Michael H. Hart
| Michael H. Hart | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 27, 1932 New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields |
Astrophysics History |
| Alma mater |
Cornell University (A.B.) New York Law School (LL.B.) Adelphi University (M.S.) Princeton University (Ph.D.) |
| Known for |
The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History Fermi-Hart paradox |
Michael H. Hart (born April 27, 1932) is an American astrophysicist and author, most notably of The 100 A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. He has described himself as a white separatist and is active in white separatist causes.
Hart published in 1975 a detailed examination of the Fermi paradox: 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. 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".Robert H. Gray argues that the term Fermi paradox is a misnomer; he argues that it is not the work of Fermi, nor is it an actual paradox (rather an argument). He views Hart as the proper originator of this argument, in his 1975 paper. Gray 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.
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", in particular in the chapter he contributed to it "Atmospheric Evolution, the Drake Equation and DNA: Sparse Life in an Infinite Universe".
Hart's first book was The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (1978), which has sold more than 500,000 copies and been translated into 15 languages. The first person on Hart's list was Muhammad, chosen over Jesus or Moses. 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 St. Paul was more pivotal than Jesus to the growth of Christianity.
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