Victor J. Stenger
Victor J. Stenger in 2011
Born	January 29, 1935[1] Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	August 25, 2014(2014-08-25) (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 EnergyK+d Scattering and theI=0KN Interaction (1963)
Doctoral advisor	Harold K. Ticho

Victor John Stenger (/ˈstɛŋɡər/; January 29, 1935 – August 25, 2014) was an Americanparticle physicist,philosopher, author, andreligious skeptic.

Following a career as aresearch scientist in the field of particle physics, Stenger was associated withNew Atheism and he authoredpopular science books.^[3] He published twelve books for general audiences onphysics,quantum mechanics,cosmology,philosophy,religion,atheism, andpseudoscience, including the 2007 best-sellerGod: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist. His final book wasGod and the Multiverse: Humanity's Expanding View of the Cosmos (2014). He was a regular featured science columnist for theHuffington Post.^[4]

An advocate for removing the influence of religion from scientific research, commercial activity, and the political process,^[5] Stenger coined thequote: "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings" (a reference to theSeptember 11 attacks).^[6]

Victor J. Stenger was born on January 29, 1935, and raised in a working-class neighborhood ofBayonne, New Jersey. His father was aLithuanian immigrant, and his mother was the daughter ofHungarian immigrants.^[7][8] He died on August 25, 2014, at the age of 79.^[2]

Stenger attended public schools in Bayonne, New Jersey, and received aBachelor of Science inelectrical engineering from Newark College of Engineering (now theNew Jersey Institute of Technology). He then moved toLos Angeles on aHughes Aircraft Company fellowship, earning aMaster of Science andPhD in physics fromUCLA.^[9]

He was a member of the Department of Physics at theUniversity of Hawaii until his 2000 retirement.^[1] He held visiting positions on the faculties of theUniversity of Heidelberg in Germany andOxford University (twice) and was a visiting researcher atRutherford Appleton Laboratory^[10] inEngland, theNational Nuclear Physics Laboratory inFrascati,Italy, and theUniversity of Florence in Italy.^[11] He served as anadjunct professor of philosophy at theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder.^[1][12]

Stenger's first peer-reviewed work was published in 1964, and his research career continued until his retirement in 2000. His research involved work that determined properties ofgluons,quarks,strange particles, andneutrinos.^[9][12] Stenger focused onneutrino astronomy and very high-energygamma rays.^[1][12]

Stenger was an advocate ofphilosophical naturalism,skepticism, andatheism, and wrote several books and papers about therelationship between science and religion. He was a prominent critic ofintelligent design and the aggressive use of theanthropic principle. He maintained that ifconsciousness andfree will do exist, they will eventually be explained in a scientific manner that invokes neither themystical nor thesupernatural.^[3] He criticized those who invoke theperplexities ofquantum mechanics in support of theparanormal,mysticism, orsupernatural phenomena, writing several books and articles todebunk contemporarypseudoscience.^[13]

Stenger took part in the 2008 "Origins Conference" hosted by theSkeptics Society at theCalifornia Institute of Technology^[12] and debatedHugh Ross on the topic of whether science supports belief inexistence of God.^[14]

In 1992,Uri Geller sued Stenger andPrometheus Books for $4 million, claimingdefamation for questioning his "psychic powers." The suit was dismissed and Geller was ordered to paycourt costs.^[15]

Astronomer Luke Barnes argued in a 2012 paper that many of Stenger's claims about fine-tuning were problematic and that his arguments were fallacious.^[16] Stenger responded that Barnes misunderstood and misrepresented his positions.^[17]

• President, 1990–1994, Hawaiian Humanists
• Member of Editorial Board,Free Inquiry
• Member ofSociety of Humanist Philosophers
• Fellow of theCommittee for Skeptical Inquiry^[18]
• Fellow of theCenter for Inquiry
• President, 2002–2006, Colorado Citizens for Science

