Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe [Hardcover]

James N. Gardner (Author), Seth Shostak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1930722265 | ISBN-13: 978-1930722262 | Publication Date: August 2003

Biocosm challenges both sides of the controversy over evolution and creationism. This carefully reasoned book proposes that life and intelligence have not emerged as a series of random accidents, as Darwinists like Stephen Jay Gould have maintained, but are hardwired into the cycle of cosmic creation, evolution, death, and rebirth. Gardner's theory of an exponential coevolution of biological and electronic intelligence, designed and directed, offers an extraordinary vision of a universe of point and purpose. Stunning color photos are included.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For many years, traditional cosmologists and proponents of faith-based "intelligent design" have fought over the origin of the universe. One side maintains that pure chance can explain everything; the other that there must be a God. In Biocosm, James Gardner examines the evidence and finds a third hypothesis, one that has the approval of a number of noted skeptics and scientists. He calls it the "Selfish Biocosm," in a nod to Richard Dawkins, and outlines it in this homage to Charles Darwin. Gardner states his hypothesis:

The basic idea is that the anthropic, or life-friendly, qualities that our universe exhibits are logical and predictable consequences of a cosmic reproduction cycle in which a cosmologically extended biosphere, developed and evolved over billions of years to unimaginable levels of sophistication, serves as the device by which our cosmos duplicates itself and propagates one or more "baby universes."

Like many of the sentences in Biocosm, this one requires multiple readings before its meaning and ramifications sink in. This is not an easygoing, blow-your-mind look at the universe. Gardner is meticulous in outlining his ideas, explaining their falsifiability and scientific rigor, and offering deep chaos theory to support them. Did our universe create intelligent life in order to ensure its own reproduction? Gardner thinks so, though he knows his position will irk many cosmologists exhausted from battling pseudoscientists and creationists. His impressive list of scientific supporters includes Sir Martin Rees (Britain's Astronomer Royal), Michael Shermer (publisher of Skeptic magazine), and John Casti (Santa Fe Institute honcho). Biocosm synthesizes many disciplines and theories in its conclusions, offering much food for cosmological thought. --Therese Littleton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Science has yet to find a way of knowing what, if anything, existed before the Big Bang that created our universe. Further, how can we account for physical laws that are so finely tuned for the creation of carbon-based life? Science writer and amateur cosmologist Gardner proposes a startling theory: that a pre-existing superintelligent race that inhabited a "mother universe" created this one and tweaked the physical laws in its baby universe to ensure the continuity of intelligent life and of the cosmos itself; this universe, then, will foster the growth of a new superintelligence eons from now with complete command over the laws of nature and the ability to create yet more universes with inheritable characteristics. Thus, Gardner argues, our universe is a "Selfish Biocosm" that created intelligent life to ensure its own survival. Gardner marshals cutting-edge thinking in cosmology, string theory and the associated M theory, and complexity theory to support his ideas. Readers may want to jump to chapter 15 for a full statement of his theory, since the pr‚cis in his introduction is vague; still, this is not for casual readers of popular science. If one doesn't favor an explanation for the creation of life that involves a deity of some sort, then Gardner's theory seems a plausible alternative, though some readers may feel that speculating on superintelligences in pre-existing universes may be akin to Darwin's proverbial dog speculating on the mind of Newton. 8-page color insert not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Inner Ocean Publishing (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930722265
• ISBN-13: 978-1930722262
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James N. Gardner is a widely published complexity theorist and science essayist whose peer-reviewed articles and scientific papers have appeared in prestigious scientific journals, including Complexity (the journal of the Santa Fe Institute), Acta Astronautica (the journal of the International Academy of Astronautics), and the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. He has also written popular articles for WIRED, Nature Biotechnology, The Wall Street Journal, and World Link (the magazine of the World Economic Forum).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Universal Darwinism?, August 13, 2003

By 

Victor S. Johnston "vsj" (Las Cruces, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe (Paperback)

If you like to explore provocative ideas, then you will enjoy Biocosm. Gardner begins by arguing that a strong version of the Anthropic Principal is required to account for the goodness of fit between the physical parameters of our current universe, and the parameters required for the evolution of intelligent life. He builds on Lee Smolin?s hypothesis (The Life of the Cosmos) that our current universe is the product of a long evolutionary history that has favored universes that could produce baby universes (in the form of black holes) and these same parameters are also favorable for intelligent life. Gardner points out (correctly) that Smolin's hypothesis does not explain how such baby universes inherit the parameters of their mothers, and then offers a provocative solution. It is our future intelligent progeny that program the physical laws into future universes (as they have in the past). This is Gardner's Selfish Biocosm Hypothesis (SB). Gardner rejects Linde's "eternal chaotic inflation" plus a weak version of the anthropic principal (ECI&WA) but it appears to me that Gardner needs Linde's idea to produce the FIRST universe with intelligent life. After that, SB might work. However, if ECI&WA is needed to get SB off the ground, then SB is no longer useful, since ECI&WA alone can account for the apparent goodness of fit between the parameters of the physical universe and the parameters necessary for intelligent life. Despite my concerns, I believe Gardner's book is worth reading because it addresses some of the critical issues and constraints that confront any acceptable theory of cosmic origins.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Answer yet to Anthropic Cosmological Principle, January 1, 2009

By 

John D. Croft - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe (Paperback)

There have been various attempts to explain the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, from a "weak" version, advocated by those who argue that only those universes with observers are known, and as our universe has observers, the constants have to be those that permit observers. The "strong" version was explored by Frank Tipler, John Wheeler and John Barrow in "The Anthropic Principle", which suggests that rather than making humans being the purpose of the universe, it is to evolve the functional equivalent of the divine. Lee Smolin, in "Life in the Universe" proposes that universes, through black holes can create daughter universes, and that if this is the case the universe that maximises black holes will quickly statistically outnumber the others. This book avoids the weakness of the book by Tipler, that shows "a Big Crunch" will not happen, and puts life firmly at the centre of Cosmos, unlike Smolin.

Books like this are rare and precious. Garner is not presenting theology, yet the book lends itself to theological outcomes. Such a book would allow the fusion, after a centuries long divorse, of science and religion, without compromising either. I highly recommend it.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biocosm radically changes our model of existence, August 16, 2003

By 

Harvey Albert (Sharon, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe (Paperback)

Every once in awhile a science book hits the market that has the power to forever change the public's perception of our existence. Books like Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time and Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe presented concepts so unique that they forced us all to take a big gulp and digest bold new thoughts about our existence.

James Gardner's Biocosm falls into this category. This book takes a fresh look at everything we know about life and the universe and makes us think in a radical new way. Ultimately, the importance of books like this lie not in the details of their theories (which are ultimately superseded by others) but in their power to help humanity grasp what we are and how we came to be. If the question of existence is a priority for you then you must read Biocosm.