God's Debris

I read this book a couple of years ago at Steve's insistence. I thought it was fascinating, but didn't really put much thought into it after discussing it with Steve. I think he was a little disappointed that I didn't become more involved in the thought experiment aspect to it. Recently, I was reminded of the book when I watched Waking Life, so I decided to re-read God's Debris. I think I really needed to re-read it, in the same way I needed to re-watch Waking Life (which I have) to get more from it.

The story is about a man who works for a delivery company and one day makes a delivery to the home of a man (The Avatar), who literally knows everything there is to know in the universe. Scott Adams (the creator of Dilbert) wrote this book as a "thought experiment" and stated the book will "make your brain spin around inside your skull." He challenged the readers of this book to find the flaws in the thinking of the Avatar, whose explanations of reality and of God are based on the assumption that the simplest answer is usually the correct answer.

I won't post any spoilers, but many of his theories do make my brain spin in my skull. I really liked the chapters on Genuine Belief, Holy Lands, Relationships and Affirmations. Those chapters weren't necessarily brain spinners, but they made me think. I think I should read this book every couple of years, just to keep my mind limber and to keep myself from falling into a pattern of rigid thought.