New Book by Prof Kip Thorne on The Science of Interstellar

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the new book "The Science of Interstellar" by Kip Thorne, with participants reflecting on the relationship between the film "Interstellar" and its scientific accuracy, as well as the reception of the film in other forums.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant highlights a photo of John Wheeler teaching about black holes, noting the detail reminiscent of modern presentations.
  • Another participant questions the negative reception of the film in the SciFi forum, suggesting that critiques often lack specific details about the perceived inaccuracies.
  • Some participants argue that expecting a physics lecture from a movie is unreasonable, implying that the film should be appreciated for its entertainment value rather than its scientific precision.
  • There is a discussion about the balance between scientific accuracy and storytelling in films, with some suggesting that a strictly accurate portrayal would result in a documentary rather than a science fiction film.
  • One participant expresses trust in audience reviews over critical opinions that focus solely on scientific inaccuracies.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the film's scientific accuracy and its reception, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about audience expectations and the nature of science fiction versus documentary filmmaking are present but not fully explored.

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I found a new book on The Science of Interstellar by Kip Thorne

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393351378/?tag=pfamazon01-20

What caught my attention was a photo of John Wheeler at the black board teaching about black holes. You could see the incredible detail in each pane of the board almost like PowerPoint slides of today.
 
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Greg Bernhardt said:
Isn't this movie being torn to shreds in the SciFI forum?

No. There were a couple folks trying to sound edgy and cool, on a physics forum, spouting the usual "omg this movie sucks. the physics aren't realistic at all!" yet are apparently incapable of stating what exactly they don't like about it.

As someone in that thread already stated... anyone that goes to see the movie expecting a physics lecture is an idiot and shouldn't be making any claims about the quality of it.
 
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It's the old conundrum where if you want to make a movie with accurate physics it becomes a documentary but if you change things here and there to make the story more exciting then it becomes science fiction. It's either one or the other or worse it's a flop.
 
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jedishrfu said:
It's the old conundrum where if you want to make a movie with accurate physics it becomes a documentary but if you change things here and there to make the story more exciting then it becomes science fiction. It's either one or the other or worse it's a flop.

This is true. And I trust the reviews on IMDB & Rotten Tomatoes way more than some wet blanket that says the movie is garbage just because the physics isn't spot on. It's a MOVIE...
 

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