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The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience

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In the famous game of chicken, two drivers hurtle their cars toward each other, and the one who turns away at the last minute loses. Or they collide, and both lose even bigger, or they both swerve and have reciprocal embarrassment. Before you play this game, you might make a matrix of your actions (stay the course vs. swerve) against the opponent's actions (same two choices), and see what happens with the four different possible outcomes. But then imagine that your opponent is omniscient. He knows just what you are going to do. Surprisingly, this restricts the results of the game in unexpected ways so that you cannot lose. If your opponent is omniscient, all you have to do is to stay the course. He will know that you are not going to swerve, and (assuming that he does not want a collision), he will have to be the one to do the swerving himself. You win whenever you play chicken with an omniscient being!

You may not be encouraged by this bit of practical knowledge, but people have thought about omniscient beings for as long as they have been people. Most religions have gods which are omniscient, and the capacity of omniscience produces some very strange consequences indeed. A delightful book, _The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience_ (Palgrave / St. Martin's), by Clifford A. Pickover, collects a bundle of religious and logical oddities and presents them in a playful and entertaining way. There are seventeen chapters within the book, all having to do with paradoxes of different types, not necessarily having to do strictly with omniscience. Each has a whimsical tale to begin it, with "Musings and Speculations" afterward. Say you wake up and find yourself in hell. The devil says you can win his game and get to heaven, otherwise you have to stay in hell. You can only play once. "If you play on the first day, you have a one half chance of winning. If you play on the second day, you have a two-thirds chance of winning. If you play on the third day, you have a three-quarters chance of winning." And so on. So, if the reward of heaven is infinite bliss, what is mathematically the best day to play? The answer is, keep waiting - infinite rewards make infinite waiting in hell the logical move. Or, if you have heard the question of whether an omnipotent god can make a rock so big he can't move it, can an omniscient and omnipotent god make a person who knows something the god doesn't? If an omniscient god knows what is going to happen in the future, did he know that Led Zeppelin would be releasing "Stairway to Heaven" thirty years ago? Did he know the first line? The lyrics? The tune? If so, what role did the musicians have in bringing the tune into the Classic Rock playlist? Might it be possible that there are degrees of omniscience, and the god who has omniscience only has it for certain periods of time, or certain subjects, thus allowing us unimpeded free will? Can an omniscient god be surprised, or be regretful?

Pickover knows that most of his readers are going to be familiar with the God of the Bible, and draws a good deal from its lessons. He also draws upon other religious traditions, as well as inventing different types of gods to illustrate particular points. The downright peculiar things that the Old Testament God has done, such as aiding mass killing and child sacrifice, get a look, as do the sixteen crucified saviors other than Jesus and the mythological heroes and gods who share many of his traits. He examines why humans might have a fascination for omniscience and all the paradoxes it brings with it. After all, we are curious specimens who want to know more and more; the ruler of the universe must already know everything. And knowing everything, a god would know what each person was thinking and doing, which capacity would give him the ultimate ability to inspire fear in his believers (and fear of the Old Testament God is something that God thought worthy). Incidentally, belief in his omniscience would coax people to follow the priests more. This is a puzzling and enlightening book about reasoning that for all it's good humor will repay serious thought. Those who already have a firm belief in the God of their choice will find puzzles in this book that will heighten the mysteries of their faith, and those who lack such faith will find reason to continue to steer away from the paradoxes of belief.

What is God?

In the West, we often think of God as "all powerful, all knowing, and all good." He created the universe out of nothing, is uncreated and eternal, and an can grant eternal life. Is it rational to believe in this God's existence?

I have several of Pickover's recent books, and this book marks a wonderful addition to his collection. Through a large series of mind-numbing experiments, Pickover helps us understand the kinds of relationships we ordinary humans can have with an ominscient God.

Pickover raises many interesting issues. In the Koran, God has no cause or temporal dimension, and there is little we can say about Him. Our brains are not up to task. But ordinary folk shouldn't deny God's existence in the same way that a deaf person shouldn't deny the existence of music. Is God real, or are we only worshipping a projection of ourselves? Can an omniscient being know the delight of learning new knowledge? Could God create a person whose actions He cannot know? Was the universe created by a being who tuned all the physical constants to permit carbon-based life? Pickover discusses all these subjects and more.

The Zorastrianis, Hindus, Islam, Bahais, and Jews believe in an omniscient God. Buddhists believe that the Buddha was omniscient. On the other hand, Jewish mystics, such as those who follow the Lurianic Kabbalah, believe that God has given himself limitations. In order to make room for the physical universe and our existence, En Sof vacated a region within Himself. With each act of contraction, nature gains additional freedom.

