Stephen Hawking Nails It

[reverendjeremiah]

..and? Hawkings area of study is physics, which pretty much covers most of everything...

..or did you know that?

Thank you... for saying this..

Im still wondering why I even had to mention it. I thought it was common knowledge that when a world renowned physicist spoke, you were supposed to listen.

[Angrboda]

Hawking may indeed be an unprecedented light to physics, but cognitive science, philosophy and neurology are outside his domain. I may agree with his point of view but that doesn't mean I condone using him as a theological hammer. Many here would likely be the first to object if a theistic scientist, say Paul Davies, started spinning scientific wool around his chosen theology. If a scientist wants to wax poetic I have no great beef other than that we keep in mind that waxing poetic isn't their bailiwick.

That being said, it brings up a point I have wondered about. It may be several hundred years in the future, but I think the smart money is on us eventually proving that the mind is nothing more than a machine -- a highly evolved, incredibly sophisticated machine, but a machine nonetheless. Unfortunately for theists, they've created their god in man's image: creating, designing, caring, awareness -- all these are signature traits of an intelligent mind. If God is just a 'big man' then proving that we are nothing more than machines relegates God to nothing more than a clockwork orange, just like we are.

End of an era. Dim the lights.

(Some in the theist community may already be outpacing such concerns, such as Paul Tillich and his "God as the ground of being" [an argument likened to a smothering bear hug]. I don't know of any other theist with as elusive or indefatigable an idea as his, but I haven't had time to examine either Swinburne or Plantinga for corollary developments, and I'm ignorant of anyone else in the field worth looking at.)

[Arcturus]

Religion just got owned by a cripple (no offence to hawking, who I'm a fan of).

[Napoléon]

Religion just got owned by a cripple (no offence to hawking, who I'm a fan of).

Is this supposed to be contributing in some way?

[Darwinian]

I think this gives a snapshot of the general religiosity of the part of the country that I live in..

I was listening to our local radio station this afternoon and the general topic was do you agree with Stephen Hawkins statement that there is no afterlife which then turned into a general, is there a god, discussion. While I was listening at least 40 different people must have phoned in to have their say, not to mention all the texts and emails and out of all of them I could have counted the number of people who disagreed and were pro religion with the fingers of one hand.

Even though I know that we are a pretty secular country, this surprised even me

[Doubting Thomas]

I have a feeling that there are a lot more atheists out there than we are given credit for. Many probably have to stay closeted due to fear of problems with family or friends. If you were to go around asking people in person if they are an atheist, chances are they'll say no. But if you look at a lot of comments on the internet, it seems like most people are anti-religion. I'm sure this probably includes theists who just don't like organized religion, but the number of people who ridicule religious beliefs are staggering. It's funny how behind the anonymity of a computer screen they tend to tell their true feelings, but in person they think they have to toe the religious line.

[Kayenneh]

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Let the whining from the holier-than-thou commence!

Already underway. Just read the comments below the article.

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Hawking, if anyone, could be a religious nutcase considering his disease (ALS). Most patients with this diagnosis die within 3 years, he just keeps on kicking. Hallelujah, anyone? No, he's still rational and benefiting mankind. Kudos to him!

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Well, if God did intervene, I'd thank him for keeping a mind like his around for as long as he's been here.

A better miracle would have been to heal him completely. ...and wipe ALS and other debilitating diseases out of existence. Let everyone die of sudden strokes and heart attacks. I'm fine with mortality. It's the slow, agonizing death over years or decades that I'm afraid of.

I wouldn't call it a miracle, just because less than 10% of patients with ALS survive after 6 years of receiving the diagnosis, It's rare, but not unheard of. But I agree that it is one hell of a slow killing disease. I should know, I have taken care of some patients with it.

[Violet]

So Hawking is an atheist... why does anyone care?

[Anomalocaris]

For the reason of rhetorically countering Christian claims of validation for their religion based on some historically notable scientists having theoretically been Christians.

[Minimalist]

Orthodox Christians have the habit of claiming all great men, all men who have held important positions, men of reputation, men of wealth. As soon as the funeral is over clergymen begin to relate imaginary conversations with the deceased, and in a very little while the great man is changed to a Christian -- possibly to a saint.
-- Robert Green Ingersol