Description: Superior Beings. If They Exist, How Would We Know? by Steven Brams This book examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory. The author shows how game theory can help breathe life into questions and he clarifies the structure of our thought about an ultimate reality. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description The same is true of applications of game theory to history, philosophy religion, and the other humanities. In particular, I know of no attempts to apply game theory to the kinds of p- losophy-of-religion and theology questions that I explored in Superior Beings, By contrast; the nexus between science and religion has been thoroughly analyzed using other methods of inquiry as evidenced by Charles L. Harper Jr (ed. ), Spiritual Information: 100 Perspectives on Science and Religion (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2006), a huge collection put together in honor of Sir John Templetons ninetieth birthday Sir John, through the Templeton Foundation, is the primary propo nent and the major benefactor of studies in science and religion today How science and religion are (or are not) connected is, of course, an old subject. It is also a controversial one, extending at least from Galileos trial in 1633 to the teaching of evolution today. While game theory is a mathematical theory, Superior Beings is emphatically not a scientific work, wherein a theory is tested. Rather, it is an attempt to interpret and explain important philo sophical, religious, and theological questions in terms of the rational choices of ordinary human beings, who are assumed to play games with a superior being. The game theory I use is nonstandard. Notes This book examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory. The central question posed in this book is: If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us?The mathematical theory of games is used to define each of these qualities, and different assumptions about the rules of play in several theological games that might be played between ordinary human beings and superior beings like God are posited. By endowing omniscience/omnipotence/immortality/incomprehensibility with unambiguous meanings, the author shows how game theory can help breathe life into questions that have been dismissed too quickly simply because they are metaphysical - outside the world of experience. This books first edition received excellent reviews from Nature, New Scientist and prominent game theorists. Back Cover The central question posed in this book is: If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us? The mathematical theory of games is used to define each of these qualities, and different assumptions about the rules of play in several theological games that might be played between ordinary human beings and superior beings like God are posited. Implications of these definitions and assumptions are developed and used to explore such questions as: are Gods superior powers compatible with human free will? Can they be reconciled with the problem of evil in the world? In what situation is Gods existence "decidable" in gamelike relationships He migh have with us? By endowing omniscience/omnipotence/immortality/incomprehensibility with unambiguous meanings, the author shows how game theory can help breathe life into questions that have been dismissed too quickly simply because they are metaphysical--outside the world of experience. Thereby he clarifies the structure of our thought about an ultimate reality, whether or not it is viewed as religious. Reviews from the first edition: "[Bramss] arguments, some of them quite complicated, are presented clearly and enough background information is given to enable the non-expert in game theory to follow what is going on." - H.N.V. Temperley, Nature (March, 1984) "Superior Beings is an extraordinary book... He [Brams] uses strikingly simple models and generally transparent logic to make some surprising inferences about superiority. His inquiry is carried out with great inventiveness and care, and his book is highly recommended to those interested in religion, philosophy, and the contribution of logical analysis." - D. Marc Kilgur, American Scientist (1984) "Brams has performed a service in deominstrating that rational analysis need not stop where issues involving faith and emotion begin." - Peter Bennett, New Scientist (1 March, 1984) "Does game-theoretic theory exist? This book is a fresh partial answer, modestly phrased and interestingly written. Readers will enjoy it and learn from it whether or not the believe in either God or von Neumann." - Dr. Paul R. Halmos, Indiana University "Professor Brams has boldly invaded an unexplored region where modern game theory and decision theory find applications to monotheistic theology. His carefully constructed arguments would have perplexed Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, or the great Muslim thinkers... But it is hard to see how they can be ignored by contemporary theologians." - Martin Gardener "[Bramss] work can be highly recommended as collateral reading for introdcutory courses on mathematical modeling in the social, managerial and decision science-now perhaps even in theology." - William F. Lucas, American Mathematical Monthly (January, 1987) Author Biography Steven J. Brams is Professor of Politics at New York University. Table of Contents The Rationality of Belief in a Superior Being.- Omniscience and Partial Omniscience.- The Paradox of Omniscience and the Theory of Moves.- Omnipotence: Moving and Staying Power.- Immortality and Incomprehensibility.