The Black Hole War

Since I'm very interested in the topic I have many books on the subject. This happens to be a good read a little bit more information than the other books. If you have many books on this topic it's worth just even to buy it used

I found The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind very interesting and enlightening, in more ways than the author intended. Susskind expertly brings the reader up to date in a simplified level of theory of Black Holes, related quantum mechanics, and entropy (information). The major portion of his book is an excellent and worthy read. (Thus my 4-star rating.) However, as in any such book, there are numerous errors. I found two to be of particular consequence. These errors are troubling because they suggest flaws in Susskind's vision of scholarship and understanding of scientific methodology. Indeed, they represent an unreasonable and arrogant attitude often encountered in scientists, especially apparent in their books and articles directed at the uninitiated and ignorant (i.e., the rest of humankind). Therefore, my review will focus on a small part of Susskind's book that, although minute, conveys the considerable weight and influence of unstated assumption and tacit belief found in many scientists. The first consequential error is a slanderous digression into Mormonism (pages 279-281) for no stated reason. Why would Susskind invoke supposition, hearsay, prejudice, and shoddy scholarship to condemn the Mormons over their brief and legal polygamous practice in isolated communities having more women than men, an issue that has nothing to do with the subject of his book? As a self-described liberal Jew, Susskind seems to be unaware of Jewish history. Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon practiced polygamy or, as he so crudely put it, "God ordered Joseph to marry and impregnate as many young girls as possible." Solomon himself was a product of such practice. What does that prove? Can Susskind or the anti-Mormon authors he consults name even one product of Joseph Smith's supposed promiscuity? I think not. My Jewish friends would not make such a statement because, besides reasons of good form, they are aware of their own long and distinguished history. This whole gratuitous digression brings into question Susskind's vision of scholarship and causes one to wonder how careful he is in his other conclusions. The second consequential error is found in Susskind's chapter entitled "Humility." He states (page 438), "If there is no way to falsify or confirm a hypothesis, it belongs to the realm of metaphysical speculation, together with astrology and spiritualism." Confirmation of fundamental scientific hypotheses is not possible because science possesses no adequate truth criterion. (See my book: Define Universe and Give Two Examples - A Comparison of Scientific and Christian Belief.) The ancient Greek philosophers were well aware of such limitation in human thinking twenty-five centuries ago but many of our humble, modern scientists are ignorant of or prefer to ignore it. Science can falsify hypotheses as it does contain "no" answers (unavoidable conflict with observed reality). But science does not presently contain "yes" answers (comprehensive agreement with all observable reality). True hypotheses could, in principle, be confirmed by such "yes" answers but not before observation of all observable reality, which must precede any responsible "yes" answer as being indubitable. We're not even close to any "yes" answer, especially when one espouses the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics by which no property of reality is even established until it is measured (observed). Only when one knows all facts and all their implications may a hypothesis be comprehensively or universally judged against reality. Thus, "tentative and contingent" is presently the best possible status for any scientific hypothesis, theory, law, or axiom and "tentative and contingent" is very distant from "confirmed." Consequently, science is presently unable to establish even approximately the nature of reality and scientists are dabbling in metaphysics when they invoke indubitable scientific conclusions in pronouncements on, say, Mormonism or Godless evolution. Physics Today rejected my article on inherent weakness in the scientific method because they perceive fundamental understanding of scientific methodology to be of little interest among physicists at this time and, presumably, they perceive alternative philosophies (e.g., religion) to be of less value and interest. They are not alone. Most scientists are so paralyzed in their scientific paradigm they neither can nor want to see a reality consisting of more than objective facts and are apparently satisfied with a poverty of meaning. Susskind continues this tradition in the attitude he often reveals and occasionally overtly states. His humble book therefore exemplifies the self-serving, anti-religious, no-valid-thinking-outside-of-science propaganda scientists often adopt and promote, describing their friends and colleagues - and by association themselves - as brilliant, with little to no thinking beyond details of their severely-limited science. Susskind follows the normal pattern. These details and "important" associated, recently-discovered obscurity whose significance only they "understand" are used to stifle and exclude alternative opinions. People paralyzed in such an attitude are far from humble and rarely listen to or consider another way.

