Victor J. Stenger
Victor J. Stenger | |
|---|---|
Victor J. Stenger in 2011 | |
| Born | January 29, 1935 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 2014 (aged 79) 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 Energy K+d Scattering and the I=0 KN Interaction (1963) |
| Doctoral advisor | Harold K. Ticho |
Victor John Stenger (/ˈstɛŋɡər/; January 29, 1935 – August 25, 2014) was an American particle physicist, philosopher, author, and religious skeptic.
Following a career as a research scientist in the field of particle physics, Stenger was associated with New Atheism and he authored popular science books. He published twelve books for general audiences on physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology, philosophy, religion, atheism, and pseudoscience, including the 2007 best-seller God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist. His final book was God and the Multiverse: Humanity's Expanding View of the Cosmos (2014). He was a regular featured science columnist for the Huffington Post.
An advocate for removing the influence of religion from scientific research, commercial activity, and the political process, Stenger coined the quote: "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings" (a reference to the September 11 attacks).