Nature of Reality Questioned in ‘Beyond Intelligent Design: From an autonomous universe to a functional virtual reality’
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 20, 2015 -- In his book, “‘Beyond Intelligent Design: From an autonomous universe to a functional virtual reality’, Efthimios Harokopos presents his case in favor of teaching alternatives to evolution theory in the education curriculum. The central argument in the book is that the question of the autonomy of our physical reality has not been settled by modern science. Not only there is no clear answer about this fundamental issue, Harokopos claims, but since the emergence of natural philosophy in the 17th century the failure of prevailing theories to support the autonomy of physical reality has been obscured to a certain degree. The book starts its journey at Elea, an ancient Greek colony, where philosophers presented compelling logical arguments against the autonomy of the world. Harokopos argues that the answers to these logical arguments offered by modern science are not convincing and there is a possibility that we do not fully understand the nature of our physical reality. If our world is not autonomous, then there are significant implications: Non-autonomy could imply that life did not emerge by chance but there is underline intelligence that governs its creation and evolution, which he calls intelligent interaction
Intelligent design vs. evolution debate is one of the most controversial debates. Harokopos approaches the notorious intelligent design doctrine from a novel perspective based on the virtual reality hypothesis and in a way that allows falsification through experimentation. Obscured facts are presented about the foundations of classical and modern science that challenge the autonomy of this world. Harokopos argues that the fragile foundations of modern science warrant the investigation of alternatives, such as theories that deny the autonomy of this world and corroborate the hypothesis of constant intelligent interaction, which in turn indirectly supports the intelligent design hypothesis.
Harokopos makes it clear that his book does not attempt to provide support to the intelligent design hypothesis doctrine and that he is agnostic on this issue. Instead, he argues, science must not exclude alternatives theories, such as those that challenge the autonomy of this world, because such autonomy is not evident. More importantly, the book asserts that alternative theories about the emergence of the world and human life should be part of the educational curriculum because they can provide a better balance of human values and that is to the benefit of society.
In a review of the book, Indranu Suhendro, Scientific Secretary of Zelmanov Journal, the journal of General Relativity, Stockholm, Sweden, and Dmitri Rabounski, Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Physics, the US journal of physics, Gallup, NM, USA, wrote among other things:
‘Harokopos, in countering the currently prevalent, financially and politically more supported dogma of a self-sufficient material universe emerging by chance and populated by randomness, does not side with creationism, let alone "biblical creationism" or "intelligent design" for he has assuredly maximum epistemic distance from falling solipsistically into this or that (while, like Einstein, considering "religion" only psychologically and historically); rather, like Einstein, he aims to humbly show how the problem is not settled: be it among the Greeks, among medieval thinkers, or among the contemporary minds of today. He, like Einstein, humbly sees a "superior manifestation of intelligence" in Nature and on the horizon of things and, on a psychological and historical note, is merely sympathetic with the minority in this category - and the faintest of voices -, and this is true in any case.’
‘Beyond Intelligent Design: From an autonomous universe to a functional virtual reality’
By Efthimios Harokopos
Paperback: 132 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1511400625
ISBN-13: 978-1511400626
Book website: http://www.digitalcosmology.com/Blog/beyond-intelligent-design/
About the Author
Efthimios Harokopos received a Bachelor's degree with honors and a Masters degree from SUNY at Buffalo. He then completed the coursework towards a PhD and received a second Master's degree from Columbia University. He has a passion for philosophy of science and does independent research regarding the nature of reality and the impact of digital revolution on human life and evolution.
Efthimios Harokopos, [email protected], http://www.digitalcosmology.com/Blog/beyond-intelligent-design/, +30 6981269292, [email protected]
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