The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery

By: Guillermo Gonzalez, Jay Richards

Narrated by: Todd Barsness

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Is Earth merely an insignificant speck in a vast and meaningless universe? On the contrary: The Privileged Planet shows that this cherished assumption of materialism is dead wrong. In this provocative book, Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards present a staggering array of evidence that exposes the hollowness of this modern dogma. They demonstrate that our planet is exquisitely fit not only to support life, but also to give us the best view of the universe, as if Earth were designed both for life and for scientific discovery. Readers are taken on a scientific odyssey from a history of tectonic plates, to the wonders of water and solar eclipses, to our location in the Milky Way, to the laws that govern the universe, and to the beginning of cosmic time. The Privileged Planet contains astounding findings that should lead any individual to reevaluate and even to reconsider our very purpose on what so many have dismissed as nothing more than an accident of cosmic evolution.

©2004 Guillermo Gonzales and Jay W. Richards (P)2011 Regnery Publishing

Bible proof of privileged planet

It is unbelievable that the Bible actually confirms this particular book at Ecc. chapter 11 versus three it speaks of how God put it into man's mind and heart to search the universe to find out everything that he had made and he will never get to The end of it. It gives the explanation as being that is why God made man to live forever to try to find out everything that he had created

Important to all people on this planet!

It's unclear how such great thought is so rare in the scientific field. This is a paradigm shifting and perception changing book. It's amazing how it makes a big difference what we think before we think, and the assumptions we may have that we are not even aware that we have. This book helps bring to light some of the most important aspects of how we see our universe and existence. Worth a second read, it perks my interest in who I am and how to interpret the things around me, in a way that opens my eyes and mind, and will see the world in a better and larger way.

Well said!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book the authors presented their arguments in a clear concise manner and while I am inclined to believe their arguments because that's what I would like to believe anyway they seem to be very objective. This book made me want to explore math and the sciences more than I ever have before.

Marvelous evidence meets wonky narrator

The content of this book, though decades old, is a real tour de force. You can't listen to it without coming to the conclusion that our planet is close to unique in the universe and that life requires precarious foundations. Everything is well researched and presented.

What to say about the narrator? He's got a wonderfully intelligible voice, a smooth and consistent delivery, and I can understand every word he says. His narration seems to have no edits and no breaks in continuity. In that he's marvelous. On the flip side, it destroys the illusion when he clearly doesn't understand what he's reading. Today as I listened he kept talking about "eddies" in relationship to extra terrestrial civilizations. I kept wondering about these eddies until I figured out he meant "E.T.s". So I guess he's never heard of E.T.s. Two days ago as I was listening, he misread "causal" as "casual" at least six times in five sentences. I can cut him slack for not knowing how to pronounce Brahe (as in Tyco), but you'd think everybody has heard his name pronounced, too.

So, I guess my thinking is that the book is good enough you should really listen and the narration is tolerable if you're more tolerant than I am.

Amazing

Does an amazing, if not over detailed, job of explaining how special earth really is. I wouldn't call this light listening but it's well worth purchasing.

Is intelligent design the same as creationism? No, is the answer given. Is earth the product of an undirected process such as natural selection acting on random variations or the product of an intelligent cause?

I purchased the video after listening to the book, stunning and elaborate.

Outstanding book on a great topic

I really enjoyed this book. A great scientific expedition from the earth through the universe. It connects so many scientific disciplines into a coherent story. There were a few mispronunciations, but that’s understandable… Highly recommended.

Planet

A good study i enjoyed from the start to finish. I will plan on reading more on this subject

Book Designed for Discovery - You Are Special

First, look no further for thorough research, scientific support, quality editing and logical construction. This is a thinkers guide to the galaxy, blending science, rational observations, and reason with history, philosophy and a comparative analysis of competing world views and scientific theories.

Foremost, this book supports our natural instinct to ask “why” and find meaning in our place and existence in this world. This world is governed by two Faiths. One is faith in the works of a Creator-Designer. Other is faith in Humanities rationalizations about the happenstance and circumstance of our existence.

This book exposes the depth and breadth and scope of “faith” proselytized and evangelized by God-skeptics whose allegiance is to human egocentrism. This book solidifies the ground upon which the scientifically literate, curious, rational, and open-minded are free to choose pursuit of a Faith that yields the most meaningful, eternal, hopeful, personal and human life-affirming outcome.

Thoroughly informative

Lay person here: This was full of scientific info that as best as I can imagine, presented in a way for most average lay persons can understand. It takes commitment to want to know what they have to say. I found it insightful and it challenged me to try to learn/ understand more of what they presented.

Very Interesting

I quite enjoyed this book and found the arguments compelling. Of particular note were the appendices where the authors exposed their positions to objection and falsifiability, then proceeded to address current objections.