God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams

From Barnes & Noble

"A thought experiment wrapped in a story...designed to make your brain spin around inside your skull." That's how Scott Adams describes his first non-Dilbert book, published in 2001 and now finally available in paperback. God's Debris is the story of a package, an old man, God, quantum physics, evolution, and a few other things. It is a fable you will remember long after you've lost the book.

From the Publisher

In God's Debris, best-selling author and creator of Dilbert Scott Adams fashioned a thought-provoking exploration of life's great mysteries (everything from quantum physics and God to psychic phenomena and dating) that quickly captured the attention and imaginations of readers everywhere. The intriguing story of a deliveryman who meets the world's smartest person and learns the secret of reality is threaded with a variety of hypnosis techniques that Adams, a certified hypnotist, used to induce a feeling of euphoric enlightenment in readers to mirror the main character's feelings as he discovers the true nature of the universe.Launched to coincide with the hardcover publication of its sequel, The Religion War (see opposite page), this first paperback edition of God's Debris will soon make the leap to a broader audience. As Adams designed it, the book will "make your brain spin around inside your skull" and drive readers toward The Religion War as they seek to confirm or deny the dizzying impressions and chaotic memories of reading God's Debris.The book provides one of the most compelling visions of reality ever experienced on the printed page. Along the way, readers will enjoy the Thought Experiment: Trying to discover what's wrong with the sage's explanation of reality. This is a book, as Adams says, to be shared and savored with smart friends.

Product Details

• Forewords & Introductions

Forewords & Introductions

Introduction

This is not a Dilbert book. It contains no humor. I call it a 99-page thought experiment wrapped in a fictional story. I'll explain the thought experiment part later.

God's Debris is not being published in the old-fashioned dead-tree way because it doesn't fit into normal publishing cubbyholes. There is even disagreement about whether the material is fiction or non-fiction. I contend that it is fiction because the characters don't exist. Some people contend that it is non-fiction because the opinions and philosophies of the characters might have lasting impact on the reader.

The story contains no violence, no sexual content and no offensive language. But the ideas expressed by the characters are inappropriate for young minds. People under the age of 14 should not read it.

The target audience for God's Debris is people who enjoy having their brains spun around inside their skulls. After a certain age most people are uncomfortable with new ideas. That certain age varies by person, but if you're over 55 (mentally) you probably won't enjoy this thought experiment. If you're 80 going on 35, you might like it. If you're 23, your odds of liking it are very good. If you're a literary critic, keep in mind that I hate you, too, and I said it first.

The story's central character has a view about God that you've probably never heard before. If you think you would be offended by a fictional character's untraditional view of God, please don't read this.

The opinions and philosophies expressed by the characters are not my own, except by coincidence in a few spots not worth mentioning. Please don't write me with passionate explanations of why my views are wrong. You won't discover my opinions by reading my fiction.

The central character in God's Debris knows everything. Literally everything. This presented a challenge to me as a writer. When you consider all of the things that can be known, I don't know much. My solution was to create smart-sounding answers using the skeptic's creed:

The simplest explanation is usually right.

My experience tells me that in this complicated world the simplest explanation is usually dead wrong. But I've noticed that the simplest explanation usually sounds right and is far more convincing than any complicated explanation could hope to be. That's good enough for my purposes here.

The simplest explanation approach turned out to be more provocative than I expected. The simplest explanations for the Big Questions ended up connecting paths that don't normally get connected. The description of reality in God's Debris isn't true, as far as I know, but it's oddly compelling. Therein lies the thought experiment:

Try to figure out what's wrong with the simplest explanations.

The central character states a number of scientific "facts." Some of his weirdest statements are consistent with what scientists generally believe. Some of what he says is creative baloney designed to sound true. See if you can tell the difference.

You might love this thought experiment wrapped in a story. Or you might hate it. But you won't easily get it out of your mind. For maximum enjoyment, share your legal copy with a smart friend and then discuss it while enjoying a tasty beverage.