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The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery Hardcover – February 1, 2004

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Guillermo Gonzalez (Author)
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Guillermo Gonzalez (Author), Jay Richards (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 107 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Regnery Publishing (February 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0895260654
  • ISBN-13: 978-0895260659
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic and informative
By A Customer on March 2, 2004
Format: Hardcover
I got this book as soon as it became available, so I thought I'd be the first one to write a review. I've followed the debates over design and fine tuning for a while, and had heard this book was in the pipeline. I am thoroughly impressed with the clarity of its argument, the elegance of its prose, and the staggering level of scholarship displayed in its pages. I have no doubt that it will raise the level of debate on the larger issues about the meaning of it all. The book is richly illustrated with both color and black and white pictures.
Gonzalez and Richards' (G and R) argument is something that, so far as I know, has not really been discussed before, namely, that the universe is fine-tuned for scientific discovery itself. This is a completely new angle. But the book is more than an argument for purpose in the universe. In fact, in many ways, it's a sweeping overview of the history of scientific discovery itself.
I would like to say something about the Publishers Weekly review that is posted on Amazon.com. It's baffling. I thought Publishers Weekly reviews were supposed to be more or less descriptive rather than editorial. But this review must have been written by someone who either didn't read The Privileged Planet carefully, or didn't understand the argument. First of all, the description of their treatment of habitability is inaccurate. G and R don't claim that Earth is the only habitable planet. They argue that, given what we already know about what it takes to make a habitable planet, such planets are probably rare. And they definitely don't argue that just because the Earth is well suited for life, therefore it was designed. In fact, they go to great lengths to show why that's not a very good argument.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsSome science, some philosophy
By Wüstenfuchs on November 15, 2009
Format: Hardcover
The two halves of this book are markedly different. In the first half, the authors recount many facts and figures from the sciences, mostly astronomy. This half is readable, but the details require close attention. Some reviewers have complained that the book contains factual errors but have not said what they are. Considering the huge amount of material covered, it would be surprising if there were not a few errors. Not being an expert, I can only assume that most of the facts are correctly stated.

The second half is philosophical, treating things like the "Copernican principle" and the implications of the scientific findings. Naturally, this half is not restricted to hard data, but includes the authors' views of what the data imply. Many philosophically illiterate writers stumble on this ground, but G&R show considerable savvy.

Many outspoken scientists say that scientific findings imply that God does not exist, or that human beings are merely the last freakish product of the hurrying of matter; these authors disagree. If your mind is made up that only the former philosophy is legitimate, there is no use reading this book. If you would like to read a well-informed and reasonable defense of the latter position, this book is a good start.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Special, and Intelligently Designed "Pale Blue Dot"
By Discovery Reviewer on June 21, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Co-authored by two Discovery Institute Fellows, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher Jay W. Richards, The Privileged Planet presents a new form of design argument which can be applied to the level of the cosmos. Design proponents have long held that the physical constants of nature and properties of our solar system appear finely tuned and specified to allow for advanced life. But Richards and Gonzalez take this argument to a new level by arguing that the same set of circumstances which permit advanced life are also optimized for a range of scientific discoveries.

Chapter eight, for instance, centers on research by Gonzalez that was featured in a cover story of Scientific American in 2001. Like our solar system's habitable zone, our galaxy has a habitable zone as well. This broken ring roughly have way from the galaxy's center is far enough away from the radiation-filled center of the galaxy, between its radiation-filled spiral arms, but not so far out that it lacks the heavy elements needed for terrestrial planets like Earth. This location is also well situated for making a range of scientific discovery. While other locations might allow improved observation of this or that feature, the Galactic Habitable Zone offers an overall better location for a range of important scientific observations. This is but one of many instances of what seems to be a consistent correlation between the requirements for life and the requirements for scientific discovery.

But any book coauthored by a philosopher must investigate the philosophical implications. Richards and Gonzalez recounts that a historical myth developed, according to which, when it was discovered that the Earth was neither the center of the Solar System nor the Universe, Earth became insignificant.Read more ›
6 Comments 69 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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5.0 out of 5 starsOpening a New Front for ID
By William A. Dembski on March 12, 2004
Format: Hardcover
I first heard Guillermo Gonzalez present his ideas about our place in the universe being designed to facilitate scientific discovery at a conference at Yale in the fall of 2000. For me this was the high point of the conference. Jay Richards and Guillermo have since developed this idea, providing numerous lines of evidence to show that without a host of contingent facts being just-so, our scientific understanding would be impossible or severely attenuated.
The idea that the world and features of it are designed to help us understand the world and those features constitutes a remarkable insight. Gonzalez and Richards apply this insight mainly at the level of cosmology and astrophysics. But it promises to apply also in biology. Indeed, some preliminary work in the bioinformatics literature is suggesting that biological systems contain information of no functional use to the organism as such, but information that is useful to the investigator in examining the organism and trying to understand it.
The Privileged Planet breaks new ground. Einstein found it incomprehensible why the world should be comprehensible. Gonzalez and Richards begin to provide an answer to Einstein's perplexity.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA Cosmic Dance

Anyone who reads this book with an open mind will at least be questioning the prevailing secular theory of how the universe came into being. Read more

Published 6 months ago by K. Osteroos
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great job.

Published 9 months ago by D. Brewer
5.0 out of 5 starsAmong the best

This book is not for the fient of heart, it is over the top, a study book not a read through, so much material, these Boys did there home work, have highly recommended to friends.

Published 9 months ago by francis barber
5.0 out of 5 starsBoggles the MInd Our AMAZING Privileged Planet!!

This is just an amazing book detailing over 100 (my guess) variables that are key to intelligent life on a planet. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Denise Eskildson
1.0 out of 5 starsSubjective and misrepresentative

A book for the gullible. People will be easily pulled in by Guillermo Gonzalez's impressive credentials and be easily convinced thanks to confirmation bias. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Todd
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent. I have watched it over and over

Excellent. I have watched it over and over.

Published 17 months ago by Jan H
5.0 out of 5 starsA scientific argument that it's more likely we are here by intentional...

A wonderful book discussing in detail our special place in the universe, and makes a persuasive argument from the scientific evidence that it could not have happened by accident.

Published 18 months ago by Michael Manto
5.0 out of 5 starsGood

Great compliment to the DVD.

Published 19 months ago by Stan Bachelder
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the Top 5 Books I have Ever Read

This book has to be one of the most underrated publications...ever. On the one hand, the book represents a substantial collection and culmination of astronomical findings and... Read more

Published 20 months ago by Amazon Consumer
5.0 out of 5 starsConsider His Works

Scientific yet understandable. Astronomy and Scripture are not at odds with each other.! This scientist can show you why and help you appreciate anew how great our Creator and... Read more

Published on August 14, 2014 by Margaret Stephens

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