The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics | 
| Author: Leonard Susskind
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $27.99
Buy New: $16.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 2684
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.6
ISBN: 0316016403
Dewey Decimal Number: 530.12
EAN: 9780316016407
ASIN: 0316016403
Publication Date: July 7, 2008
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Product Description
What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed it did-and in doing so put at risk everything we know about physics and the fundamental laws of the universe. Most scientists didn't recognize the import of Hawking's claims, but Leonard Susskind and Gerard t'Hooft realized the threat, and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics. THE BLACK HOLE WAR is the thrilling story of their united effort to reconcile Hawking's revolutionary theories of black holes with their own sense of reality-effort that would eventually result in Hawking admitting he was wrong, paying up, and Susskind and t'Hooft realizing that our world is a hologram projected from the outer boundaries of space.
A brilliant book about modern physics, quantum mechanics, the fate of stars and the deep mysteries of black holes, Leonard Susskind's account of the Black Hole War is mind-bending and exhilarating reading.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 A fascinating tale signifying ... ? September 4, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The most important paragraph in this book is on page 422:
"Sceptics will point out that everything I have told you about the quantum properties of black holes -- from entropy, temperature, and Hawking radiation to Black Hole Complementarity and the Holographic Principle -- is pure theory, with not an ounces of experimental data to confirm it. Unfortunately they may be right for a very long time."
Susskind obviously believes that he, with help from others, has discovered important radical new physics in Black Hole Complementarity and the Holographic Principle. They are certainly radical new ideas, but of course they do not qualify as physics in the absence of experimental verification. Stephen Hawking's ultimate agreement with Susskind is no substitute for experiments.
The tale of this theoretical dispute is fascinating and a good read until the topic turns to string theory. From that point on I found it too vague and speculative to hold my interest. The book is worth reading to get one perspective on how theoretical physics is done today and I would say what is wrong with it. Without experimental guidance you cannot create new science.
Feynman he is not, even if he plays the bongo August 28, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Some arguments can be presented to the general public and some only to the specialist. In this books, in my opinion, there is confusion about the two issues. Hawking was capable of breaking down complex arguments and present them even to children, but Susskind, a great scientist, do not possess such gift. He talks about very trivial matters for a few pages and then he plunges into complex particle physic.
The war about which he speaks in the title, apparently was just a diffent view on a single (important) detail.
Excellent review of complex theories August 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Quantum theory seems to work mathematically, but verbal descriptions have left most of us scratching our heads at the paradoxes. Suskind has excellent analogies and descriptions that minimize (though can't elemeninate) some of these problems. His knack for using one- and two-dimensional worlds to describe the "real" world are especially enlightening and understandable.
A Book About the Personalities August 6, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Susskind's book is a lot of fun. It's short on physics (which is a good thing for the layman) but long on personalities. It does include a lot of name dropping and some ingratiating attempts to include Susskind with the recent big boys of physics -- Feynmann, 't Hooft and Hawking -- but he does belong there as an original maverick (who was generally right). His amusing, laconic style, with irreverent detours, is engaging and pretty good for a physicist.
But the best part of the book is its description of the personalities involved and, untittingly, most revealing of Susskind's himself. The last chapter, entitled "Humility," is a gentle and wry criticism of the great Stephen Hawking, who was behind the curve and tried to claim it was he who figured out the conservation paradox of his own black hole writings. When, of course, it wasn't.
The most surprising thing about all of these reviews is that I haven't seen the one by Harriet Klausner yet. Where is she when you really need her?
flawed but a must read August 3, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a good book and the author does a great job of explaining the black hole information paradox. He also does a v.g. job of describing the personalities of those involved. The discussion of thought experiments in theoretical physics is also outstanding. What mars the book is the fact that the author is guilty of so many of the quirks that he often points out in his adversaries. It is amusing to see a lesser light take digs at such brilliant men as Hawking, Dyson and Penrose - clearly the author has more than a normal dose of chutzpah.
In light of all the recent attacks on string theory I think he must find it redeeming to be on the offensive....
Still, he does present some very salient arguments and even if you disagree with any of his conclusions it is a thought-provoking read - and I do want to believe that this was his chief motive in writing the book.
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