• Not by Design: The Origin of the Universe, Prometheus Books, 1988, p. 202,ISBN 978-0-87975-451-8, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• Physics and Psychics: The Search for a World Beyond the Senses, Prometheus Books, 1990, p. 323,ISBN 978-0-87975-575-1, archived fromthe original on 2014-10-19, retrieved2014-07-18
• The Unconscious Quantum: Metaphysics in Modern Physics and Cosmology, Prometheus Books, 1995, pp. 322,ISBN 978-1-57392-022-3, retrieved2014-08-09
• Timeless Reality: Symmetry, Simplicity, and Multiple Universes, Prometheus Books, 2000, p. 396,ISBN 978-1-57392-859-5, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• Has Science Found God? The Latest Results in the Search for Purpose in the Universe, Prometheus Books, 2003, p. 373,ISBN 978-1-59102-018-9, archived fromthe original on 2014-10-19, retrieved2014-08-09
• The Comprehensible Cosmos: Where Do the Laws of Physics Come From?, Prometheus Books, 2006, pp. 340,ISBN 978-1-59102-424-8, retrieved2014-07-18
• God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist, Prometheus Books, 2007, p. 287,ISBN 978-1-59102-481-1, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness, Prometheus Books, 2009, p. 292,ISBN 978-1-59102-713-3, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason, Prometheus Books, 2009, p. 282,ISBN 978-1-59102-751-5, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning: Why the Universe Is Not Designed for Us, Prometheus Books, 2011, p. 345,ISBN 978-1-61614-443-2, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion, Prometheus Books, 2012, p. 408,ISBN 978-1-61614-599-6, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• God and the Atom, Prometheus Books, 2013, p. 300,ISBN 978-1-61614-753-2, archived fromthe original on 2014-08-12, retrieved2014-07-18
• God and the Multiverse, Prometheus Books, 2014, p. 447,ISBN 978-1-61614-970-3

• Stenger, Victor; Slater, W. E.; Stork, D. H.; Ticho, H. K. (June 1964), "K−N Interaction in the I=0 State at Low Energies",Physical Review,134 (B1111):B1111–B1123,Bibcode:1964PhRv..134.1111S,doi:10.1103/PhysRev.134.B1111
• Stenger, Victor (15 September 1984), "The Production of Very High Energy Photons and Neutrinos from Cosmic Proton Sources",The Astrophysical Journal,284:810–816,Bibcode:1984ApJ...284..810S,doi:10.1086/162463
• Stenger, Victor (3 October 1985), "Photinos from Cosmic Sources",Nature,317 (6036):411–413,Bibcode:1985Natur.317..411S,doi:10.1038/317411a0,S2CID 4312378
• Stenger, Victor (March–April 1986), "The Extraterrestrial Flux Sensitivity of Underground and Undersea Muon Detectors",Il Nuovo Cimento C,9 (2):479–487,Bibcode:1986NCimC...9..479S,doi:10.1007/BF02514866,S2CID 120549196
• Stenger, Victor (July 1990), "The Universe: the ultimate free lunch",European Journal of Physics,11 (4):236–243,Bibcode:1990EJPh...11..236S,doi:10.1088/0143-0807/11/4/008,S2CID 250784194
• Stenger, Victor (1999),"Bioenergetic Fields",The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine,3 (1), archived fromthe original on 2016-03-03
• Stenger, Victor (2000),"Natural Explanations for the Anthropic Coincidences"(PDF),Philo,3 (2):50–67,doi:10.5840/philo20003216, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2014-04-11, retrieved2014-07-18

