Frank J. Tipler

Last updated
Frank Jennings Tipler
Born (1947-02-01) February 1, 1947 (age 76)
Andalusia, Alabama [1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
University of Maryland, College Park (PhD)
Occupation Mathematical physicist
Employer Tulane University
Known for Omega point cosmology
Tipler cylinder
Hart–Tipler conjecture
Website https://sse.tulane.edu/node/3550

Frank Jennings Tipler (born February 1, 1947) is an American mathematical physicist and cosmologist, holding a joint appointment in the Departments of Mathematics and Physics at Tulane University. [2] Tipler has written books and papers on the Omega Point based on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's religious ideas, which he claims is a mechanism for the resurrection of the dead. He is also known for his theories on the Tipler cylinder time machine. His work has attracted criticism, most notably from Quaker and systems theorist George Ellis who has argued that his theories are largely pseudoscience. [3]

Contents

Biography

Tipler was born in Andalusia, Alabama, to Frank Jennings Tipler Jr., a lawyer, and Anne Tipler, a homemaker. [1] Tipler attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1965 to 1969, where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. [2] In 1976 he completed his PhD with the University of Maryland. [4] [5] Tipler was hired in a series of postdoctoral research positions at three universities, with the final one being at the University of Texas, working under John Archibald Wheeler, Abraham Taub, Rainer K. Sachs, and Dennis W. Sciama. [2] Tipler became an associate professor in mathematical physics in 1981 and a full professor in 1987 at Tulane University, where he has been a faculty member ever since. [2]

The Omega Point cosmology

The Omega Point is a term Tipler uses to describe a cosmological state in the distant proper-time future of the universe. [6] He claims that this point is required to exist due to the laws of physics. According to him, it is required, for the known laws of physics to be consistent, that intelligent life take over all matter in the universe and eventually force its collapse. During that collapse, the computational capacity of the universe diverges to infinity, and environments emulated with that computational capacity last for an infinite duration as the universe attains a cosmological singularity. This singularity is Tipler's Omega Point. [7] With computational resources diverging to infinity, Tipler states that a society in the far future would be able to resurrect the dead by emulating alternative universes. [8] Tipler identifies the Omega Point with God, since, in his view, the Omega Point has all the properties of God claimed by most traditional religions. [8] [9]

Tipler's argument of the Omega Point being required by the laws of physics is a more recent development that arose after the publication of his 1994 book The Physics of Immortality. In that book (and in papers he had published up to that time), Tipler had offered the Omega Point cosmology as a hypothesis, while still claiming to confine the analysis to the known laws of physics. [10]

Tipler, along with co-author physicist John D. Barrow, defined the "final anthropic principle" (FAP) in their 1986 book The Anthropic Cosmological Principle as a generalization of the anthropic principle:

"Intelligent information-processing must come into existence in the Universe, and, once it comes into existence, will never die out." [11]

One paraphrasing of Tipler's argument for FAP runs as follows: For the universe to physically exist, it must contain living observers. Our universe obviously exists. There must be an "Omega Point" that sustains life forever. [12]

Tipler purportedly used Dyson's eternal intelligence hypothesis to back up his arguments.

Reception

Tipler's Omega Point theory has been highly controversial. In the past (1997), physicist David Deutsch defended the physics of Omega Point cosmology, [13] although he was highly critical of Tipler's theological conclusions and what Deutsch stated were exaggerated claims (that caused other scientists and philosophers to reject his theory). [14] However, Deutsch has since rejected the theory, referring to it as "refuted" and "ruled out by observation". [15] Scholars are also skeptical of Tipler's argument that if an immortal entity with advanced technology exists in the future, such a being would necessarily resemble the Judeo-Christian God. [16] [17] Researcher Anders Sandberg pointed out that he believes that the Omega Point Theory has many flaws, including missing proofs of its claims. [18]

Tipler's Omega Point ideas have received vigorous criticism by physicists and skeptics. [16] [19] [20] Some critics say its arguments violate the Copernican principle, that it incorrectly applies the laws of probability, and that it is really a theology or metaphysics principle made to sound plausible to laypeople by using the esoteric language of physics. Martin Gardner dubbed the final anthropic principle the "completely ridiculous anthropic principle" (CRAP). [21] Oxford-based philosopher Nick Bostrom writes that the final anthropic principle is "pure speculation" with no claim on any special methodological status, despite attempts to elevate it by calling it a "principle", but considers the Omega Point hypothesis to be an interesting philosophical hypothesis in its own right. [22] Philosopher Rem B. Edwards called the theory "futuristic, pseudoscientific eschatology" that is "highly conjectural, unverified, and improbable". [23] A review in The New York Times described Tipler's "final anthropic principle" argument as "rather circular". [12]

George Ellis, writing in the journal Nature , described Tipler's book on the Omega Point as "a masterpiece of pseudoscience… the product of a fertile and creative imagination unhampered by the normal constraints of scientific and philosophical discipline" and Tipler himself as 'the ultimate reductionist', citing Tipler's argument that 'religion is now a part of science'. [24] Michael Shermer devoted a chapter of Why People Believe Weird Things to enumerating what he thought to be flaws in Tipler's thesis. [25] Physicist Sean M. Carroll states that Tipler's early work was constructive, but now he has become a "crackpot". [26] In a review of Tipler's The Physics of Christianity, Lawrence Krauss described the book as the most "extreme example of uncritical and unsubstantiated arguments put into print by an intelligent professional scientist". [27]

