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Michael H. Hart

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Michael H. Hart
Born (1932-04-27) April 27, 1932 (age 92)
New York City, U.S.
Alma mater
Known for

Michael H. Hart (born April 27, 1932) is an American astrophysicist, author and white nationalist. Since 1978, he has published five books, most notably of the best-selling work, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.

Fermi paradox

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Hart published in 1975 a detailed examination of the Fermi paradox:[1] the contrast between the extreme likelihood of extraterrestrial life somewhere in the universe and the total absence of any evidence for this. Hart's work has since become a theoretical reference point for much of the research into what is now sometimes known as the Fermi-Hart paradox.[2] Concerning Hart's contributions to the study of the paradox, Geoffrey A. Landis writes: "A more proper name for [the paradox] would be the Fermi-Hart paradox, since while Fermi is credited with first asking the question, Hart was the first to do a rigorous analysis showing that the problem is not trivial, and also the first to publish his results".[3] Robert H. Gray views Hart as the proper originator of this argument, in Hart's 1975 paper. Gray argues that the term Fermi paradox is a misnomer; that it is not the work of Fermi, nor is it an actual paradox (rather an argument). [4] He therefore proposes that, instead of the (standard, but in his view incorrect) name Fermi paradox, it should be known as the Hart-Tipler argument – acknowledging Hart's priority as the argument's originator, but also acknowledging Frank J. Tipler's substantial extension of Hart's arguments in his 1980 paper Extraterrestrial intelligent beings do not exist. [5]

Hart is an advocate of the Rare Earth hypothesis; he proposed a very narrow habitable zone based on climate studies. He advocated for this hypothesis in the influential book which he co-edited, "Extraterrestrials: Where are They",[6] in particular in the chapter he contributed to it "Atmospheric Evolution, the Drake Equation and DNA: Sparse Life in an Infinite Universe".[6]: 215–225 

The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History

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Main article: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History

Hart's first book was The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (1978), which has sold more than thousand copies and been translated into many languages. The first person on Hart's list was Muhammad, chosen over Jesus or Moses.[7] Hart attributes this to the fact that Muhammad was "supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms. He also accredits Muhammad for his role in the development of Islam, far more influential than Jesus' contribution to the development of Christianity. Hart claims that Paul the Apostle was more pivotal than Jesus to the growth of Christianity.[citation needed]

White nationalism

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Hart has described himself as a white separatist and is active in white separatist causes.[8] In 1996, he addressed a conference organized by Jared Taylor's white separatist organization, New Century Foundation, publisher of American Renaissance. He proposed partitioning the United States into four states: a white state, a black state, a Hispanic state, and an integrated mixed-race state.[8]

At the 2006 American Renaissance conference, Hart, who is Jewish, had a public confrontation with David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and former Louisiana state representative, over Duke's antisemitic remarks. Hart then stood up, called Duke a Nazi and stormed out and some participants jeered at Hart.[9][10][11] After this incident, Hart left American Renaissance.[9]

In 2009, Hart organized a racist conference in Baltimore with the title Preserving Western Civilization. It was billed as addressing the need to defend "America's Judeo-Christian heritage and European identity."[12] Invited speakers included: Lawrence Auster, Peter Brimelow, Steven Farron, Julia Gorin, Lino A. Graglia, Henry C. Harpending, Roger D. McGrath, Pat Richardson, J. Philippe Rushton, Srdja Trifković, and Brenda Walker.[13] In this conference, Hart compared Qur'an to Mein Kampf and Islam to Nazism.[9]

Books

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References

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  1. ^ Hart, Michael H. (1975). "An Explanation for the Absence of Extraterrestrials on Earth". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 16: 128–135. Bibcode:1975QJRAS..16..128H.
  2. ^ Wesson, Paul (1990). "Cosmology, extraterrestrial intelligence, and a resolution of the Fermi-Hart paradox". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 31: 161–170. Bibcode:1990QJRAS..31..161W.
  3. ^ Landis, Geoffrey A. (1998). "The Fermi Paradox: An Approach Based on Percolation Theory". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 51 (5): 163–166. Bibcode:1998JBIS...51..163L. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  4. ^ Gray, Robert H. (2015). "The Fermi paradox is neither Fermi's nor a paradox". Astrobiology. 15 (3): 195–199. arXiv:1605.09187. Bibcode:2015AsBio..15..195G. doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1247. ISSN 1531-1074. PMID 25719510. S2CID 8753391.
  5. ^ Tipler, F.J. (September 1980). "Extraterrestrial intelligent beings do not exist". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 21: 267–281. Bibcode:1980QJRAS..21..267T.
  6. ^ a b Extraterrestrials: Where are They? 2nd ed., Eds. Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart (Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1995)
  7. ^ Alphonse Dougan, "Understanding Prophet Muhammad Beyond the Stereotypes", The Fountain, Issue 46 (April–June 2004).
  8. ^ a b Interview with Michael H. Hart by Russell K. Neili, April 14, 2000. Swain, Carol M.; Nieli, Russell K. (24 March 2003). Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism in America. Cambridge University Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-521-81673-1 – via Google Books. I (like other white separatists) resent being called a white supremacist.
  9. ^ a b c "Californians for Population Stabilization Board Chair Ben Zuckerman Co-Edited Book with White Nationalist". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2017-04-19.
  10. ^ Beirich, Heidi; Potok, Mark (2006). "Irreconcilable Differences". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18.
  11. ^ Tilove, Jonathan (2006-03-03). "White Nationalist Conference Ponders Whether Jews and Nazis Can Get Along". The Forward. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  12. ^ "Statement of Purpose". Preserving Western Civilization. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Conference 2009". Preserving Western Civilization. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
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