• Stenger, Victor (May–June 1993),"The Myth of Quantum Consciousness"(PDF),The Humanist, vol. 53, pp. 13–15, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2011-06-06
• Stenger, Victor (1996),"New Age Physics: Has Science Found the Path to the Ultimate?"(PDF),Free Inquiry, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 7–11, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2015-09-24, retrieved2014-10-31
• Stenger, Victor (1996), "Cosmythology: Was the Universe Designed to Produce Us?",Skeptic, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 36–40
• Stenger, Victor (1996), "Quantum Metaphysics", in Brown, Laurence; Farr, Bernard; Hoffmann, Joseph (eds.),Modern Spiritualities: An Inquiry, Prometheus Books, pp. 243–253
• Stenger, Victor (1998),"Has Science Found God?",Free Inquiry, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 56–58, archived fromthe original on 2010-07-06, retrieved2010-11-03
• Stenger, Victor (1999), "The Anthropic Coincidences: A Natural Explanation",Skeptical Intelligencer, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 2–17
• Stenger, Victor (July–August 1999),"Anthropic Design: Does the Cosmos Show Evidence of Purpose?",Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 40–63, archived fromthe original on 2005-12-05
• Ramey, David; Stenger, Victor (1999), "Energy Medicine",Consumer's Guide to Alternative Therapies in the Horse, Howell Book House, pp. 55–66,ISBN 978-1582450629
• Stenger, Victor (2000), "The Pseudophysics of Therapeutic Touch", in Scheiber, Béla; Selby, Carla (eds.),Therapeutic Touch, Prometheus Books, pp. 302–311,ISBN 978-1-57392-804-5
• Stenger, Victor (2000),Intelligent Design: The New Stealth Creationism(PDF), archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2012-08-31, retrieved2015-11-12
• Stenger, Victor (2001), "Humanity in Time and Space",Free Inquiry, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 42–69
• Stenger, Victor (2001),"Time's Arrows Point Both Ways: The View From Nowhen"(PDF),Skeptic, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 90–95, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2012-06-23, retrieved2013-08-01
• Stenger, Victor (September–October 2001),"The God of Falling Bodies",Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 46–49, archived fromthe original on 2017-07-13, retrieved2010-11-03
• Stenger, Victor (2001), "The Breath of God: Identifying Spiritual Force", in Kurtz, Paul (ed.),Skeptical Odysseys, Prometheus Books, pp. 363–374,ISBN 978-1-57392-884-7
• Stenger, Victor (2003), "Anthropic Design: Does the Cosmos Show Evidence of Purpose?", in Kurtz, Paul (ed.),Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?, Prometheus Books, pp. 47–49,ISBN 978-1-59102-064-6
• Stenger, Victor (2003), "The Premise Keepers",Free Inquiry, vol. 23, no. 3
• Stenger, Victor (2004), "Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Us?", in Young, Matt;Edis, Taner (eds.),Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism, Rutgers University Press, pp. 172–184,ISBN 978-0813538723
• Stenger, Victor (2005),"Flew's Flawed Science",Free Inquiry, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 17–18, archived fromthe original on 2006-05-02, retrieved2010-11-04
• Stenger, Victor (2006), "The Scientific Case Against a God Who Created the Universe", in Martin, Michael; Monnier, Ricki (eds.),The Improbability of God, Prometheus Books,ISBN 978-1-59102-381-4
• Stenger, Victor (2006),"Do Our Values Come from God? The Evidence Says No"(PDF),Free Inquiry, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 42–45, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2014-02-25, retrieved2013-07-29
• Stenger, Victor (2006),"A Scenario for a Natural Origin of Our Universe"(PDF),Philo, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 93–102,arXiv:0710.3137, retrieved2024-06-11
• Stenger, Victor (2007), "Clock Time", in Darity, William (ed.),International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition, Macmillan Reference USA,ISBN 978-0028661179
• Stenger, Victor (2007), "Reality", in Darity, William (ed.),International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition, Macmillan Reference USA,ISBN 978-0028661179
• Stenger, Victor (2008), "Physics, Cosmology, and the New Creationism", in Petto, Andrew; Godfrey, Laurie (eds.),Scientists Confront Creationism: Intelligent Design and Beyond, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,ISBN 978-0-393-33073-1
• Stenger, Victor (March 2008),"Is the Brain a Quantum Device?",Skeptical Briefs, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 9, 13
• Stenger, Victor (2008), "Where Can God Act? The New Quantum Theology",Free Inquiry, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 1–36
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Time, Arrow of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Time, Asymmetry of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Time, Operational Definition of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Universe, Origin of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Planck time", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Time, Symmetry of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2009), "Time, Units of", in Birx, H. James (ed.),Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, SAGE Publications, Inc,ISBN 978-1412941648
• Stenger, Victor (2012), "Free Will and Autonomous Will",Skeptic, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 15–19

From 1998 to 2011 Stenger wrote for the column "Reality Check," inSkeptical Briefs, the quarterly newsletter of theCommittee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).^[19]

Since August 2010, he was also a regularly featured science columnist for theHuffington Post.^[4][20]

Stenger has been included inCSI's Pantheon of Skeptics. The Pantheon of Skeptics was created by CSI to remember the legacy of deceased fellows of CSI and their contributions to the cause ofscientific skepticism.^[21]

Wikiquote has quotations related toVictor J. Stenger.

• "Stenger's complete CV"(PDF). University of Colorado. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 16 April 2015.
• Reviews of Stenger's books.
• Audio of interview with Stenger on the podcast/radio show "Freethought" by theFreedom From Religion Foundation.

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