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darthhall's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
An interesting perspective shift on life in the universe, civilization advancing technology, and the relationship between science, spirituality, and meaning.
willrefuge's review against another edition
3.0
5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/08/30/interstellar-by-avi-loeb-review/
Following his argument for the existence of interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life in the aptly named Extraterrestrial, Harvard professor and astronomer Avi Loeb is back to take on what comes next, the future following the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
Loeb himself, along with his graduate students and staff, are embarking on an expedition to trawl the sea floor for proof of a trans-stellar object. Following what the author hopes will be undeniable proof, Interstellar is set to examine what comes next, and how humanity should deal with the aftermath.
I absolutely loved Extraterrestrial, not at least because Loeb’s argument was really quite persuasive, but also because he was so excited about his work and interested in selling it. Unfortunately this tone doesn’t effectively carry over to Interstellar.
It started out well enough but quickly lost my interest. One cannot write a book using enthusiasm alone. Particularly when one is still attempting to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. For there’s not a whole lot of actual argument in this book. And… unfortunately, while some might say that my cynicism is coloring my opinion, but I’d argue that the author’s naïvety is blinding his own. It’s really hard to summarize my thoughts on the piece without it just devolving into some kind of rant.
About how someone would always make it about power and control. About how science and politics and military rarely see eye to eye. About how, just because I was inspired by his previous arguments, everyone else will be as well. For—despite his obvious enthusiasm and the strength of his argument—Loeb and his opinion on extraterrestrials is still regarded by the international community as approaching fringe science. He could pull a freaking interstellar spaceship from the Pacific Ocean and they still likely wouldn’t believe him.
But, ignoring that, let’s focus on the actual content itself. Like the previous book, the author’s enthusiasm for the subject comes through strong. It’s one of the best aspects of the book; his excitement that the science backs up his belief in extraterrestrial civilizations. His wonder undimmed despite his findings being routinely dismissed. His tone is consistently exuberant, and it’s just a joy to read a work that’s built on love and excitement, as well as science.
However, there’s too much wonder and too little science. The argument presented in Interstellar was much weaker than that of Extraterrestrial, such that I had to wonder if he was trying to prove anything at all. Or it was just a “you must’ve been swayed by what I said before, so here’s what I think should happen next”. Which is more fantasy than actual science. Unfortunately, I’d say that he really needed to wait until after his ocean trawling to present a decent argument, rather than just assuming complete success, assuming everyone would be convinced—and starting from there.
Of course, depending on what the author finds in the sea, I’m ready to be proven wrong.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/08/30/interstellar-by-avi-loeb-review/
Following his argument for the existence of interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life in the aptly named Extraterrestrial, Harvard professor and astronomer Avi Loeb is back to take on what comes next, the future following the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
Loeb himself, along with his graduate students and staff, are embarking on an expedition to trawl the sea floor for proof of a trans-stellar object. Following what the author hopes will be undeniable proof, Interstellar is set to examine what comes next, and how humanity should deal with the aftermath.
I absolutely loved Extraterrestrial, not at least because Loeb’s argument was really quite persuasive, but also because he was so excited about his work and interested in selling it. Unfortunately this tone doesn’t effectively carry over to Interstellar.
It started out well enough but quickly lost my interest. One cannot write a book using enthusiasm alone. Particularly when one is still attempting to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. For there’s not a whole lot of actual argument in this book. And… unfortunately, while some might say that my cynicism is coloring my opinion, but I’d argue that the author’s naïvety is blinding his own. It’s really hard to summarize my thoughts on the piece without it just devolving into some kind of rant.
About how someone would always make it about power and control. About how science and politics and military rarely see eye to eye. About how, just because I was inspired by his previous arguments, everyone else will be as well. For—despite his obvious enthusiasm and the strength of his argument—Loeb and his opinion on extraterrestrials is still regarded by the international community as approaching fringe science. He could pull a freaking interstellar spaceship from the Pacific Ocean and they still likely wouldn’t believe him.
But, ignoring that, let’s focus on the actual content itself. Like the previous book, the author’s enthusiasm for the subject comes through strong. It’s one of the best aspects of the book; his excitement that the science backs up his belief in extraterrestrial civilizations. His wonder undimmed despite his findings being routinely dismissed. His tone is consistently exuberant, and it’s just a joy to read a work that’s built on love and excitement, as well as science.
However, there’s too much wonder and too little science. The argument presented in Interstellar was much weaker than that of Extraterrestrial, such that I had to wonder if he was trying to prove anything at all. Or it was just a “you must’ve been swayed by what I said before, so here’s what I think should happen next”. Which is more fantasy than actual science. Unfortunately, I’d say that he really needed to wait until after his ocean trawling to present a decent argument, rather than just assuming complete success, assuming everyone would be convinced—and starting from there.
Of course, depending on what the author finds in the sea, I’m ready to be proven wrong.