Book Corner: What We Believe But Cannot Prove

We spend so much time plugging our own smart books here at mental_floss (did you get a copy of our latest yet?), sometimes we neglect to tell you about some others you might want to wrap your eyes around.

So here's one that sounds like it has something for everyone called, What We Believe But Cannot Prove, put together by Edge.org editor, John Brockman.

It started as a post up on his website, a challenge to intellectuals to confess personal theories they couldn't demonstrate with certainty and slowly grew into a very cool idea for a book.
Here are a few quotes from Publishers Weekly and Booklist:

Susan Blackmore, a lecturer on evolutionary theory, believes "it is possible to live happily and morally without believing in free will," and Daniel Goleman believes children today are "unintended victims of economic and technological progress." Professor of cosmology and astrophysics Martin Rees"¦ admits that he believes intelligent life is unique to our world Alun Anderson, senior consultant to New Scientist magazine, believes cockroaches are conscious. Mathematician and science-fiction novelist Rudy Rucker believes in a multiplicity of universes. Susan Blackmore, who has written widely on the subject of consciousness, appears to believe that she doesn't exist.

As I said, something for everyone. From the belief that God doesn't exist, to the creative power in boredom. From the belief that the reverse of a power of 2 is never a power of 5, to David Buss's theory that true love does exist. Awwww, Mr. Buss"¦ what a mensch!