The following questions may help stimulate an interesting discussion about calculating god. An alien spaceship lands on the grounds of the royal ontario museum. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. From the author of flashforward 1999, etc a theological polemic masquerading as a. The book i choose to write about is calculating god by robert j sawyer.
Calculating god does not have much to say about god in the real world the god that exists in the fictional universe is based on evidence that has never been observed in the real world. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant access. The most immediately striking and pervasive theme of calculating god is that aliens show up on earth, and they believe in god. And, the central alien character argues for a form of designcentered theistic evolution. He brings intelligence and humor to whatever issuing he is addressing. This summary of calculating god includes a complete plot overview spoilers. For your reference, we provided these calculating god quotes with page numbers using the following version of the book. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. So i wrote calculating god not wanting to ridicule or dismiss those who have other ways of. Jericho flatly denies gods existence and indicates to hollus that he is within the minority three percent of earths population that shares this belief. The paleontologist who happens to be on duty at the. Sep 27, 20 the premise of calculating god is that an arachnoid type alien named hollus one bright day lands her spaceship in front of the royal ontario museum in toronto, canada, walks to the entrance and asks the guard to be introduced to a paleontologist.
Not surprisingly, the book opens with incredulity i know, i know it seems crazy that the alien had come to toronto, sure, the city is popular with tourists, but youd thing a being from another world would head for the. Tom just happens to be available and the pair compare notes on. Hominids is the the 1st book in robert j sawyers neanderthal parallax series. This happens to be thomas jericho, who by the way is an atheist. The main character tom jericho is a paleontologist who is dying of cancer. Sawyer is a canadian science fiction author of 21 books, including the book flashforward the abc tv show 20092010 was based on. After an extremely funny start, the major part of the book consists of a lively discussion between the alien, who is gathering additional evidence to prove the existence of god, and tom jericho, a paleontologist who is diagnosed with cancer and starts to wonder about some very basic questions. The basic premise is of a parallel world, almost identical to earth, but one in which neanderthals have become the dominant intelligent species. Much of the book consists of convrsations between tom and hollus as they sort. The primary goal of modern science, he continued, is to discover why god has. A spaceship lands on earth, for the first time outside the royal ontario museum in toronto. Calculating god is a 2000 science fiction novel by robert j. These questions might also suggest essay topics for students studying the book.
It seems that earth and hollus home planet, and the home planet of another alien species traveling with hollus, all experienced the same five cataclysmic events at about the same time, including events exactly like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Jun 23, 2014 the book i choose to write about is calculating god by robert j sawyer. An eightlegged alien emerges, enters the building, and asks to see the museums senior paleontologist. Ultimately though, the books argument comes down to why god only seems to act on the cosmological scale. A sixlegged, twoarmed alien emerges, who says, in perfect english, take me to a paleontologist. Hollus is a forhilnor from the planet beta hydri who has a specific agenda in mind with this earth visitation. In calculating god, the alien hollus reveals that their science discovered that there have only been eight universes, a number not sufficiently large enough to account for the astronomical odds that our universe in livable. Inventive, fastpaced, and alternately funny and touching, calculating god sneaks in a wellresearched survey of evolution science, exobiology, and philosophy amidst the banter between hollus and jericho. Is calculating a descriptive adjective as in the calculating god or is it a gerund that takes god as a direct object but leaves us to wonder who is doing the calculating. It takes place in the present day and describes the arrival on earth of sentient aliens.
Nothing is outside the scope of science, he said firmly a position i did not, in fact, disagree with. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant. The structure of calculating god resembles a tent supported by two main poles. The main character of the book, a paleontologist named tom jericho, is very skeptical throughout.
It is the argument for intelligent design, but against fundamentalism. Jun 03, 2000 calculating god is an exploration of the idea of god through the lens of science and more specifically science fiction. Mar 03, 2009 calculating god is the new nearfuture sf thriller from the popular and awardwinning robert j. Ontario museum in toronto of a spiderlike alien paleontologist named hollus. In calculating god, an extraterrestrial, hollus, who believes in god, told a canadian paleontologist, thomas jericho, who does not, about the extraterrestrial wreeds whom math confounds just as philosophical questions about the meaning of life, ethics and morality confound us. He has clearly gone beyond just popular science sources.
The bulk of the novel covers the many discussions and arguments on this topic, as well as about the nature of belief, religion, and science. The book is most compelling when jericho and hollus debate the role of. Hollus says this is proof that there is a god and that god is manipulating the formation and evolution of life. But like the climax of calculating god, the day will come that this question will be answered beyond any doubt. Similar to the natural philosophers weve studied, sawyer often writes about how science and religion or god merge together. In calculating god, the central character is a strongly darwinian, atheist paleontologist who meets an alien species which, shocker of shockers, believes in god. It is safe to say that sawyer has accomplished both with calculating god.
