I recently finished God's Debris, a novelette by Scott Adams. Even though most of you know him as the guy who writes Dilbert, this books is definitely a stark contrast to anything he has put into his comic strips.
The main idea behind the story is that a package delivery guy meets an old man who also is the only person on Earth who actually knows how everything in the universe works. The two end up having several conversations that delve into philosophical ideas but when put together as a whole outline the old man's explination of the universe.
There is a lot of discussion about omniscience, free will, and how the laws of probability affect the outcome of our lives. Not a lot of this will be new to people who have read some religious philosophy, but the book does break the arguements down into very simple and easy to swallow segments. He also presents an interesting analogy between human bones and dishware that will make you think about your beleifs in evolution.
In the end though, you do need to think very critically about everything that is being presented in the book. Some of the analogies and even fact presented aren't correct. Mr. Adams also prefaces the book with a disclaimer that he doesn't beleive everything presented in the novel. It is one man's mental exercise that you are meant to think about and analyze rather than just accept. Overall, its not a great novel, but its a good read for those that might be looking for a quick mental diversion.
God's Debris was originally an e-book only but recently was published in book form. It is a VERY short book - 132 pages, but they are only half pages and the type is somewhat large. I read the book in less than two hours and I tend to be a slow reader. I borrowed a copy from the library.
If you read this book and find it interesting, you might like The Paradox of God by Clifford Pickover. Some of Adam's ideas in the book also seemed somewhat Tao-esqe, so the Tao Te Ching would also be another good reccomended reading.
Posted by Davy at October 19, 2003 07:59 AM