Hoyle, Fred 1915–2001

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Hoyle, Fred 1915–2001

PERSONAL: Born June 24, 1915, in Bingley, Yorkshire, England; died August 20, 2001, in Bournemouth, England; son of Ben and Mabel (Pickard) Hoyle; married Barbara Clark, December 28, 1939; children: Geoffrey, Elizabeth Jeanne (Mrs. N.J. Butler). Education: Emmanuel College, Cambridge, M.A., 1939.

CAREER: Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, research fellow of St. John's College, 1939–72, honorary fellow, beginning 1973, university lecturer in mathematics, 1945–58, Plumian Professor of Theoretical Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, 1958–73, director of Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, 1966–72. California Institute of Technology, visiting professor of astrophysics, 1953 and 1954, visiting professor of astronomy, 1956, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar, 1974–75; visiting professor of astronomy, then member of staff, Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories in California, 1957–62; Royal Institution, London, England, professor of astronomy, 1969–72; Cornell University, Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large, 1972–78. Honorary research professor, University of Manchester, beginning 1972, and University of Cardiff, beginning 1975; honorary fellow, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 1983. Senior exhibitioner of Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851, 1938; member of science research council, 1967–72. Military service: British Admiralty, wartime research, 1940–45.

MEMBER: Royal Astronomical Society (fellow; president, 1971–73), Royal Society (fellow; vice president, 1970–71), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (honorary member), American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Sciences (foreign associate), Royal Irish Academy (honorary member), Mark Twain Society (honorary member).

AWARDS, HONORS: Smith Prize, 1939; D.Sc. from University of East Anglia, 1967, University of Leeds, 1969, University of Bradford, 1975, and University of Newcastle, 1976; Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society, 1968; Kalinga Prize, 1968; Bruce Medal, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1970; knighted, 1972; Royal Medal, Royal Society, 1974; Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts Award, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1977; Karl Schwarzschild Medal, German Astronomical Society, 1992; Balzan Prize, 1994; Annenberg Award, American Astronomical Society, 1996, for astronomy education; Crafoord Prize, Swedish Academy, 1997; elected honorary fellow of Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Some Recent Researches in Solar Physics, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 1949.

The Nature of the Universe, Harper (New York, NY), 1951, revised edition, 1960.

A Decade of Decision, Heinemann (London, England), 1953, published as Man and Materialism, Harper (New York, NY), 1956.

Frontiers of Astronomy, Heinemann (London, England), 1955, New American Library (New York, NY), 1957.

Astronomy, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1962.

Star Formation, Her Majesty's Statistical Office (London, England), 1963.

Contradiction in the Argument of Malthus, University of Hull (Hull, England), 1963.

Of Men and Galaxies, University of Washington Press (Seattle, WA), 1964.

Encounter with the Future, Trident, 1965.

Galaxies, Nuclei, and Quasars, Harper (New York, NY), 1965.

Man in the Universe, Columbia University Press (New York, NY), 1966.

From Stonehenge to Modern Cosmology, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1972.

Copernicus, Harper (New York, NY), 1973.

The Relation of Physics and Cosmology, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1973.

(With Jayant V. Narlikar) Action-at-a-Distance in Physics and Cosmology, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1973.

Astronomy and Cosmology, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1975.

Highlights in Astronomy, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1975, published as Astronomy Today, Heine-mann (London, England), 1975.

Ten Faces of the Universe, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1977.

Stonehenge: A High Peak of Prehistoric Culture, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1977.

Energy or Extinction?, Heinemann (London, England), 1977, second edition, 1980.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Lifecloud, Harper (New York, NY), 1978.

The Cosmogony of the Solar System, Enslow (Hillsdale, NJ), 1978.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Diseases from Space, Harper (New York, NY), 1979.

(With son, Geoffrey Hoyle) Commonsense in Nuclear Energy, Heinemann (London, England), 1979, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1980.

(With Jayant V. Narlikar) The Physics-Astronomy Frontier, W.H. Freeman (New York, NY), 1980.

Steady-State Cosmology Re-Visited, Longwood (Dover, NH), 1980.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Space Travellers: The Bringers of Life, Cardiff University Press (Cardiff, Wales), 198l.

The Quasar Controversy Resolved, Longwood (Dover, NH), 198l.

Facts and Dogmas in Cosmology and Elsewhere, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 1982.

Ice, New English Library (London, England), 1982.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Evolution from Space and Other Papers on the Origin of Life, Enslow (Hillsdale, NJ), 1982, revised as Evolution from Space: A Theory of Cosmic Creationism, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1984.

The Intelligent Universe: A New View of Creation and Evolution, Holt (New York, NY), 1983.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) From Grains to Bacteria, Longwood (Dover, NH), 1984.

(Editor, with Chandra Wickramasinghe) Fundamental Studies and the Future of Science, Cardiff University Press (Cardiff, Wales), 1984.

