HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Horgan (born 1953) is an American
science journalist Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists, and the public. Origins Modern science journalism dates back to '' Digdarshan'' (means showing the d ...
best known for his 1996 book ''The End of Science''. He has written for many publications, including ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
'', ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'', ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'', and ''
IEEE Spectrum ''IEEE Spectrum'' is a magazine edited by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The first issue of ''IEEE Spectrum'' was published in January 1964 as a successor to ''Electrical Engineering''. The magazine contains peer-reviewe ...
''. His awards include two Science Journalism Awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Science Writers Science-in-Society Award. His articles have been included in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 editions of ''The Best American Science and Nature Writing''. Since 2010 he has written the "Cross-check" blog for ScientificAmerican.com.John Horgan – Biography
accessed October 21, 2007
Horgan graduated from the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1983. Between 1986 and 1997 he was a senior writer at ''Scientific American''.


1990s assertions

His October 1993 ''Scientific American'' article, "The Death of Proof", claimed that the growing complexity of mathematics, combined with "computer proofs" and other developments, were undermining traditional concepts of
mathematical proof A mathematical proof is an inferential argument for a mathematical statement, showing that the stated assumptions logically guarantee the conclusion. The argument may use other previously established statements, such as theorems; but every pr ...
. The article generated "torrents of howls and complaints" from mathematicians, according to David Hoffman (one of the mathematicians Horgan interviewed for the article). In response to this article, the Horgan surface is, sarcastically, named after him. It is a speculated embedded minimal surface whose existence is strongly suggested by computers but doubted by many mathematicians. The non-existence of the Horgan surface is later established rigorously through a mathematical proof, completing the sarcasm with the term "Horgan non-surface". Horgan's 1996 book ''The End of Science'' begins where "The Death of Proof" leaves off: in it, Horgan argues that pure science, defined as "the primordial human quest to understand the universe and our place in it," may be coming to an end. Horgan claims that science will not achieve insights into nature as profound as
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
by
natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Cha ...
, the
double helix A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...
, the
Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
,
relativity theory The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena ...
or
quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
. In the future, he suggests, scientists will refine, extend and apply this pre-existing knowledge but will not achieve any more great "revolutions or revelations."
Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make o ...
Phil Anderson wrote in 1999 "The reason that Horgan's pessimism is so wrong lies in the nature of science itself. Whenever a question receives an answer, science moves on and asks a new kind of question, of which there seem to be an endless supply." A front-page review in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called the book "intellectually bracing, sweepingly reported, often brilliant and sometimes bullying." In 2000 Horgan wrote a supportive review of Patrick Tierney's '' Darkness in El Dorado'' in the New York Times. This review recounted, uncritically, the many accusations leveled against anthropologist
Napoleon Chagnon Napoleon Alphonseau Chagnon (27 August 1938 – 21 September 2019) was an American cultural anthropologist, professor of sociocultural anthropology at the University of Missouri in Columbia and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Chagn ...
during his field work in Amazonas with the Yanomamö. The resulting controversy ultimately caused Chagnon to retire early from his academic post. However, the book was later found to be fraudulent, and an inquiry by the American Anthropological Association cleared Chagnon of Tierney's accusations.


Later work

In 1999 Horgan followed up ''The End of Science'' with ''The Undiscovered Mind: How the Human Brain Defies Replication, Medication and Explanation'', which critiques neuroscience, psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology, evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, artificial intelligence and other mind-related fields. For his 2003 book ''Rational Mysticism,''
Book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly revie ...
of Horgan's ''Rational Mysticism: Dispatches From the Border Between Science and Spirituality.'' New York City:
Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
, 2003. ().
he profiled a number of scientists, mystics, and religious thinkers who have delved into the interface of science, religion and mysticism. He presents his personal impressions of these individuals and a sometimes controversial analysis of their contributions to rational mysticism and the
relationship between religion and science The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the ancient and medieval worlds did not have conceptions resembling the modern u ...
. His 2012 book "The End of War" presents scientific arguments against the widespread belief that war is inevitable. In 2005, Horgan became the Director of the Center for Science Writings (CSW) at
Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...
, in Hoboken, NJ, where he also teaches science journalism, history of science and other courses. The CSW sponsors lectures by leading science communicators, including geographer Jared Diamond of UCLA, financier/philosopher Nassim Taleb, psychologist
Steven Pinker Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. ...
of Harvard, neurologist Oliver Sacks, philosopher
Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular ...
of Princeton, economist
Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey David Sachs () (born 5 November 1954) is an American economist, academic, public policy analyst, and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he holds the title of University Professor. He is known for his work ...
of Columbia, and biologist Edward O. Wilson of Harvard.


Media appearances

Horgan has appeared on the ''
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co- ...
'' show, the '' Lehrer News Hour'' and many other media outlets in the U.S. and Europe. Currently he is a frequent host (usually with science writer George Johnson) of "Science Faction", a monthly discussion related to science topics on the website
BloggingHeads.tv Bloggingheads.tv (sometimes abbreviated "bhtv") is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast on ...
.


Political views

Horgan has stated that "part of me wonders whether research on race and intelligence—given the persistence of racism in the U.S. and elsewhere—should simply be banned." He has described
James Damore "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber", commonly referred to as the Google memo, is an internal memo, dated July 2017, by US-based Google engineer James Damore () about Google's culture and diversity policies. The memo and Google's subsequent di ...
and others as "bullies" who "deserve to be fired."


Bibliography


Books

*(1996), ''The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Science in the Twilight of the Scientific Age.'' New York: Broadway Books. *(1999). ''The Undiscovered Mind: How the Human Brain Defies Replication, Medication and Explanation.'' New York: Touchstone. *With Reverend Frank Greer (2002). ''Where Was God on September 11? (A Scientist Asks a Ground Zero Pastor)''. San Francisco: Browntrout Publishers. *(2003). ''Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin. *(2012). ''The End of War''. San Francisco: McSweeney's. *(2018). ''Mind-Body Problems: Science, Subjectivity & Who We Really Are''.
Free online book
*(2020). ''Pay Attention: Sex, Death, and Science''. Terra Nova Press.


Articles

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110920161218/http://lilt.ilstu.edu/gmklass/foi/readings/horgan.htm * * *Horgan, John. October 2006. "The Final Frontier: Ten years after the publication of The End of Science, John Horgan says the limits of scientific inquiry are more visible than ever." '' Discover Magazine'' http://discovermagazine.com/2006/oct/cover#.UW8uaKV5nzI *Horgan, John. June 2008. "The Consciousness Conundrum: The wetware that gives rise to consciousness is far too complex to be replicated in a computer anytime soon." ''IEEE Spectrum''. https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/imaging/the-consciousness-conundrum *Horgan, John. March 2013. "The Drones Come Home."
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/unmanned-flight/horgan-text *Horgan, John. April 2021. "Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype?"
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-quantum-computing-ever-live-up-to-its-hype/


References


External links

*
Scientific American blog, "Cross-check"

The Center for Science Writings

John Horgan discusses his 2012 book ''The End of War'' on "Big Think"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horgan, John 1953 births Living people American science writers American science journalists American male journalists Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Columbia University School of General Studies alumni Video bloggers Male bloggers Stevens Institute of Technology faculty