Posted on 05/15/2011 7:58:19 PM PDT by Steelfish
Stephen Hawking: 'There Is No Heaven; It's A Fairy Story' In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the cosmologist shares his thoughts on death, M-theory, human purpose and our chance existence
Sunday 15 May 2011
A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said. In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time.
Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with the Guardian today.
The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future.
"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said.
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.
Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an "elementary fallacy" of logic.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
And to think...his profile page says he’s into “honor.” I do not think he knows the meaning of the word.
The echo chamber is in your empty skull.
Cheers!
Show me links.
(Gotta go off to get the oil changed, then to work.)
Cheers!
Cheers!
But I am impressed that he has turned down VC money, and has been given a patent, and allowed researchers at a major University to investigate.
The 'black box' part COULD be due to chicanery, or a sensible precaution.
And the fact the nickel metal becomes corroded and pitted is at least consistent with the transmutation model.
Cheers!
We will find out, one way or the other, by end of 2011 or early 2012. October 2011 is when the 1 MW(thermal) plant is supposed to go into operation. Rossi has a patent on the technology in Italy and is expected to pilot more industrial-sized projects using e-cat. And in the US Ampenergo , a private US company, has signed an agreement with Andrea Rossi’s Leonardo Corporation to commercialize his E-Cat technology in North and South America. Looks like Rossi's going to try to get some industrial-size operations on line once the Greek project demonstrates viability.
The usual way: I applied to grad schools, got accepted, chose the one I wanted, and went and suffered for a long time.
Got out years later with a bunch of meaningless letters after my name, and overqualified/underexperienced for anything in the *real* world.
Cheers!
My condolences to you on the death of your Mother. I was able to just make it back in time for my dad’s death many years ago. I will never forget the sadness and happiness of that day. Just a few hours before he died, he said “I always said, the best day of my life will be the day I die, and get to wear a crown in Heaven!” I replied “That’s true - but it will be a real drag for the rest of us.”
And as much as you may have seen the Spirit of God in your mom, that Spirit is very much alive, and I believe that your co-worker’s gift to you is evidence of that. And a wonderful example of another Gift that is free, and that you did not ask for, but was given to you.
And I’m not one to worry too much about Heaven or Hell in the eternity - perhaps I’m not old enough yet. I’m more concerned with the Heaven or Hell that I choose to live in.
Again my condolences, and may your memories of good times and good thoughts never fade.
Freepmail coming.
Cheers!
Yeah. I should have known better than to respond to the obvious (A-F) troll. Your description fits.
Lots of possibilities why not.
Could be it is going on, but we think it's some kind of dark matter or dark energy.
And/or could be once a universe starts from nothing, any further creation of matter/energy from nothing forms separate universes, which we haven't yet identified.
Could be our universe didn't start from nothing. Could be it just started, and that there's no sense asking where it came from, because there was no time before it started and no sense asking where it came from because that would presuppose there was a time when nothing was there.
Could be he believes miracles only happen to those who believe in miracles.
They don’t believe in them and instead offer explanations like auto-induced and psychobabble theories
(Blast from the past here...)
“While I agree with you... and I very, very much agree... I want to point out one danger of this being the foundation of such an argument. There was once an Arab man who made claims that APPEAR to be coming true (emphasis on appear).”
To the best of my knowledge, Muhammad never prophesied anything like what Jesus did. He did say that “Islam will conquer all other religions”, but that, of course, has not come to pass.
I think that basing an apologetic on Jesus prophetic saying is pretty solid - although your precaution is well taken.
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