Stephen Hawking: "There is no Heaven"

[Sandman]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...e-is-no-heaven

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

Stephen Hawking dismisses belief in God in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Photograph: Solar & Heliospheric Observatory/Discovery Channel
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.

The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research.

The physicist's remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos.

In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a "theory of everything" – a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote.

The book sold a reported 9 million copies and propelled the physicist to instant stardom. His fame has led to guest roles in The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Dwarf. One of his greatest achievements in physics is a theory that describes how black holes emit radiation.

In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasised the need to fulfil our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives. In answer to a question on how we should live, he said, simply: "We should seek the greatest value of our action."

In answering another, he wrote of the beauty of science, such as the exquisite double helix of DNA in biology, or the fundamental equations of physics.

Hawking responded to questions posed by the Guardian and a reader in advance of a lecture tomorrow at the Google Zeitgeist meeting in London, in which he will address the question: "Why are we here?"

In the talk, he will argue that tiny quantum fluctuations in the very early universe became the seeds from which galaxies, stars, and ultimately human life emerged. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said.

Hawking suggests that with modern space-based instruments, such as the European Space Agency's Planck mission, it may be possible to spot ancient fingerprints in the light left over from the earliest moments of the universe and work out how our own place in space came to be.

His talk will focus on M-theory, a broad mathematical framework that encompasses string theory, which is regarded by many physicists as the best hope yet of developing a theory of everything.

M-theory demands a universe with 11 dimensions, including a dimension of time and the three familiar spatial dimensions. The rest are curled up too small for us to see.

Evidence in support of M-theory might also come from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva.

One possibility predicted by M-theory is supersymmetry, an idea that says fundamental particles have heavy – and as yet undiscovered – twins, with curious names such as selectrons and squarks.

Confirmation of supersymmetry would be a shot in the arm for M-theory and help physicists explain how each force at work in the universe arose from one super-force at the dawn of time.

Another potential discovery at the LHC, that of the elusive Higgs boson, which is thought to give mass to elementary particles, might be less welcome to Hawking, who has a long-standing bet that the long-sought entity will never be found at the laboratory.

Hawking will join other speakers at the London event, including the chancellor, George Osborne, and the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Science, truth and beauty: Hawking's answers

What is the value in knowing "Why are we here?"

The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract. We need to use the effective theory of Darwinian natural selection of those societies most likely to survive. We assign them higher value.

You've said there is no reason to invoke God to light the blue touchpaper. Is our existence all down to luck?

Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.

So here we are. What should we do?

We should seek the greatest value of our action.

You had a health scare and spent time in hospital in 2009. What, if anything, do you fear about death?

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.

What are the things you find most beautiful in science?

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology, and the fundamental equations of physics."

[cliffhanger33]

This is a perfect Theory of Knowledge topic .

[Slifer]

[SkinnyPupp]

My first thought was "well fucking DUH" but he puts it so eloquently and succinctly. When the smartest man in the world speaks, more people need to listen.
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[cliffhanger33]

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology, and the fundamental equations of physics.

Well okay. Talking about sciences etc. and making a claim of religion is such a sensitive and debatable topic that will never stop being argued.
But in my opinion, Science does not address the faith that humans hold that there are even governing principles in our world and that it is not just our mere stubbornness to find patterns that we think is right. Faith does play a huge role in this area of knowledge. Just like in math. Axioms for example are statements that are known to be true but can never be proved eg. right angles are always 90 degrees or parallel lines will run infinitely without ever touching. How do we know this? So we have faith that this is right. Then this falls into religion too, where people have faith that there is a God and that there is a heaven.

[dinamix]

There's are reason why he's gimped
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[blagh]

Originally Posted by cliffhanger33

Axioms for example are statements that are known to be true but can never be proved eg. right angles are always 90 degrees or parallel lines will run infinitely without ever touching. How do we know this? So we have faith that this is right. Then this falls into religion too, where people have faith that there is a God and that there is a heaven.

lol u dumb

[dinamix]

Originally Posted by cliffhanger33

Well okay. Talking about sciences etc. and making a claim of religion is such a sensitive and debatable topic that will never stop being argued.
But in my opinion, Science does not address the faith that humans hold that there are even governing principles in our world and that it is not just our mere stubbornness to find patterns that we think is right. Faith does play a huge role in this area of knowledge. Just like in math. Axioms for example are statements that are known to be true but can never be proved eg. right angles are always 90 degrees or parallel lines will run infinitely without ever touching. How do we know this? So we have faith that this is right. Then this falls into religion too, where people have faith that there is a God and that there is a heaven.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQP1-IivpcWujld_OANluHTLnxgt3ZV8B_v1E5-eTwrHcJRVBaZqw[/IMg]
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[Culverin]

Originally Posted by cliffhanger33

Well okay. Talking about sciences etc. and making a claim of religion is such a sensitive and debatable topic that will never stop being argued.
But in my opinion, Science does not address the faith that humans hold that there are even governing principles in our world and that it is not just our mere stubbornness to find patterns that we think is right. Faith does play a huge role in this area of knowledge. Just like in math. Axioms for example are statements that are known to be true but can never be proved eg. right angles are always 90 degrees or parallel lines will run infinitely without ever touching. How do we know this? So we have faith that this is right. Then this falls into religion too, where people have faith that there is a God and that there is a heaven.