Much of the novel is relatively cerebral, as jericho and hollus argue over the scientific data theyve gathered in support of gods existence, but sawyer excels at. Is there a god who planned out creation and set it in motion. From the author of flashforward 1999, etc a theological polemic masquerading as a science fiction novel. An alien being emerges and says, in perfect english, take me to a paleontologist. Calculating god is the new nearfuture sf thriller from the popular and awardwinning robert j. Oct 14, 2012 calculating god does not have much to say about god in the real world the god that exists in the fictional universe is based on evidence that has never been observed in the real world. Jul 15, 2001 calculating god is the new nearfuture sf thriller from the popular and awardwinning robert j. Hollus moved his eyestalks so that his two eyes briefly touched, the crystalline coatings making a soft clicking sound as they did so. When a spiderlike alien paleontologist named hollus arrives on earth at the royal ontario museum, she immediately seeks to speak with a paleontologist.
Hollus believes that the universe was created by a god, to provide a place where life could develop and. Calculating god academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. The aliens speak english, of course, and ask to see a paleontologist. In fact, they take the existence of god to be a scientific certainty. And kudos to sawyer for actually creating an answer to the nature of the god in the book. The problem is that calculating god isnt a very good book on any level. Sawyer calculating god i found this an intriguing novel its a first contact novel with a surprising theme. Sawyer is a science fiction novel that i would categorize as philosophical. Hollus is traveling from star to star on a quest to scientifically prove that god exists. Calculating god opens with a spaceship landing in front of torontos royal ontario museum. The most he does is explains the modern rationale of atheism and undermines them with fiction. Calculating god is an exploration of the idea of god through the lens of science and more specifically science fiction. Sawyer is rapidly becoming one of my favorite science fiction authors.
But then one day a sixlegged, twoarmed alien resembling a spider named hollus shows up to request a meeting with a paleontologist. Both alien races believe this proves the existence of god. Sawyer is one of the major authors in the genre today have to know it now that his novel hominids has won the 2003 hugo award. Hollus counters that god is a scientist, and all the events that have happened in the universe since the beginning of time are evidence of gods existence. Finally, the tent covering is provided by what i call a writers scrapbook. Calculating god is a thoughtful book which begins with the concept that god must exist. Sawyers 2000 science fiction novel, which is set in the present day and is based on the premise that sentient aliens have come to earth to study the five mass extinctions that have occurred on our planet over its history.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Sep, 2016 hollus says this is proof that there is a god and that god is manipulating the formation and evolution of life. An alien shuttle craft lands outside the royal ontario museum in toronto. The primary goal of modern science, he continued, is to discover why god has behaved as he has and to determine his methods. The main characters struggle with cancer is the perfect subplot, for one does wonder how such injustice can exist.
Apr 08, 2012 in calculating god, the alien hollus reveals that their science discovered that there have only been eight universes, a number not sufficiently large enough to account for the astronomical odds that our universe in livable. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. They also discovered that the constants of the universe could, in theory, be different, but are not. In calculating god, an alien arrives at a museum in toronto and asks for a paleontologist. The book is nicely executed in presenting this, but i never felt the proof that the aliens had for the existence of god was ever adquately explained.
The majority of its pages take the form of a dialogue between hollus, an alien forhilnor, and thomas jericho, an aging, cancerstricken paleontologist at the royal ontario museum. I think you humans apply too many adjectives to the creator. As the book progresses, thomas and hollus discuss several scientific and. Finally, hollus takes the dying thomas off in the forhilnor ship to meet god. I am reluctant to make changes to a page about a book that i have not actually read, but the following two errors are so glaring that they really need to be corrected. Rocky mountain newsa spaceship lands outside the royal ontario museum in toronto. This book is exceedingly ambitious, attempting to explore the circumstances under which the existence of god might be scientifically provable, by positing such evidence in a sciencefictional setting. Hollus will work together with tom jericho, a human paleontologist at the royal ontario museum in order to find an answer. In calculating god, sawyer is addressing one of the biggest issues. When a spiderlike alien paleontologist named hollus arrives on earth at the royal ontario.
The novel uses the trope of contact with aliens to explore cosmological ideas that intrigue thoughtful persons whether or not they are interested in science fiction. Many reading groups and book clubs have enjoyed novels by robert j. Robert sawyers calculating god was a runnerup for the hugo award in 2001 and, having listened to this audiobook version, i again am forced to wonder why it didnt win. I have also heard the phrases a loving god, and a compassionate god. Jul 08, 20 the book is fiction, yet the question of what to do about god is the query of the ages. Although the protagonist, tom jericho, is an unbeliever, he finds the rational arguments made by hollus and the other aliens to be more in line with his own concepts as a scientist than the faithbased arguments he has always faced before. Any sciencefiction fans who were unaware that robert j. But the book also proves to be very moving and characterdriven sf, as jerichoin the face of hollus s convincing argumentsgrapples with. Hollus studies lifes history on this planet while holding provocative conversations with the canadian paleontologist helping him research. It seems that earth, and the aliens home planet, and the home planet of another alien species traveling on the alien. It does seem that to the believer, no evidence will be necessary, and to the unbeliever, no evidence will be enough. An alien named hollus lands near the royal ontario museum and strolls right in, asking to see the fossils.