Adam's Second Book in 2012

God's Debris
By Scott Adams
“...Remember my first question to you, about the coin toss?”
“Yes, you asked why a coin comes up heads half the time.”
“Probability is omnipotent and omnipresent. It influences any coin at any time in any place, instantly. It cannot be shielded or altered. We might see randomness in the outcome of an individual coin toss, but as the number of toss increases, probability has firm control of the outcome. And probability is not limited to coins and dice and slot machines. Probability is the guiding force of everything in the universe, living or nonliving, near or far, big or small, now or anytime.” (pg. 46)


Before I really get into what is happening in this book, I should tell you this: the literature is not for everyone. I say that because many of the ideas discussed in the story attempt to denounce popular and religious beliefs, or at the very least, cause one to question the belief in the first place.
Let me preface by saying that I am not a student of philosophy. I took a few courses dealing with it in college and my grades were less than stellar. I am often bothered by questions that don't have answers and I get increasingly annoyed when someone tries to answer a question with another question.
That said though, I did enjoy reading this book. There were many questions raised in it that caused me to simply think without actually being annoyed.
God's Debris has an uncomplicated storyline. A delivery guy brings a package to an unsuspecting old man known only as “Avatar”. What he doesn't realize is that the old man has a higher purpose for him as he begins with the question, “did you deliver this package or did the package deliver you?”.
The narrative deals most with ideas about God, free will, probability, and the nature of omnipotence, but it does so without become preachy. Readers will easily identify with the delivery man as he comes to represent a lay person who is seemingly ignorant of the ideas Avatar introduces.
Interestingly enough, this book was written by Scott Adams, whom many of you will recognize as the author of the Dilbert comic strip. Yet, God's Debris is not a comedy, nor does it have any sex or violence. As a self-described thought experiment, Mr. Adams states in his introduction that this story is for mature audiences only, adding that the devoutly religious and older generations will probably not approve of the material. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a good brain teaser and have an open mind, this book may be just the cure you are seeking...and you'll never look at a coin toss the same way ever again.
If you like this story, or literature about philosophy in general, you might also enjoy “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaardner, a narrative about a girl who gets mysterious letters in the mail about philosophical ideas from the likes of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. This book is also safe for children to read, unlike God’s Debris.
You can find God’s Debris in the adult non-fiction section of the library under the heading
“110 ADA”. We have only one copy of this so put a hold on it while you can!