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Steven Hawking strikes again

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  • Steven Hawking strikes again

    Well this is the latest ,and maybe he is correct , his new book is soon to be onsale ;)



    Reuters Michael Holden

    *


    God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.


    In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

    "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

    "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

    Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity.

    Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

    His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.

    He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."

    In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.

    "That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.

    Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesiser, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralysed.

    He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons."

    Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.

  • #2
    One of the greatest minds of our time. I admire him greatly. Perhaps if we used more resources to explore the universe instead of building churches, mosques and golf courses, imagine where we could go.

    Once again, the masses are stupid.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by 7thsfsniper View Post
      One of the greatest minds of our time. I admire him greatly. Perhaps if we used more resources to explore the universe instead of building churches, mosques and golf courses, imagine where we could go.

      Once again, the masses are stupid.

      Hmmm maybe they are Eric n maybe they need something to believe in to distract their minds from the crap that surrounds most of us , me i reckon he,s right , and i agree with your exploration statement .
      Last edited by tankie; 02 Sep 10,, 20:12.

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      • #4
        I agree that Hawking is one of the greatest scientists of our time. His work in astrophysics is impressive, and his attempts to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity are admirable. I also beleive that like the rest of us, he has his own areas of specialization, where he is an expert and genious, and other areas where he isn't. I don't beleive he is an expert on the subject of God, or even religon.

        I agree that this world would be a better place if we spent more on exploration, invention, and discovery and less on conflicts and trivial pursuits. Men like Steven Hawking should be supported and encouraged more than entertainers, bankers and politicians.
        sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
        If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

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        • #5
          Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
          by the wise as false,
          and by the Rulers as useful;)

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          • #6
            Originally posted by dave lukins View Post
            Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
            by the wise as false,
            and by the Rulers as useful;)
            Quite profound Mr. Lukins......quite! Never heard it put that way, but bet I'll remember it.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by dave lukins View Post
              Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
              by the wise as false,
              and by the Rulers as useful;)
              Very well said . . . . .
              "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

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              • #8
                Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
                I don't beleive he is an expert on the subject of God, or even religon.
                As long as you know what God is claimed to have done, and you are an expert on what God is claimed to have done, then you are an expert on that subject of God.

                The quote :
                Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
                by the wise as false

                Is more than just a fancy saying, it is backed by evidence.

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                • #9
                  Im rather puzzled by his statement

                  "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

                  Not that any religion has any convincing ideas, but i was hoping he might offer a theory on where the laws of physics came from and how cells knew/were programmed to evolve.

                  the multi-verse theory is about as convincing as mormonism.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Marko View Post
                    Im rather puzzled by his statement

                    "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

                    Not that any religion has any convincing ideas, but i was hoping he might offer a theory on where the laws of physics came from and how cells knew/were programmed to evolve.

                    the multi-verse theory is about as convincing as mormonism.
                    All you need is enough time and space, and time and space can emerge out of nothing at all, so there you go.

                    All that said, being an expert in physics does not make one an expert in ethics, and I always shy away from the elevation of any one man, be it George Washington, George Patton, or Steven Jay Gould, or Stephen Hawking. All great and visionary men... within their fields of expertise.

                    -dale

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by dalem View Post
                      All you need is enough time and space, and time and space can emerge out of nothing at all, so there you go.

                      All that said, being an expert in physics does not make one an expert in ethics, and I always shy away from the elevation of any one man, be it George Washington, George Patton, or Steven Jay Gould, or Stephen Hawking. All great and visionary men... within their fields of expertise.

                      -dale
                      umm im with you up to a point... given enough time and space then the improbable becomes almost certain, but the idea of the laws of physics coming into existence where never 'improbable' - because the laws of probability didn't exist!

                      As For morality... i think evolution can explain that.

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                      • #12
                        And his basis is still based on conjecture and theories with no physical proof or hard evidence. Know what that sounds like? Religion of physics.

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                        • #13
                          agreed. Physics has some seriously unscientific boundaries! Ever hear of the 'slit experiment'?

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                          • #14
                            "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.
                            OK, but who or what dictated these fundamental laws? Maybe god appears to us as these laws.

                            People tend to think of "god" as this old man sitting in the heavens, or immortal beings with great powers beyond our understanding. Maybe god is the universe itself.

                            Whenever someone asks me if I believe in god, I always ask "what do you mean? can you tell me what god is first?"

                            Another interesting thing about this forum, the members are overwhelmingly conservative, yet are not religious at all.
                            "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                              OK, but who or what dictated these fundamental laws? Maybe god appears to us as these laws.

                              People tend to think of "god" as this old man sitting in the heavens, or immortal beings with great powers beyond our understanding. Maybe god is the universe itself.

                              Whenever someone asks me if I believe in god, I always ask "what do you mean? can you tell me what god is first?".
                              For 'God' I read 'A force we don't understand'. Thats why his statement doesnt make sense to me.

                              Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                              Another interesting thing about this forum, the members are overwhelmingly conservative, yet are not religious at all.
                              Very true. No social conservatives here.

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