The idea behind this book is to ask a few hundreds of scientists, or science writers, or other academic people, the same question: "What idea in science should die". Each of them offers a very short text explaining the chosen idea.
There are a lot of ideas and opinions offered in this book. Some of them are written with the laymen audience in mind, some of them were written for more scientific audience. Some of them are just "what direction we should choose" covered as "we should let the other ideas die". Some of them are convincing. Some of them are not. Some of them I found to have the straw man's fallacy, namely, presenting an idea in a too generalized manner, just in order to show why it should die. Some of them are briliant. Some of the authors want to kill an idea which as it seems to me, has already died - or almost died. At least in the academy. Some make too many assumptions. Some opinions contradict other opinions mentioned here. The main author tried to edit them in order of subjects. For me, even a few great ideas or some interesting knowledge worth the book. One thing is for sure. These are all "opinions".
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Create secure space for challenging the foundational postulates of working theories by younger generations!
The Editor Brockman has done a great service to the scientific community by publishing such a book. It is a great beginning to initiate a social transformation in thinking!A large number of well-known authors have contributed to this book, "This idea must die". It is a very valuable book simply because it is a timely book that is challenging the prevailing stagnant culture of conforming to all "working" theories. Almost all the active researchers, in all serious fields of research in human knowledge, have been "milking" the same foundational set of postulates behind the "working" theories that are being religiously revered by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. The scientific enterprise has now become a mere component of the global economic enterprise. To earn a living one must publish. To get published, the manuscripts must slide through the "slotted windows" set up by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. To, keep their jobs, the knowledge Gate-Keepers must avoid controversies at a minimum.Thus, nobody dares to revive their childhood inquiring mind until they are already well-established, as the authors of this path breaking book.But, how many bright and inquiring young minds have we been loosing to the culture of conformity under the persistent threat of economic survival?Is it not tantamount to collective de-evolution when a large percentage of research population is consistently afraid of challenging the foundational postulates of the working theories to advance the continuous evolution of scientific thinking?Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
A large number of well-known authors have contributed to this book, "This idea must die". It is a very valuable book simply because it is a timely book that is challenging the prevailing stagnant culture of conforming to all "working" theories. Almost all the active researchers, in all serious fields of research in human knowledge, have been "milking" the same foundational set of postulates behind the "working" theories that are being religiously revered by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. The scientific enterprise has now become a mere component of the global economic enterprise. To earn a living one must publish. To get published, the manuscripts must slide through the "slotted windows" set up by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. To, keep their jobs, the knowledge Gate-Keepers must avoid controversies at a minimum.
Thus, nobody dares to revive their childhood inquiring mind until they are already well-established, as the authors of this path breaking book.
But, how many bright and inquiring young minds have we been loosing to the culture of conformity under the persistent threat of economic survival?
Is it not tantamount to collective de-evolution when a large percentage of research population is consistently afraid of challenging the foundational postulates of the working theories to advance the continuous evolution of scientific thinking?
Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri
Create secure space for challenging the foundational postulates of working theories by younger generations!
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
The Editor Brockman has done a great service to the scientific community by publishing such a book. It is a great beginning to initiate a social transformation in thinking!Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
A large number of well-known authors have contributed to this book, "This idea must die". It is a very valuable book simply because it is a timely book that is challenging the prevailing stagnant culture of conforming to all "working" theories. Almost all the active researchers, in all serious fields of research in human knowledge, have been "milking" the same foundational set of postulates behind the "working" theories that are being religiously revered by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. The scientific enterprise has now become a mere component of the global economic enterprise. To earn a living one must publish. To get published, the manuscripts must slide through the "slotted windows" set up by the Knowledge Gate-Keepers. To, keep their jobs, the knowledge Gate-Keepers must avoid controversies at a minimum.
Thus, nobody dares to revive their childhood inquiring mind until they are already well-established, as the authors of this path breaking book.
But, how many bright and inquiring young minds have we been loosing to the culture of conformity under the persistent threat of economic survival?
Is it not tantamount to collective de-evolution when a large percentage of research population is consistently afraid of challenging the foundational postulates of the working theories to advance the continuous evolution of scientific thinking?
Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri
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Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2015
Top reviews from other countries
Suzanne Lamarre
Le contenu en format revue scientifique abrégée
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2021
LD
A survey of iconoclastic thinking from some great thinkers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2015Dr Santosh Pai. Manipal
This idea must change and not die completely.
Reviewed in India on February 14, 2018