Gerald Feinberg
Gerald Feinberg (27 May 1933, New York City – 21 April 1992, New York City) was a Columbia University physicist, futurist and populist author. He spent a year as a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study, and two years at the Brookhaven Laboratories.[1]
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[edit] Scientific work
He coined the term tachyon for hypothetical faster-than-light particles and analysed their quantum field properties,[2] predicted the existence of the muon neutrino[3] and advocated cryonics as a public service.[4] He was a member of the Foresight Institute's advisory panel.[5]
[edit] Parapsychology
Feinberg wrote a foreword to Edgar Mitchell's book Psychic Explorations (1974) in which he wrote that psychic phenomena may not contradict "known physical laws" and may prove explicable "within the existing body of physical principle."[6] Feinberg also wrote that the theoretical concept of an "advance wave" which heralds the propagation of light may eventually explain some types of precognition.[7]
Feinberg's concept of a tachyon, a theoretical particle that travels faster than the speed of light has been advocated by some parapsychologists who claim that it could explain some psychic phenomena such as psychokinesis.[8] Feinberg also suggested that telepathy may exist due to as of yet undiscovered elementary particles which he called 'psychons' or 'mindons'.[9][10]
[edit] Books
- Cosmological Constants (with co-editor Jeremy Bernstein, 1986). ISBN 9780231063760
- Solid Clues: Quantum Physics, Molecular Biology, and the Future of Science, Simon & Schuster, 1985. ISBN 0434262005
- Life Beyond Earth: The Intelligent Earthling's Guide to Extraterrestrial Life (with Robert Shapiro), Morrow, 1980. ISBN 068808642X
- What is the world made of? : Atoms, leptons, quarks, and other tantalizing particles, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1977. ISBN 0385076940 & ISBN 0385076932
- Consequences of Growth: The Prospects for a Limitless Future, Seabury Press, New York, 1977. ISBN 081649326X Review
- The Prometheus Project, Mankind's Search for Long-Range Goals, Anchor Books, 1969. ISBN 0385036132
[edit] Papers
- G. Feinberg, Shaughan Lavine, D.Z. Albert (1992). "Knowledge of the Past and Future". Journal of Philosophy 89: 607–642. doi:10.2307/2940898.
- G. Feinberg, D.Z. Albert, S. Lavine (1989). "Two types of prediction in Newtonian and quantum mechanics". Physics Letters A 138: 454–458. Bibcode 1989PhLA..138..454F. doi:10.1016/0375-9601(89)90743-3.
- G. Feinberg (1967). "Possibility of Faster-Than-Light Particles". Physical Review 159: 1089–1105. Bibcode 1967PhRv..159.1089F. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.159.1089.
- G. Feinberg (1966). "Physics and Life Prolongation". Physics Today 19 (11): 45. doi:10.1063/1.3047814.
- G. Feinberg (1966). "Physics and the Thales Problem". Journal of Philosophy 63 (1): 5–16. doi:10.2307/2024523.
[edit] References
- ^ The Prometheus Project, Doubleday, 1969, biographical notes
- ^ G. Feinberg (1967). "Possibility of Faster-Than-Light Particles". Physical Review 159: 1089–1105. Bibcode 1967PhRv..159.1089F. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.159.1089.
- ^ M. Schwartz (1992). Nobel Lectures. World Scientific. p. 469.
- ^ G. Feinberg (1966). "Physics and Life Prolongation". Physics Today 19 (11): 45. doi:10.1063/1.3047814.
- ^ D. Shafer (1990). "Feinberg Anxious for Policy Discussions". Foresight Update 9: 1. http://www.foresight.org/Updates/Update09/Update09.1.html#anchor1358298.
- ^ John Beloff The relentless question: relections on the paranormalMcFarland, 1990, p, 51
- ^ Stanley Krippner Advances in Parapsychological Research: Psychokinesis 1977, p. 11
- ^ Marc Seifer, Stanley Krippner Transcending the Speed of Light 2008, p. 52
- ^ Andrew Tomas On the shores of endless worlds: the search for cosmic life 1974, p. 65
- ^ J. S. Zaveri Theory of atom in the Jaina philosophy critical study of the Jaina theory of paramanu pudgala in light of modern scientific theory 1975, p. 123