- Superior Beings: They May Be Undecidable. Review From the reviews:"[Bramss] arguments, some of them quite complicated, are presented clearly and enough background information is given to enable the non-expert in game theory to follow what is going on." —H.N.V. Temperley, Nature (March, 1984)"Superior Beings is an extraordinary book... He [Brams] uses strikingly simple models and generally transparent logic to make some surprising inferences about superiority. His inquiry is carried out with great inventiveness and care, and his book is highly recommended to those interested in religion, philosophy, and the contribution of logical analysis." - D. Marc Kilgur, American Scientist (1984)"Brams has performed a service in deominstrating that rational analysis need not stop where issues involving faith and emotion begin." - Peter Bennett, New Scientist (1 March, 1984)"Does game-theoretic theory exist? This book is a fresh partial answer, modestly phrased and interestingly written. Readers will enjoy it and learn from it whether or not the believe in either God or von Neumann." - Dr. Paul R. Halmos, Indiana University"Professor Brams has boldly invaded an unexplored region where modern game theory and decision theory find applications to monotheistic theology. His carefully constructed arguments would have perplexed Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, or the great Muslim thinkers... But it is hard to see how they can be ignored by contemporary theologians." - Martin Gardener"[Bramss] work can be highly recommended as collateral reading for introdcutory courses on mathematical modeling in the social, managerial and decision science-now perhaps even in theology." - William F. Lucas, American Mathematical Monthly (January, 1987)From the reviews of the second edition:"Brams analyses human interactions with the divine in order to effectively cast light on some of the toughestquestions in philosophy and theology. … Superior Beings represents a first step in applying game-theoretic analysis to religious issues and reading it brings up many questions and directions for future work. … Overall, Superior Beings is an excellent book that tackles a challenging series of topics with grace and depth." (Angela Vierling-Claassen, MathDL, February, 2008) Long Description The same is true of applications of game theory to history, philosophy religion, and the other humanities. In particular, I know of no attempts to apply game theory to the kinds of p- losophy-of-religion and theology questions that I explored in Superior Beings, By contrast; the nexus between science and religion has been thoroughly analyzed using other methods of inquiry as evidenced by Charles L. Harper Jr (ed. ), Spiritual Information: 100 Perspectives on Science and Religion (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2006), a huge collection put together in honor of Sir John Templetons ninetieth birthday Sir John, through the Templeton Foundation, is the primary propo Review Quote Reviews from the first edition: YBramss? arguments, some of them quite complicated, are presented clearly and enough background information is given to enable the non-expert in game theory to follow what is going on. H.N.V. Temperley, Nature (March, 1984)"Superior Beings is an extraordinary book... He YBrams? uses strikingly simple models and generally transparent logic to make some surprising inferences about superiority. His inquiry is carried out with great inventiveness and care, and his book is highly recommended to those interested in religion, philosophy, and the contribution of logical analysis." - D. Marc Kilgur, American Scientist (1984)"Brams has performed a service in deominstrating that rational analysis need not stop where issues involving faith and emotion begin." - Peter Bennett, New Scientist (1 March, 1984)"Does game-theoretic theory exist? This book is a fresh partial answer, modestly phrased and interestingly written. Readers will enjoy it and learn from it whether or not the believe in either God or von Neumann." - Dr. Paul R. Halmos, Indiana University"Professor Brams has boldly invaded an unexplored region where modern game theory and decision theory find applications to monotheistic theology. His carefully constructed arguments would have perplexed Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, or the great Muslim thinkers... But it is hard to see how they can be ignored by contemporary theologians." - Martin Gardener"YBramss? work can be highly recommended as collateral reading for introdcutory courses on mathematical modeling in the social, managerial and decision science-now perhaps even in theology." - William F. Lucas, American Mathematical Monthly (January, 1987) Feature Examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory Excellent reviews of the first edition from Nature, New Scientist and prominent game theorists Description for Sales People This book examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory. The central question posed in this book is: If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us? The mathematical theory of games is used to define each of these qualities, and different assumptions about the rules of play in several theological games that might be played between ordinary human beings and superior beings like God are posited. By endowing omniscience/omnipotence/immortality/incomprehensibility with unambiguous meanings, the author shows how game theory can help breathe life into questions that have been dismissed too quickly simply because they are metaphysical - outside the world of experience. This books first edition received excellent reviews from Nature, New Scientist and prominent game theorists. Details ISBN038748065X Short Title SUPERIOR BEINGS 2/E Pages 202 Language English Edition 2nd ISBN-10 038748065X ISBN-13 9780387480657 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2006 Imprint Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Place of Publication New York, NY Country of Publication United States Residence NY, US Replaces 9780387908779 Subtitle Game-Theoretic Implications of Omnipotence, Omniscience, Immortality, and Incomprehensibility DOI 10.1604/9780387480657;10.1007/978-0-387-48077-0 UK Release Date 2006-11-14 AU Release Date 2006-11-14 NZ Release Date 2006-11-14 US Release Date 2006-11-14 Author Steven Brams Publisher Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Edition Description 2nd ed. 2007 Publication Date 2006-11-14 DEWEY 510 Illustrations 32 Illustrations, black and white; XXIV, 202 p. 32 illus. Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:96233035;
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ISBN-13: 9780387480657
Book Title: Superior Beings. If They Exist, How Would We Know?: Game-Theoretic Implications of Omnipotence, Omniscience, Immortality, and Incomprehensibility
Item Height: 235mm
Item Width: 155mm
Author: Steven Brams
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Topic: Economics, Popular Philosophy, Science, Mathematics
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Publication Year: 2006
Type: Textbook
Item Weight: 730g
Number of Pages: 202 Pages
