Martin Rees, On The Future: Prospects for Humanity (Princeton University Press, 2020)

Martin Rees (b. 1942) is Astronomer Royal, and is Master of Trinity College and Director of the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University. In his book, The Future: Prospects for Humanity, Rees shows his erudition in his field of astronomy by using technical language that is way beyond the knowledge of the average lay person. His knowledge of the history of science is impressive; he says that not until the 19th century was the term "scientists" used; instead they were thought of as "natural philosophers." Throughout the book Rees names a score of names, from Robert Boyle (1627-1691) popularly known as the "founder of modern chemistry" to Rodney Brooks (b. 1954, the person who invented the robotic vacuum cleaner, "Roomba.")

The main theme of Rees' book is that "our future depends on making wise choices about key societal challenges: energy, health, food, robotics, environment, space, and so forth. These choices involve science. But key decisions shouldn't be made just by scientists; they matter to us all and should be the outcome of wide public debate. For that to happen, we all need enough 'feel' for the key ideas of science, and enough numeracy to assess hazards, probabilities, and risks, so as not to be bamboozled by experts or credulous of populist sloganizing."

For readers of Tidings, Rees' chapter on "What About God" would be of more interest. He cites theologian William Paley (1743-1805) whose natural theology gives the analogy of the watch-maker and the watch as evidence of "intelligent design." Rees finds that John Polkinghorne (the ex-mathematical physicist who taught him physics at Cambridge) a "more sophisticated variant" of Paley's intelligent design. Rees claims that Polkinghorrne "believes that God can influence the world by giving a nudge or tweak at places and times when the outcome is especially responsive to small changes-maximum impact with minimal and readily concealed effort." For Rees, Polkinghorne's theology is too "anthropocentric and constricted to be credible." (See John Polkinghorne, The God of Hope and the End of the World. (Yale University Press, 2002.)

Rees concludes the chapter by stating that he is a "practicing," but not a "believing" Christian (which resonates with Gary Sattler's notion of "agnostic Christian" in his Feb. 22nd "Musing"), who is content to participate in the rituals of the Anglican church with which he has been familiar since early childhood. He suggests that many secular Jews also do such things as lighting candles on Jewish holy days, while they do not claim their religion to possess ultimate truth. Rees even suggests that atheists should not be too preoccupied with the stated dogmas of religions.

Just as the big bang took billion of years to evolve into life including humans, we humans with our curiosity and ingenuity can destroy our planet with unthinking decisions. We are living in an "Anthropocene" world that may leave nothing for future generations. Rees continues, "We are perhaps near the end of the Darwinian evolution, but a faster process, artificially directed enhancement of intelligence, is only beginning. It will happen fastest away from the Earth-I wouldn't expect (and certainly wouldn't wish for) such rapid changes in humanity here on Earth though our survival will depend on ensuring that the Al on Earth remains 'benevolent"' He concludes his book with a paragraph. "Now is the time for an optimistic vision of life's destiny-in this world, and perhaps far beyond it. We need to think globally, we need to think rationally, we need to think long-term-,” empowered by twenty-first century technology but guided by values that science alone can't provide."

- Reviewed by Franklin Woo