John Polkinghorne described Tipler as having "extreme reductionism" and building a "cosmic tower of Babel". He also mentioned that Tipler's book "reads like the highest class of science fiction". Polkinghorne himself asserted that the hope of resurrection "lies not in the curiosity or calculation of a cosmic computer, but in the personal God who cares individually for each of His human creatures". [28]

Books

See also

Related Research Articles

The anthropic principle, also known as the "observation selection effect", is the hypothesis, first proposed in 1957 by Robert Dicke, that the range of possible observations that could be made about the universe is limited by the fact that observations could only happen in a universe capable of developing intelligent life in the first place. Proponents of the anthropic principle argue that it explains why this universe has the age and the fundamental physical constants necessary to accommodate conscious life, since if either had been different, no one would have been around to make observations. Anthropic reasoning is often used to deal with the notion that the universe seems to be finely tuned for the existence of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical cosmology</span> Branch of cosmology which studies mathematical models of the universe

Physical cosmology is a branch of cosmology concerned with the study of cosmological models. A cosmological model, or simply cosmology, provides a description of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and allows study of fundamental questions about its origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate. Cosmology as a science originated with the Copernican principle, which implies that celestial bodies obey identical physical laws to those on Earth, and Newtonian mechanics, which first allowed those physical laws to be understood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Many-worlds interpretation</span> Interpretation of quantum mechanics that denies the collapse of the wavefunction

The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some "world" or universe. In contrast to some other interpretations, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, the evolution of reality as a whole in MWI is rigidly deterministic and local. Many-worlds is also called the relative state formulation or the Everett interpretation, after physicist Hugh Everett, who first proposed it in 1957. Bryce DeWitt popularized the formulation and named it many-worlds in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multiverse</span> Hypothetical group of multiple universes

The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The different universes within the multiverse are called "parallel universes", "other universes", "alternate universes", or "many worlds". One common assumption is that the multiverse is a "patchwork quilt of separate universes all bound by the same laws of physics."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmological constant</span> Constant representing stress–energy density of the vacuum

In cosmology, the cosmological constant, alternatively called Einstein's cosmological constant, is the constant coefficient of a term that Albert Einstein temporarily added to his field equations of general relativity. He later removed it. Much later it was revived and reinterpreted as the energy density of space, or vacuum energy, that arises in quantum mechanics. It is closely associated with the concept of dark energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyson's eternal intelligence</span> Hypothetical concept in astrophysics

Dyson's eternal intelligence, is a hypothetical concept, proposed by Freeman Dyson in 1979, by which an immortal society of intelligent beings in an open universe may escape the prospect of the heat death of the universe by performing an infinite number of computations even though expending only a finite amount of energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Polkinghorne</span> Physicist and priest (1930–2021)

John Charlton Polkinghorne was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest. A prominent and leading voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was professor of mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979, when he resigned his chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest in 1982. He served as the president of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1988 until 1996.

The Omega Point is a theorized future event in which the entirety of the universe spirals toward a final point of unification. The term was invented by the French Jesuit Catholic priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955). Teilhard argued that the Omega Point resembles the Christian Logos, namely Christ, who draws all things into himself, who in the words of the Nicene Creed, is "God from God", "Light from Light", "True God from True God", and "through him all things were made". In the Book of Revelation, Christ describes himself thrice as "the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end". Several decades after Teilhard's death, the idea of the Omega Point was expanded upon in the writings of John David Garcia (1971), Paolo Soleri (1981), Frank Tipler (1994), and David Deutsch (1997).

In physics, a dimensionless physical constant is a physical constant that is dimensionless, i.e. a pure number having no units attached and having a numerical value that is independent of whatever system of units may be used. In aerodynamics for example, if one considers one particular airfoil, the Reynolds number value of the laminar–turbulent transition is one relevant dimensionless physical constant of the problem. However, it is strictly related to the particular problem: for example, it is related to the airfoil being considered and also to the type of fluid in which it moves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddington number</span> Number of protons in the observable universe

In astrophysics, the Eddington number, NEdd, is the number of protons in the observable universe. Eddington originally calculated it as about 1.57×1079; current estimates make it approximately 1080.

The characterization of the universe as finely tuned suggests that the occurrence of life in the universe is very sensitive to the values of certain fundamental physical constants and that the observed values are, for some reason, improbable. If the values of any of certain free parameters in contemporary physical theories had differed only slightly from those observed, the evolution of the universe would have proceeded very differently and life as it is understood may not have been possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Susskind</span> American physicist (born 1940)

Leonard Susskind is an American physicist, who is a professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University, and founding director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research interests include string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics and quantum cosmology. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an associate member of the faculty of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and a distinguished professor of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Barrow</span> British scientist

John David Barrow was an English cosmologist, theoretical physicist, and mathematician. He served as Gresham Professor of Geometry at Gresham College from 2008 to 2011. Barrow was also a writer of popular science and an amateur playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatness problem</span> Cosmological fine-tuning problem

The flatness problem is a cosmological fine-tuning problem within the Big Bang model of the universe. Such problems arise from the observation that some of the initial conditions of the universe appear to be fine-tuned to very 'special' values, and that small deviations from these values would have extreme effects on the appearance of the universe at the current time.

The Kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. It is named after the Kalam from which its key ideas originated. William Lane Craig was principally responsible for giving new life to the argument, due to his The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979), among other writings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfhart Pannenberg</span> German Lutheran theologian (1928–2014)

Wolfhart Pannenberg was a German Lutheran theologian. He made a number of significant contributions to modern theology, including his concept of history as a form of revelation centered on the resurrection of Christ, which has been widely debated in both Protestant and Catholic theology, as well as by non-Christian thinkers.

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Cosmological natural selection, also called the fecund universes, is a hypothesis proposed by Lee Smolin intended as a scientific alternative to the anthropic principle. It addresses the problem of complexity in our universe, which is largely unexplained. The hypothesis suggests that a process analogous to biological natural selection applies at the grandest of scales. Smolin published the idea in 1992 and summarized it in a book aimed at a lay audience called The Life of the Cosmos.

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References

  1. 1 2 Rooney, Terrie M., ed. (1997). Contemporary Authors. Vol. 157. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale. p.  407. ISBN   978-0-7876-1183-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tipler, Frank J (2007). "Biography". Tulane University.
  3. ↑ Ellis, George Francis Rayner (1994). "Piety in the Sky". Nature . 371 (6493): 115. Bibcode:1994Natur.371..115E. doi: 10.1038/371115a0 . S2CID   36282720.
  4. ↑ Tipler 1976.
  5. ↑ "Dissertation Abstracts International". 37 (6): B2923.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ Through the Wormhole — Morgan Freeman with Frank Tipler , retrieved 2023-01-06
  7. ↑ Tipler et al. 2007.
  8. 1 2 Tipler 1989.
  9. ↑ Tipler 1997 , p. 560
  10. ↑ Tipler, Frank J (June 1986), "Cosmological Limits on Computation", International Journal of Theoretical Physics , 25 (6): 617–61, Bibcode:1986IJTP...25..617T, doi:10.1007/BF00670475, S2CID   59578961 (first paper on the Omega Point Theory).
  11. ↑ Barrow, John D.; Tipler, Frank J. (1986). The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-282147-8. LCCN   87028148.
  12. 1 2 Johnson, George (1994). "The Odds on God". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Deutsch, David (1997). "The Ends of the Universe". The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes—and Its Implications. London: Penguin Press. ISBN   978-0-7139-9061-4.
  14. ↑ Mackey, James Patrick (2000). The critique of theological reason. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-77293-8.
  15. ↑ Deutsch, David (2011). The Beginning of Infinity. Penguin Books. pp. 450–451.
  16. 1 2 Gardner, Martin (March–April 2008). "The Strange Case of Frank Jennings Tipler". Book Review, "The Physics of Christianity". The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  17. ↑ Shermer, Michael (2003). How we believe: science, skepticism, and the search for God. Macmillan. ISBN   978-0-8050-7479-6.
  18. ↑ Sandberg, Anders, My Thoughts and Comments on the Omega Point Theory of Frank J. Tipler, SE: Aleph.
  19. ↑ Polkinghorne, John (1995). "I am the Alpha and the Omega Point". New Scientist (1963): 41.
  20. ↑ Baker, Richard G (1995). "Fossils Worth Studying". Science . 267 (5200): 1043–1044. Bibcode:1995Sci...267.1043E. doi:10.1126/science.267.5200.1043. PMID   17811443. S2CID   6227574.
  21. ↑ Gardner, M., "WAP, SAP, PAP, and FAP", The New York Review of Books 23, No. 8 (May 8, 1986): 22–25.
  22. ↑ Bostrom, Nick (2002). Anthropic bias: observation selection effects in science and philosophy. Psychology Press. p. 50. ISBN   978-0-415-93858-7 . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  23. ↑ Edwards, Rem Blanchard (2001). What caused the big bang?. Rodopi. ISBN   978-90-420-1407-7 . Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  24. ↑ Ellis, George (1994). "Piety in the sky" (PDF). Nature . 371 (6493): 115. Bibcode:1994Natur.371..115E. doi:10.1038/371115a0. S2CID   36282720.
  25. ↑ Shermer, Michael (1997). Why People Believe Weird Things . W. H. Freeman. ISBN   978-0-7167-3090-3.
  26. ↑ Carroll, Sean (Jan 5, 2009), "The Varieties of Crackpot Experience", Cosmic Variance (blog), Discover Magazine.
  27. ↑ Krauss, Lawrence (May 12, 2007), "More Dangerous Than Nonsense" (PDF), New Scientist, 194 (2603): 53, doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(07)61199-3, archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2011.
  28. ↑ Polkinghorne, John. "I am the Alpha and the Omega Point". New Scientist. Retrieved 2020-08-14.

Bibliography

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