reveal the usefulness of "bad" ideas * Steven Pinker dismantles the working theory of human behavior * Richard Dawkins renounces essentialism * Sherry Turkle reevaluates our expectations of artificial intelligence * Physicist 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 * Alan Guth rethinks the origins of the universe * Sam Harris argues that our definition of science is too narrow * Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek disputes the division between mind and matter * Lawrence Krauss challenges the notion that the laws of physics were preordained * plus contributions from Daniel Goleman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Nicholas Carr, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Matt Ridley, Stewart Brand, Sean Carroll, Daniel C. Dennett, Helen Fisher, Douglas Rushkoff, Lee Smolin, Kevin Kelly, Freeman Dyson, and others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062374356
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/17/2015
Series:	Edge Question Series
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	592
Sales rank:	244,658
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

The publisher of the online science salon Edge.org, John Brockman is the editor of The Universe, This Explains Everything, This Will Make You Smarter, and other volumes. He is the founder of the literary agency Brockman, Inc., and lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Every year, John Brockman's Edge.org website poses a question and asks a small army of elite deep thinkers to answer it. Last year, 175 scientists, artists, economists, and philosophers responded to the query, "What scientific idea is ready for retirement?" This trade paperback and NOOK Book collects the thoughts and ideas of intellectuals including Steven Pinker, Jared Diamond, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Sherry Turkle; to name a few.

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

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

From the Publisher

Fascinating. ... Thought-provoking.

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