Stephen Hawking says afterlife is a fairy story

[Vi-Jay 218]

Stephen Hawking says afterlife is a fairy story

By Liz Goodwin

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently explained his belief that there is no God and that humans should therefore seek to live the most valuable lives they can while on Earth.

Guardian writer Ian Sample asked Hawking if he feared death in a story published yesterday. This was his response:

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. 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.

Hawking's 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies, and in it Hawking referenced God metaphorically as the force that could fully explain the creation of the universe.

But in 2010, Hawking told Diane Sawyer that "science will win" in a battle with religion "because it works."

"What could define God [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."

Hawking's latest book, "The Grand Design," challenged Isaac Newton's theory that the solar system could not have been created without God. "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. It is not necessary to invoke God to ... set the Universe going," he writes.

Hawking was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 21. He lost his power of speech and for decades has talked through an electronic speech synthesizer. The device has allowed him to continue his research and attain a top Cambridge research post, which was previously held by Newton. His most famous theory explains how black holes emit radiation, according to The Guardian.

So if everyone is destined to power-down like computers at the end of their lives, what should humans do to lend meaning to their experience?

"We should seek the greatest value of our action," Hawking told the paper.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Even with variables everything moves in the direction of death.

I cannot fathom the universe came from nothing.

I sometimes wonder if prior to the bang, our universe spilled in from a black hole.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently explained his belief that there is no God and that humans should therefore seek to live the most valuable lives they can while on Earth.

If their is no god, no afterlife, no retribution, then why worry about little things like morality. After all, it's like your parents left the house full of liquor, you found dad's porn collection and credit cards, and mom's cache of prescription drugs, and they ain't coming back until after you leave town for good with the hot and horny twins next door driving their parents' Cadillac. Woohoo! Party!

[웃 910]

Afterlife: OMG, you ARE real...Wow. That is so cool!!!!!! I was wrong....I have many questions to ask of you oh Father...Why didn't....>AHAHAHAHSHHSDHAHAHA.....FUCCCCCKKKKKK......SH!!!!TTT...>AHHAHAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.....My body feels like it is on fire.....AHHHHHHHH...>STOP YOU EVIL ****....AHHHHH

^^^Ya, right

[ready4ONE 5,400]

You don't need a God to have morality be an important factor in life.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Oh boy, another God vs No God thread. Intelligence on parade that can't end well. Calling it early: IBTL!!

Edited May 18, 2011 by Boing!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You don't need a God to have morality be an important factor in life.

Word.

[Vi-Jay 218]

Even with a God there is plenty of immorality running rampant worldwide.

What would things be like if mankind had not created God and religion?

[Vi-Jay 218]

Afterlife: OMG, you ARE real...Wow. That is so cool!!!!!! I was wrong....I have many questions to ask of you oh Father...Why didn't....>AHAHAHAHSHHSDHAHAHA.....FUCCCCCKKKKKK......SH!!!!TTT...>AHHAHAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.....My body feels like it is on fire.....AHHHHHHHH...>STOP YOU EVIL ****....AHHHHH

^^^Ya, right

I knew LI would be one of the first to show up and add a post.

When I read the article I pondered what you might say.

I did not expect that.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

You don't need a God to have morality be an important factor in life.

Do you believe in higher beings than humans?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Word.

Commies don't need God, they have gulags and extermination squads.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Commies don't need God, they have gulags and extermination squads.

Is that you, Joe?

[Peikko 1,575]

Stephen Hawking says afterlife is a fairy story

By Liz Goodwin

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently explained his belief that there is no God and that humans should therefore seek to live the most valuable lives they can while on Earth.

Guardian writer Ian Sample asked Hawking if he feared death in a story published yesterday. This was his response:

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. 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.

Hawking's 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies, and in it Hawking referenced God metaphorically as the force that could fully explain the creation of the universe.

But in 2010, Hawking told Diane Sawyer that "science will win" in a battle with religion "because it works."

"What could define God [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."

Hawking's latest book, "The Grand Design," challenged Isaac Newton's theory that the solar system could not have been created without God. "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. It is not necessary to invoke God to ... set the Universe going," he writes.

Hawking was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 21. He lost his power of speech and for decades has talked through an electronic speech synthesizer. The device has allowed him to continue his research and attain a top Cambridge research post, which was previously held by Newton. His most famous theory explains how black holes emit radiation, according to The Guardian.

So if everyone is destined to power-down like computers at the end of their lives, what should humans do to lend meaning to their experience?

"We should seek the greatest value of our action," Hawking told the paper.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Even with variables everything moves in the direction of death.

I cannot fathom the universe came from nothing.

I sometimes wonder if prior to the bang, our universe spilled in from a black hole.

The things Hawking says about life and death ring pretty true to me.

As time is not linear (despite the human view of time viewed through the notion of clocks and calenders), there's not necessarily a ''before' the universe to worry about.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Do you believe in higher beings than humans?

Whales I believe in, sure!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Stephen is a fairy.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Stephen is a fairy.

Huge disrespect for the man who is capable of proving Einstein's "everything" theory. Waddya bet ya think "String Theory" is about a new style of bikini. Thanks, but no!