God did not create the universe, says Hawking
here it is in case the link gets moved
God did not create the universe, says Hawking
By Michael HoldenThu Sep 2, 9:08 am ET
LONDON (Reuters) – God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.
In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.
"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," Hawking writes.
"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."
Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity.
Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.
His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.
He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."
In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.
"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.
Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralyzed.
He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons."
Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.
"The Grand Design" is due to go on sale next week.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
Comments
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chaos theory
This may come as surprise, coming as it does from me, but based solely on Hawking's comments in the article I do not see a refutation of the existence of a god but only the refutation of the need for the existence of a god to explain creation and existence.
It sounds like a perfectly agnostic (and logical) proposition on the scientist's part.
Take care,
Joe0 -
One theory...
Ironic that my older sister and I were just talking about creation vs evolution earlier today. I have always wondered, does one have to exist without the other? I have been through too much, besides what is happening right now, to not believe in God; however there is too much scientific fact to pass off evolution as bunk. I feel that both are related, and that both are the answer. I have no facts to prove this, it is a gut feeling that I have. I do not feel that one is the absolute truth over the other, but both are a truth that will never be fully proven.0 -
I Find It Interesting
that Mr. Hawking seems to spend an awful lot of time "thinking" about God for someone who keeps saying he doesn't believe in an ultimate "creator". Sure seems like his soul isn't quite at peace with his "human reasoning". Gee...maybe because God himself tells us we are incapable of knowing the ways and thoughts of God?0 -
I don't know his thoughtssal314 said:I Find It Interesting
that Mr. Hawking seems to spend an awful lot of time "thinking" about God for someone who keeps saying he doesn't believe in an ultimate "creator". Sure seems like his soul isn't quite at peace with his "human reasoning". Gee...maybe because God himself tells us we are incapable of knowing the ways and thoughts of God?
but it seems like he spends more time thinking about science. As Joe pointed out, Mr Hawking point seems to be "I do not see a refutation of the existence of a god but only the refutation of the need for the existence of a god to explain creation and existence." After living the life he's lived under his circumstances, I imagine Mr Hawking's soul is A-OK.
People want answers to everything and everything has to fit just so in the world we live in. The idea that some stuff can "just happen" doesn't sit well with many people. That's why I believe religion came about, it explained the how's and why's of the universe in a nice tidy way so people didn't have to bother themselves with it. Just follow the rules and don't ask too many questions. That is until science proved that the earth revolves around the sun instead of the other way around. The church threw Galileo in prison for that thought...0 -
The ChurchPhillieG said:I don't know his thoughts
but it seems like he spends more time thinking about science. As Joe pointed out, Mr Hawking point seems to be "I do not see a refutation of the existence of a god but only the refutation of the need for the existence of a god to explain creation and existence." After living the life he's lived under his circumstances, I imagine Mr Hawking's soul is A-OK.
People want answers to everything and everything has to fit just so in the world we live in. The idea that some stuff can "just happen" doesn't sit well with many people. That's why I believe religion came about, it explained the how's and why's of the universe in a nice tidy way so people didn't have to bother themselves with it. Just follow the rules and don't ask too many questions. That is until science proved that the earth revolves around the sun instead of the other way around. The church threw Galileo in prison for that thought...
The Church also threw a lot of good Christians into prison and killed them, because they refuse to believe the way the church was teaching, one reason it was called the Dark ages.0 -
What if we see God as the
What if we see God as the universe, not some seperate something creating some seperate universe using some seperate from science method?
And if jGod and the universe are one and the same, can we see the universe as intelligent and creative, where what is going to happen in the next moment cannot have been planned because it is going to come out of this moment, rather than out of some plan written at the time of creation or before? Hence no predestination and no free will because 'Thy Will be done'. God has willed whatever in that moment.
How many artists create in the moment(okay based on some loose idea), where their creations are spontaneous and the process seemingly chaotic? I am not saying they are gods and what I am saying is that many of them, myself included feel that when I create in a present or in the present of God, the creation is not mine, it has come through me in a spontaneous and seemingly chaotic way. It makes me wonder just how God does create. We can never know the answers, the Universe is way bigger and deeper and more vast than we could ever imagine.0 -
Hi Babsunknown said:This comment has been removed by the Moderator
I'm not sure that it's "unfair" to talk about what the church did in the Dark Ages. The churches did what they did in order to maintain control over people. Physicians are again using leeches to assist in surgery. I know it's not the same as bleeding was back then. If science changes with the times and what we know about life and the universe, why can't churches do the same? There are so many things going on in the world that we now know as fact. The church(es) seem to be stuck in the dark ages with God. Of course we can all believe whatever we want to believe. I do have a problem with believing that everything was created as stated in the bible but that's my believe.0 -
To recite what RFK said 45mariam_11_09 said:What if we see God as the
What if we see God as the universe, not some seperate something creating some seperate universe using some seperate from science method?
And if jGod and the universe are one and the same, can we see the universe as intelligent and creative, where what is going to happen in the next moment cannot have been planned because it is going to come out of this moment, rather than out of some plan written at the time of creation or before? Hence no predestination and no free will because 'Thy Will be done'. God has willed whatever in that moment.
How many artists create in the moment(okay based on some loose idea), where their creations are spontaneous and the process seemingly chaotic? I am not saying they are gods and what I am saying is that many of them, myself included feel that when I create in a present or in the present of God, the creation is not mine, it has come through me in a spontaneous and seemingly chaotic way. It makes me wonder just how God does create. We can never know the answers, the Universe is way bigger and deeper and more vast than we could ever imagine.
To recite what RFK said 45 years ago, "what if God is Black" and to expand on that, What if God is a Woman.0 -
"I said Jesus, you look tired! and he said, Jesus! So do you!"PhillieG said:Hi Babs
I'm not sure that it's "unfair" to talk about what the church did in the Dark Ages. The churches did what they did in order to maintain control over people. Physicians are again using leeches to assist in surgery. I know it's not the same as bleeding was back then. If science changes with the times and what we know about life and the universe, why can't churches do the same? There are so many things going on in the world that we now know as fact. The church(es) seem to be stuck in the dark ages with God. Of course we can all believe whatever we want to believe. I do have a problem with believing that everything was created as stated in the bible but that's my believe.
One need not return to the Dark Ages to find a litany of evils perpetrated by various religions, even today: from airplanes flown into towers, through the abuse of children, on into the theft of money from gullible parishioners, to acquiescence in the face of genocide.
Take care,
Joe0 -
AlsoHeartofSoul said:To recite what RFK said 45
To recite what RFK said 45 years ago, "what if God is Black" and to expand on that, What if God is a Woman.
What if God is a black lesbian woman!0
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