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STEPHEN HAWKING, THE physicist who has helped us understand many of the mysteries of the universe, turns 70 today.
It is another milestone in the life of a man who will be remembered for generations to come as one of the important thinkers of our time.
Diagnosed with motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also know as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, when he was just 21 years old, he was not expected to live very long.
But live he did, and with gusto, going on to discover (in 1974) that black holes emit thermal radiation due to quantum effects, which was a huge scientific discovery, and then writing the best-selling book A Brief History of Time in 1988.
Today, though mostly paralysed and unable to speak, he uses a computerised voice simulator to communicate, and writes and lectures consistently.
In 2007, he took a zero-gravity flight, becoming the first quadriplegic to do so – and said that he took part because he wanted to encourage public interest in space.
Hawking has never let his physical limitations prevent him for pursuing his passions, and in an interview with the New York Times spoke about how his diagnosis has taught him not to pity himself.
His advice to other disabled people was to “concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as physically”.
Currently the Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he continues to inspire and educate people around the world through his work.
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The man is a legend and an inspiration.
He’s a great scientist. But even he admits he doesn’t know why the universe exists.
Here’s my question for atheist scientists like Dr Steven Hawking: if the human body was developed by NASA, every scientist in the world would call it “an absolutely brilliant masterpiece of bio-engineering”. Only the most ignorant fool would argue that point. All of our best efforts to duplicate even a small part of the human body fall far short. Yet some of the same scientists say “there’s no evidence of intelligent design”. How can both be true?
It’s clear that, like everyone else in the world, you believe what you want to about life and God, but not because science proves or supports your atheistic beliefs in any way. Intelligent life doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, no matter how much you want to believe that. There’s plenty of science behind that simple truth. Every known law of physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology refutes the “no-God” version of the origin of life, as virtually impossible. It remains a total mystery, as Dr. Hawking admits.
Pure genius this man is.
Says a lot bout women that this man can solve the mysteries of the universe and of black holes and still can’t figure out women. Ha.
He was married twice. !!! I think ur confusing him with Shelton from big bang theory .
He hasn’t solved the mysteries of the universe. He has made best guess theoretical analysis. If he still wants to know why the universe is here, tell him to call me and I’ll explain.
Definately one of my “people you would most like to meet”!
To think that Obama got the Nobel Prize before he was a wet week in the and this man hasn’t. The better hurry up and give him one! I believe he’s unwell at present and it would be a shame to loose such a genius without recognising his talents and contribution fittingly.
Eric can’t understand how 5 people gave the thumbs down on such a great comment you wrote!! On a man who is a genius and an inspiration to us all…Happy Birthday Mr Hawkings!!!
Happy birthday Mr Hawking.
Yes Tony
Would love to meet a genius him.
Most inspiring personality.
Mmmmm black holes and fantastic stellar explosions randomly producing a planet earth or a creator doing it in 7 days. Now which one should I believe??
Don’t forget that he did it in the dark for the first few days! But he probably had help from Chuck Norris and his nightvision!
Well if you believe we are here due to some “random event” that’s fine,I will stick with my Creator.
People can believe in the concept of a God if they like. It means they don’t have to actually think for themselves and for some people that’s a pretty though thing to do.
I think believing in God is the complete opposite to how you describe it, it is people who do not believe who do not have to think for themselves.
I was quite happy to leave it at your creator and my chance but you really shouldnt advertise you’re ignorance of curiosity and basic reasoning with statements like that… There’s more than one book in a library
People who don’t believe in a god mostly come from families where their parents do or did, so they’ve had to think for themselves in order to make up their own minds rather than simply believing what they were told as children without question. It’s hilarious that you can think atheists don’t have independence of thought -you, a person who answers all the big questions of “how?”, “why?” and the rest has the same simplistic answer: god, no further thought required, only faith and a series of books of uncertain origin translated and mistranslated hundreds of times with no way to verify anything in them. Yeah, I suppose double thinking counts as extra thought #1984
So Christopher and Paul what book in the library should I read that will tell me how we got here?
Oaklane1 there you go again, waiting to be told what to read and what to think
Darwin wrote a good one but if you’re looking for an easier read you could look at some of Dawkins or Hawking himself.
The one thing most of these books should have in common is that they are ready to question everything, and that their authors are ready to question their own beliefs and those of others to eviscerate this crippling stagnation of human endeavour which you call faith, no offence
Paul thanks for the laugh, but definite fail.
At least Christopher tried answer the question. Darwin proves nothing, is there interspecies evolution, of course there is, do Christians question their beliefs, most do all the time, read Mother Teresa’s autobiography.
Was that meant to be tough?
May his output continue to inform and inspire!
True genius in the Leonardo mould…couldn’t help reading the quotes in a robotic voice though!
Respect.
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