If there is a single book you will buy that will change the way you think about God and the universe -- and let you dream the infinite -- this book is for you. Topics covered include: the Bible, Kabbalah, the brain, "Does God Makes Mistakes and Learn?" Was Jesus omniscient? Do we have free will?, Hans Jonas, Auschwitz, Does God sanction genocide? The Bible as a telescope to a larger reality. Paradoxes, Garden of Eden, Buddhism, Led Zeppelin, the nature of time, Baha'i faith, Biblical errors, crucified saviors, Alan Dershowitz, Devil's Offer, ekpyrotic model (of the universe), hive minds, Freeman Dyson, Robert Heinelin, Bible mysteries, stellar evolution, Satan, Nephilim, Bridegroom of Blood, Gospel of Thomas, Urantia...

Need I say more?

"Augustine's works ... planted a seed in early childhood from which my interest in paradox and God grew. Maybe this book will contain seeds for you." -- Clifford Pickover

Kurt Godel may have logically proved that God exists, but Clifford Pickover pursues the paradoxes that result from following a belief in a God that is omniscient and omnipotent. As an example of such a paradox consider the question - Can God make a rock so massive that He can't move it? Certainly many readers will find the chapter entitled "The Paradox of Led Zeppelin" to be their favorite. So, put on your "Stairway to Heaven" CD and shatter your mind with some superb reading.

...you get out of it what you put into it. I myself am a fundamentalist, but that doesn't mean the book isn't worth reading. The book is MEANT to be a survey of various topics, which is why the author gives both copious notes and large "further reading" lists. He WANTS his books to be thought provoking enough to spur people on to do THEIR OWN research and make up THEIR OWN minds. If someone thinks it is shallow, then they have missed the point of the book. The author does not claim to be Thomas Aquinas or Kurt Godel or Albert Tucker - he just uses them to bring up and explore various topics. If people wish to disagree with the scant number of conclusions (almost everything in the book is in the form of a question, which doesn't preclude conclusions being drawn, but in general the point is to bring up the questions, not to answer them as well), then let them. That doesn't mean the book is not worth reading!

The writing itself is fluid and understandable, and while Mr. Pickover does not explore every topic as thoroughly as I would like, I don't think we should expect a 1000 page book out him either. As with many of Mr. Pickover's books, he does skip from one topic to the next in a somewhat disconcerting fashion - until you get used to it. So it might not be for every reader - but it IS a good primer on the subject, and a great place to start if you are interested in the results and paradoxes that exist if omniscience exists.

Does Cliff Pickover provide an answer to humanity's questions about the nature of God? Absolutely not. What he does in this book is much more important. He encourages his readers to think for themselves. By creating a series of paradoxical riddles that continuously entangle themselves in catch-22s, Pickover demonstrates how little we actually understand about a hypothetical "omniscient" being. Can we ever understand God from a human point of view? I don't know, but this book encourages us to at least try. That in itself is a valuable gift.One word of warning:if you are a passive reader, looking for a few hours of lazy entertainment, don't buy this book. However,if you want mental stimulation and a nice potent cerebral workout,definately read this book! It really doesn't matter if one believes in God or not when reading this book. The thought processes evoked by the book are worth the price itself.

Can God create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?

Clifford A. Pickover addresses this question and numerous others in his book The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience. Not content with examining well-known problems that arise when we think of a literally existing omnipotent being, Pickover pulls together difficult brainteasers from statistics, philosophy, time-travel along with theology and questions about free will. He demonstrates that being able to predict the future might actually be a disadvantage in practical situations and explains why your brain perceives things that apparently haven't happened yet.

This is the second book I've read by Pickover, the first being Time: A Traveler's Guide. Pickover is creative and entertaining, and someone accessible to all- neither a Jehovah's Witness or a positive atheist is likely to be offended by his treatment of the touchy subject matter. His approach isn't to solve the problems for us or even explain what he thinks are the answers. Pickover simply explains the paradoxes, presents the opinions of great thinkers, and tells an amusing story.

The book can get annoying at times, however. Pickover has a lot of trouble sticking to the same subject for more than a few pages, making me wonder just who was hired to edit this thing. If you want some in-depth treatment of the nature of knowledge, Pickover's frequent tangents on irrelevant tangents will likely frustrate you. Personally, I would have liked a chapter on what purpose or meaning an omnipotent being could find in life.