Living Comets, Longwood (Dover, NH), 1985.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe and John Watkins) Viruses from Space, Cardiff University Press (Cardiff, Wales), 1986.

The Small World of Fred Hoyle (autobiography), M. Joseph (London, England), 1986.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Archaeopteryx, the Primordial Bird: A Case of Fossil Forgery, Long-wood (Dover, NH), 1987.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) The Theory of Cosmic Grains, Kluwer Academic Publishers (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 1991.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Our Place in the Cosmos, J.M. Dent (London, England), 1993.

Home Is Where the Wind Blows (autobiography), University Science Books (Mill Valley, CA), 1994.

(With Jayant V. Narlikar) Lectures on Cosmology and Action at a Distance Electrodynamics, World Scientific (River Edge, NJ), 1996.

(With Chandra Wickramasinghe) Life on Mars?: The Case for a Cosmic Heritage, Clinical Press, 1997.

(Editor, with Chandra Wickramasinghe) Astronomical Origins of Life: Steps toward Panspermia, Kluwer Academic Publishers (Boston, MA), 1999.

Mathematics of Evolution, Acorn Enterprises, 1999.

(With G. Burbridge and Jayant V. Narlikar) A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe through the Big Bang toward Reality, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Author of pamphlets, including (with Chandra Wickramasinghe) The Origin of Life, 1980, Why Neo-Darwinism Does Not Work, 1982, and Evolution from Space, 1982, all published by Cardiff University Press (Cardiff, Wales). Contributor of numerous articles to scientific and professional journals.

SCIENCE FICTION

The Black Cloud, Harper (New York, NY), 1957.

Ossian's Ride, Harper (New York, NY), 1959.

(With John Elliott) A for Andromeda, Harper (New York, NY), 1962.

(With John Elliott) Andromeda Breakthrough, Harper (New York, NY), 1964.

October the First Is Too Late, Harper (New York, NY), 1966.

Element 79 (short stories), New American Library (New York, NY), 1967.

Comet Halley, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1985.

SCIENCE FICTION; NOVELS; WITH SON, GEOFFREY HOYLE

Fifth Planet, Harper (New York, NY), 1963.

Rockets in Ursa Major, Harper (New York, NY), 1969.

Seven Steps to the Sun, Harper (New York, NY), 1970.

The Molecule Men: Two Short Novels, Harper (New York, NY), 1971.

The Inferno, Harper (New York, NY), 1973.

Into Deepest Space, Harper (New York, NY), 1974.

The Incandescent Ones, Harper (New York, NY), 1977.

The Westminster Disaster, Harper (New York, NY), 1978.

The Energy Pirate, illustrated by Martin Aitchison, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1982.

The Frozen Planet of Azuron, illustrated by Martin Aitchison, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1982.

The Giants of Universal Park, illustrated by Martin Aitchison, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1982.

The Planet of Death, illustrated by Martin Aitchison, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1982.

PLAYS

A Nightmare for Number Ten by James Warboys (three-act), Heinemann (London, England), 1953.

Rockets in Ursa Major (pantomime for children), produced in London, England, 1962.

Author of the opera libretto, The Alchemy of Love.

ADAPTATIONS: A for Andromeda was adapted for television, British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), 1961; Andromeda Breakthrough was adapted for television, BBC, 1963.

SIDELIGHTS: Educator, astronomer, and author Fred Hoyle was internationally renowned for his theories on astronomy, cosmology, and evolution. Hoyle "published a string of books challenging first one and then another of the basic tenets of modern cosmology," explained John Durant in the Times Literary Supplement. In his 1951 book The Nature of the Universe, for example, Hoyle rejects the "Big Bang" theory of the origin of the universe in favor of the "Steady State" theory developed by him and his colleagues at Cambridge University. Ironically, although he never supported the "Big Bang," Hoyle gave it its name in a speech in which he derided the theory. New York Times Magazine correspondent Richard Powers called Hoyle "astronomy's most respected maverick outcast." Similarly, in a Science review of Hoyle's A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe through the Big Bang toward Reality, David W. Hogg and Matias Zaldarriaga noted that the professor did the cosmological community "a great service by developing and defending a serious alternative to Big Bang models of cosmic origins."

Hoyle's fame as a scientist rests upon his work in the field of nucleogenesis: the study of the formation of chemical elements. With a partner, William Fowler, he conducted research that defeated the notion that all the elements were present in the primordial universe. It was when he ventured into the field of cosmology—the study of the origins of the universe—that Hoyle began to differ with the majority of scientific opinion. He proposed that the universe did not begin in a sudden event, but was rather formed through a process of steady-state creation.

