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Clint Witchalls, Opinion editor
Michael Hanlon's 10 Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet), now available in paperback, presents serious enquiries into matters such as the nature of time, the sentience of animals, the essence of self and the composition of the universe.
Hanlon is a witty writer who takes esoteric science and makes it both intelligible and entertaining. However, 10 Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet) is an uneven book. I'm not convinced, for example, that one of the great questions vexing the science community is "what are we going to do with the stupid?"
Hanlon wants to know what we're going to do about the "10-15 per cent or so that lie below IQ 85 and above 70". As heavy industry becomes increasingly automated, there are fewer and fewer jobs that require mere brawn. Hanlon, a science editor at the Daily Mail, says that the "well-meaning left" tend to ignore this problem. But, he warns: "This is dangerous, and harmful, mostly to the stupid themselves."
The chapter ends in typical tabloidese: "When is somebody going to do something about it?" an exasperated Hanlon wants to know.
Another odd inclusion, in an otherwise sound book, is a chapter calling for a scientific investigation into the paranormal. If we're prepared to believe in quantum entanglement and dark matter, Hanlon says, is it such a leap to believe in telepathy or ghosts? Well, yes. He feels that "a belief in things like astrology and mysticism is hugely correlated with a highly conservative right-wing outlook on life generally", which goes some way to explaining Hanlon's fascination with the topic.
Book Information:
10 Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet) by Michael Hanlon
Macmillan, £9.99/$15
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