{"id":19790,"date":"2015-04-19T22:19:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T04:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=19790"},"modified":"2015-04-19T22:27:25","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T04:27:25","slug":"the-book-of-mormon-and-the-new-york-times-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/04\/the-book-of-mormon-and-the-new-york-times-book-review.html","title":{"rendered":"The Book of Mormon and the “New York Times Book Review”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Fuld<\/a>
The back\u00a0of Fuld Hall, at Princeton\u2019s Institute for Advanced Study, where Freeman Dyson has spent most of his very distinguished scientific career
(Click to enlarge.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this evening, I posted a striking quotation from the eminent Anglo-American mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson, now in his ninety-third productive year:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/04\/mind-and-intelligence-are-woven-into-the-fabric-of-our-universe.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s something that may surprise you. \u00a0\u00a0The New York Times Book Review<\/em> has just published an interview with Professor Dyson, which is worthy of reading in its entirety:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/19\/books\/review\/19bkr-bythebook_dyson.t.html?_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fun and interesting to learn\u00a0about his preferences in books, including novels.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased to see that he really likes Eric Bell\u2019s Men of Mathematics<\/em>, which almost seduced me\u00a0too<\/em>\u00a0into mathematics as a young man. \u00a0(Fortunately, I soon recognized that my mathematical talents, while okay, weren\u2019t stellar.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m amused to see him recommend\u00a0Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist\u2019s Guide to Global Warming<\/em>, by Bjorn Lomborg.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019s plainly unafraid of controversy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Latter-day Saints will be particularly surprised and delighted \u2014 and their critics likely rather irritated \u2014 by this exchange:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.\u201d I treasure it because some of my best friends are Mormons<\/a>, and the book tells a dramatic story in a fine biblical style. The reader has to wait with growing tension almost until the end of the story to reach the final climax, when Jesus arrives in America and founds his second kingdom here.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

(I\u2019m grateful to my friend Mark Skousen<\/a> for bringing this interview with Freeman Dyson to my notice.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Earlier this evening, I posted a striking quotation from the eminent Anglo-American mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson, now in his ninety-third productive year: \u00a0 http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/04\/mind-and-intelligence-are-woven-into-the-fabric-of-our-universe.html \u00a0 Here\u2019s something that may surprise you. \u00a0\u00a0The New York Times Book Review has just published an interview with Professor Dyson, which is worthy of reading in its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Book of Mormon and the "New York Times Book Review"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Earlier this evening, I posted a striking quotation 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