Leonard Susskind's "The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics" is an enthralling read for anyone fascinated by the cosmos. Susskind masterfully weaves together complex scientific concepts with a compelling narrative about his intellectual rivalry with Stephen Hawking.The book excels in making intricate topics accessible without oversimplifying them. Susskind's explanations of black holes, quantum mechanics, and the holographic principle are both enlightening and entertaining. His ability to transform high-level physics into an engaging story is a testament to his skill as both a scientist and a writer.What sets this book apart is the personal touch. Susskind's anecdotes about his interactions with other prominent physicists, including Hawking, add a human element to the scientific discourse. It's not just a book about black holes; it's a story about the passionate pursuit of knowledge and the vibrant personalities driving scientific progress.For those looking for a deep yet digestible dive into one of the most fascinating areas of modern physics, "The Black Hole War" is a must-read. Susskind's insights will leave you with a profound appreciation for the mysteries of the universe and the minds striving to unravel them. Highly recommended!

This book tells the story of the "battle" between the author and Stephen Hawking regarding the latter claim that information is irretrievably lost in black holes.This story is the extraordinary account of the paradigm shift that has occurred in physics in the last 25 years. Moreover, the book reads like a novel thanks to the various analogies and the anecdotes concerning the lives and personalities of the physicists involved. In summary, a very recommendable book for someone who wants to keep abreast of the advances in quantum gravity and cosmology, although the author discusses also the basic concepts of quantum mechanics and relativity.Very strange things seem to happen in the vicinity of black holes and, as Susskind says, this needs rewiring of our brains, as we had to do before for relativity and quantum mechanics. When someone approaches and finally crosses a black hole horizon we have a similar situation as the famous Schrödinger's cat paradox. For the astronaut crossing the horizon, nothing happens (if the black hole is big enough so that he does not still notice the effect of the tidal forces). For the observer outside he deducts that the astronaut is fried to death. Believe it or not, this is not a contradiction in physics because the two of them will never be able to compare notes. Susskind calls this paradox black hole complementarity. The holographic principle and Maldacena's duality (well explained in an article in Scientific American not too long ago) are also part of the resolution of the battle for which Hawking finally conceded defeat in 2007.Chapter 23 hints to a new duality that could indirectly provide experimental evidence for String Theory. Strings and hadrons behave in similar ways and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in Brookhaven is investigating the properties of the quark-gluon plasma which mirror, 20 orders of magnitude higher, the properties of fundamental strings. Quantum gravity in Anti de Sitter space would be similar to quantum chromodynamics. However, our universe is not an Anti de Sitter spacetime. In any case some light between the shadows is finally shining in quantum gravity.

As a physics student I enjoyed this book immensely. Very informative and very interesting as well.

Realmente he leído varios libros acerca del tema incluidos un par de Stephen Hawking, pero de verdad este de Leonard Susskind es fabuloso. Te lleva de la mano desde conceptos simples de física hasta las ecuaciones mas importantes que determinan el comportamiento de los agujeros negros. Lo recomiendo totalmente para todos aquellos interesados en el tema

The book describes the following points:Anti de sitter spaceInformation theoryHolographic principleString theoryBlack hole complementarityBlack hole information loss paradoxHawking radiationBrane workd scenarioThis is the best book after elegant universe by Brian Greene !

I liked every word on every page and I devoured is. Thank you ever so much for sharing this adventure with us Professor!

Fantastic physics book that explores a fascinating modern history of physics through a specific lens (whether loss of information is possible beyond the horizon of a black hole). Beautifully told and contains some great general wisdom about the nature of science and the trajectory of physics. Very recommended.