I saw that, and my first thought was -- "this seems a bit obvious and unnecessary from Stephen Hawking". This was a message I sent to a friend who sent it to me:
Quote:
It's just tabloid media sensationalism, mostly. Most people and scientists who study advanced forms of biology, physics and astronomy already figure this out relatively early on in their studies. What I figure, with this and his extremely dumbed-down-for-TV show earlier this year (Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking), and the fact that he retired as Lucasian math professor at Cambridge last year, is that he's just bored and wants to fuck with everybody during his last years. That's what I'd do.
The article I attached (Hawking: Aliens may pose risks to Earth - Technology & science - Space - msnbc.com) kinda highlights this a bit. I mean, clearly, he's one of the smartest people who have lived in our time, but sensationalist, pointless media-driven statements like this aren't really science -- they're a mixture of scientific hypotheses/theories (very different) and personal opinion. I reckon this kind of press coverage is mostly just to promote his new book, which, what do you know, is linked at the bottom of the article and being released next week! :-D
That's not to say he doesn't have good reason to state this opinion, as I obviously agree with it and have put a lot more study into religion, astronomy and physics than many believers, but it doesn't mean it's scientifically provable there is no god, which is really what's important to me. Mainly so humans can realize that they're not just here to bide their time until the sweet rapture of afterlife, but that they should make the most of it while they are here, rather than wasting their lives in church and fantasy lands. We should be making the world a better place to live for the future, not raping it because we know we're going to get a new, infinite playground when we die.
What is ALSO important, however, is that there has never been ANY scientific proof WHATSOEVER EVER of anything "god" related. Period. Not only that, the evidence is OVERWHELMINGLY in the direction that he very likely does not exist. I mean, just like he says in the article. The universe works fine without him. It's only a matter of time before "God" has no more gaps to hide in. Right now he has the cause of the big bang and the cause of life. Neither of which are even remotely provable by science yet, let alone religion.
That is why I do not believe.
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Bottom line, I doubt too many people (unfortunately) who are super religious is really going to care that Hawking made this statement. I mean, just read the comments of the article. I also don't know too many religious folks who regularly keep up with astronomy, cosmology and physics as is.
EDIT: I know the telegraph isn't technically a tabloid (is it?), but with the short length of this story and the way it was published, it kinda seems like one.