I don't have a college degree and I even I know that 90 degrees and parallel lines statement you made is ridiculous.

I'm a Christian, please don't make people with faith look dumb.

[cliffhanger33]

Originally Posted by Culverin

I don't have a college degree and I even I know that 90 degrees and parallel lines statement you made is ridiculous.

I'm a Christian, please don't make people with faith look dumb.

Noo, that's the point everyone knows right angle is 90 degrees, but do you know why that's true? Coz it just is. Theres no known proof for it so we all rely on faith, regardless of how much people say that faith is not legitimate way of knowing. Hell, im supporting faith here and im Christian too

[SkinnyPupp]

If that's the best argument you can make, religion won't last more than just a few generations from now. Once the old ignorant "faithful" people die off, we can finally progress as a species. And maybe things will be more peaceful too

[EmperorIS]

Religion was just there to teach us morals and how to behave
the way i see it
humans weren't smart enough or had the technology to understand much back then
like a little kid learning right or wrong .. you wouldn't lay some scientific complicated facts on him .. the kid won't understand .. we have story books that ends with a moral teaching to teach kids right or wrong ... and how the world works

now that the human race is getting older and more mature ... we need to ditch these religious beliefs and start thinking on our own

[cliffhanger33]

^ Yes. Sorry. I guess I was too frank. I was just trying to point out that "faith" might in some way help us gain knowledge too. It's not solely reason and observations that science is focused on.

[observer]

I'm not sure if anyone here is familiar with Confucius teaching. Morality need not come from religion per se.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by cliffhanger33

^ Yes. Sorry. I guess I was too frank. I was just trying to point out that "faith" might in some way help us gain knowledge too. It's not solely reason and observations that science is focused on.

Having faith blindly in some "fact" does nothing to further knowledge. If we simply had "faith" that all animals were just made the way they are, and that is that, we never would have discovered evolution for instance. And how far behind would we be now if we didn't accept that new fact?

All faith does is control the way people think. Very few people actually benefit from it.

[LiquidTurbo]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

If that's the best argument you can make, religion won't last more than just a few generations from now. Once the old ignorant "faithful" people die off, we can finally progress as a species. And maybe things will be more peaceful too

You forgot about the growth of Islam.

[LiquidTurbo]

Is Stephen Hawking going to tell us that there is no Santa Claus next?

[Bouncing Bettys]

No Silicon Heaven? Where would all the calculators go?

YouTube

[TheNewGirl]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

If that's the best argument you can make, religion won't last more than just a few generations from now. Once the old ignorant "faithful" people die off, we can finally progress as a species. And maybe things will be more peaceful too

It's kinda funny, my friends and I were talking about how wonderful it would be if the Rapture did happen so we could get rid of all the zealots (ideally of all faiths) and stop fighting wars that are at least justified as being about god and have to face the reality that they're not. If we could stop having people blow up abortion clinics. Stop having people protest gay rights.

[boogabooga]

Religion causes more human war and misery than any other manmade cause.

[Jsunu]

Originally Posted by boogabooga

Religion causes more human war and misery than any other manmade cause.

How about resources? Or race related genocide? or Class struggles?

Religion does play a large part in human suffering, but they are not the sole cause of it. It's funny when people say that if we got rid of religion wars will end. I a pretty sure people will find ideological differences, removed from religion, to start wars with.

[SkinnyPupp]

Resources will come up as problems, yes

Race related genocide? Thank religion.

Class struggles? Religion.

[97ITR]

Originally Posted by TheNewGirl

It's kinda funny, my friends and I were talking about how wonderful it would be if the Rapture did happen so we could get rid of all the zealots (ideally of all faiths) and stop fighting wars that are at least justified as being about god and have to face the reality that they're not. If we could stop having people blow up abortion clinics. Stop having people protest gay rights.

You do realize that it's not just religious folks that have these extreme opinions, right? Ridding this world of religion would not stop the fact that a subset of people have a deep emotional attachment to a cause that drives them to irrational and sometimes destructive behavior.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by 97ITR

You do realize that it's not just religious folks that have these extreme opinions, right? Ridding this world of religion would not stop the fact that a subset of people have a deep emotional attachment to a cause that drives them to irrational and sometimes destructive behavior.

Yes but once we get rid of the religious fanatics, PETA, Greenpeace, and vegans shouldn't be too hard to get rid of

[97ITR]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

Resources will come up as problems, yes

Race related genocide? Thank religion.

Class struggles? Religion.

Merely making blanket statements with no support adds nothing to the discussion.

Can you explain how the Rwandan Genocide resulted from religious differences?

Can you explain how the apartheid resulted from religious differences?