Hoyle expounded upon his Steady State and other theories in The Intelligent Universe: A New View of Creation and Evolution, published in 1983. "Writing with the moral indignation of one who believes himself to be up against a conservative and conspiratorial establishment, and who consequently does not expect a fair hearing, Hoyle dismisses one piece of 'orthodox science' after another, replacing each with ingenious alternatives that pop up from page to page like so many rabbits out of a conjurer's hat," observed Durant. In The Intelligent Universe, Hoyle "presents both old and new evidence" for his Steady State theory, according to Science Fiction Review critic Gene Deweese, "and shows how the Big Bang has at least as many shortcomings and problems as the Steady State is supposed to have." Hoyle also advances an argument against nineteenth-century writer Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, claiming that "living organisms are too complex to have been produced by chance," to quote Durant. He suggested, instead, that "we owe our existence to another intelligence which created a structure for life as part of a deliberate plan," John R. Kalafut explained in Best Sell-ers. Kalafut added, "In describing the attributes of an intelligence superior to ourselves, [Hoyle] admits that we may have to use the word forbidden in science, 'God.'" Durant found Hoyle's argument inadequate, however, stating that the chapter on Darwinism reads "more like the feeble meanderings of a latter-day fundamentalist than like the work of a major scientist." Kalafut, on the other hand, maintained that "this part of the book is extremely well done and the case against traditional evolution is argued most persuasively."

Hoyle and coauthor Chandra Wickramasinghe's 1979 book Diseases from Space introduces a similarly controversial theory. The authors hypothesize that viruses and bacteria fall into the atmosphere after being incubated in the interiors of comet heads, and that people become ill by breathing this infected air. They support their theory by stating that the spread of disease is frequently far too rapid to be attributable solely to person-to-person contact. Several reviewers expressed deep skepticism toward such a theory. One such critic, Antioch Review contributor Robert Bieri, wrote: "This is a fascinating, humorous, challenging book, but few biologists will buy the thesis."

In addition to his scientific works, Hoyle also authored over a dozen science-fiction novels, more than half of which were co-written with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle. Several critics have suggested that Hoyle's highly technical and scientific background enhances the credibility and appeal of his novels. For example, Listener reviewer Robert Garioch commented that Seven Steps to the Sun "is a remarkable story, well told, and too credible for comfort…. The science in Seven Steps to the Sun is correct, as a middle-aged reviewer may learn by consulting his 15-year-old son. The main interest, however, is in the anthropology…. It is not at all farfetched."

Hoyle was knighted in 1972 and received numerous prestigious honors for his work, including Sweden's 1997 Crafoord prize—an award akin to the Nobel, but awarded in fields not included in the Nobel balloting. He died at his home in England at the age of eighty-six. Richard Powers concluded of the scientist-writer: "Hoyle's relentlessly speculative, relentlessly human life was itself proof that new ideas are formed in the cracks between older, spreading ones. That process, like Hoyle's steady-state universe, seems indeed to go on without foreseeable end."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Volume 18, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1998.

World of Scientific Discovery, 2nd edition, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1999.

PERIODICALS

Antioch Review, spring, 1981, Robert Bieri, review of Diseases from Space.

Best Sellers, April, 1984, John R. Kalafut, review of The Intelligent Universe: A New View of Creation and Evolution.

Books and Bookmen, December, 1979.

Books of the Times, September, 1980.

British Book News, September, 1986.

Evolution, August, 2000, J. Bruce Walsh, "No Light from the Black Cloud," pp. 1461-1462.

Listener, September 13, 1979, Robert Garioch, review of Seven Steps to the Sun.

Nature, May 22, 1997, David Hughes, "In Retrospect," p. 364; February 10, 2000, John Maynard Smith, review of Mathematics of Evolution, pp. 594-595.

New York Review of Books, October 23, 1980.

New York Times Book Review, April 29, 1984.

New York Times Magazine, December 30, 2001, Richard Powers, "Ba-Da Bang," p. 49.

Observer (London, England), August 10, 1986.

Physics Today, December, 2000, Mario Livio, review of A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe through the Big Bang towards Reality, pp. 71-73.

Quarterly Review of Biology, June, 2001, Brian Char-lesworth, review of Mathematics of Evolution, p. 234.

Science, December 15, 2000, David W. Hogg and Matias Zaldarriaga, review of A Different Approach to Cosmology, p. 2079.

Science Books and Films, March, 1981.

Science Fiction Review, February, 1986, Gene Deweese, review of The Intelligent Universe.

Sky & Telescope, April, 1998, Joshua Roth, review of Life on Mars? The Case for a Cosmic Heritage, pp. 68-69.

Spectator, August 23, 1986.

Sunday Telegraph (London, England), February 13, 2000.

Times Higher Education Supplement, September 22, 2000, Roger Blandford, review of A Different Approach to Cosmology, pp. 24-25.

Times Literary Supplement, February 10, 1978; December 9, 1983; July 13, 2001, Bernard Lovell, "Out of the Quagmire: Hubble, Hoyle, and the Origins of the Expanding Universe," pp. 3-4.