Victor J. Stenger | |
|---|---|
 Victor J. Stenger in 2011 | |
| Born | January 29, 1935[1] Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 2014 (aged 79)[2] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New Jersey Institute of Technology, UCLA |
| Spouse | Phylliss Marcia (Black) Stenger (m. 1962) |
| Children | Noelle Green, Victor Andrew |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Particle physics, philosophy |
| Thesis | Low Energy K+d Scattering and the I=0 KN Interaction (1963) |
| Doctoral advisor | Harold K. Ticho |
Victor John Stenger (/ˈstɛŋɡər/; January 29, 1935 – August 25, 2014) was an American particle physicist, philosopher, author, and religious skeptic.
Following a career as a research scientist in the field of particle physics, Stenger was associated with New Atheism and he authored popular science books.[3] He published twelve books for general audiences on physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology, philosophy, religion, atheism, and pseudoscience, including the 2007 best-seller God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist. His final book was God and the Multiverse: Humanity's Expanding View of the Cosmos (2014). He was a regular featured science columnist for the Huffington Post.[4]
An advocate for removing the influence of religion from scientific research, commercial activity, and the political process,[5] Stenger coined the quote: "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings" (a reference to the September 11 attacks).[6]
- ^ "Stenger's complete CV" (PDF). University of Colorado. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2015.
- ^ Mehta, Hemant. "Victor Stenger, Physicist and Prolific Atheist Author, is Dead at 79". Patheos. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ Shermer, Michael (2014-09-20). "The Fifth Horseman: The Insights of Victor Stenger (1935–2014)". Skeptic (American magazine). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ Audio of interview with Stenger on the podcast "Skepticality" released 28 August 2012 by the Skeptics Society.
- ^ Stenger, Victor J. (9 March 2012). "The Fall of Foolish Faith". Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings. - Victor Stenger - RichardDawkins.net". Old.richarddawkins.net. 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2013-07-29.