But when Pickover wants to make a point, he explains this clearly enough that math failures like me can understand. My favorite example is in the last chapter, 'Some Final Thoughts,' where he uses game theory and a though experiment involving a square room and a lever to predict the conditions that a person will resist or succumb to temptation, even if we grant full free will.

So if you're looking for an intelligent entertaining read that you can pick up and put down whenever you like, I highly recommend The Paradox of God.

What does biology, physics, the Bible, and Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" have in common? They are part of Clifford A. Pickover's subject material used to explore the paradoxes of God and the science of omniscience. Pickover, a professional puzzler and inventor, will bend your mind like a wet noodle, so please bring an open mind and more importantly, plenty of aspirin when reading "The Paradox of God and The Science of Omniscience."

Pickover will convince you without a doubt about point A, but then be equally convincing with a contradicting point B. The book is bursting at the seam with paradoxes concerning God's nature. An interesting notion is that omniscience has its disadvantages. One example the author cogently dissects is a game of chicken with an omniscient being. If you enjoy ruminating on such notions, then this book will quickly enthrall and delight with the numerous permutations the author diverges on to grasp a fuller understanding of God. However, if the aforementioned leaves you in the doldrums, harking back to a time when you were forced to sit through the requisite Philosophy 101 college class, then this treatise will have you running for the hills.

The point of the author's writings is to challenge the definitions of God and the universe. The effect may be shattering as one's paradigm slowly shifts. Pickover seems to enjoy being the provocateur; his tone is gleeful at times. Pickover states, "The mere asking of these questions stretches our minds." He leads discussions via the Socratic method, but definitive answers are lacking as questions quickly multiply. However, one absolute is this: a gem of a read for anyone vaguely interested in God.

Bohdan Kot

This book is great if you are new to the subject or just want an easy and relaxing read on a very interesting topic. As another reviewer said, this isn't some revolutionary book. Of course he goes on to say that seminary students would enjoy picking it apart, etc. Who cares? How many books in seminary curricula could be broken down and picked apart? Most, if not all. What does it prove? Nothing. This book isn't out to prove anything, it's purpose is to open your mind up. Don't be disgruntled by this reader's opinion. Also, Pickover challenges Christian theology without being condescending. I really feel like he's just looking for truth, and not taking shots at Christians like many other authors do.

This book is broken down into small parts made for easy digestion. Each chapter begins with a paradoxical story, and then the rest of each chapter is spent on exploring its potential implications. My favorite chapter was on free-will. Christians, atheists, and pretty much everyone thinks we truly have free-will. But did you know that our brain is deciding out thoughts and actions before we even become conscious of it? It really is amazing!

My only complaint is that Pickover often seems to have trouble staying focused. I'm generally not very picky about this, but this book got on my nerves a bit. Sometimes you are in the middle of a chapter and you can't even remember what the chapter's subject is. Fortunately, this only happens in a few chapters. Overall that is why I gave this book 4 stars. If you're looking for more than introductory material, checkout another title.

I found this to be a fascinating look at various paradoxes which result if an Intelligence is to be considered God-like (omnipotent, omniscient). Can an all-knowing Being actually be at a disadvantage? Were Adam & Eve punished unfairly if the whole original Sin was a pre-destined set-up? Was it good or bad for us that they sinned? Can the human mind create something original such as a song if God knew about its existence all along? What about "proofs" of God and Pascal's Wager?

Pickover offers up original insights to these and many more God issues using the conversations of a likeable pair of characters to supplement the discussions and thought puzzles. The book also has a section of intriguing subjective questions for the reader to ponder, as well as references from scripture that cast doubt on the Biblical God's loving nature. Christians may do a double take and have some trouble wrestling with the notion that God might not be omniscient after all. A fun, interesting, original slant on an ever-popular subject.

Nice illustrations and relevant quotes from the famous further flesh out this book on the Invisible God (or alien). Highly recommended for anyone interested in "God".

This book covered numerous Biblical curiosities, so, surprisingly, the more I learned about religious paradoxes, the more I learned about Bible mysteries. Pickover's breezy style made the difficult subjects easier to understand. My favorite chapters were:

1. The Paradox of Omniscience
6. The Devil's Offer
7. The Revelation Gambit
9. The Brain and God: Who's in Charge?
10. The Bodhisattva Paradox
13. Two Universes
14. The Paradox of Uzzah
15. The Paradox of Dr. Eck
16. The Paradox of Led Zeppelin

I plan to show this to a friendly priest to get his opinion on the subject.