Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

[RoadRunner79]

I think that the rhetoric is the part that is blowing smoke. That Prof. Hawking was an atheist is an interesting anecdote.  But much like the philosophers, it begs the question of why.  If he doesn’t have some reason or evidence, but it is just opinion; then the question is why is it relevant.  Now it seems that people are shying away, appearing  to indicate that he may not have given it much thought. Which if it’s just an opinion, and a poorly formed one at that; does’nt help it much in the relevance factor.

Hawking studied the cosmos to a depth that you will likely never study anything in your life. He never managed to find any evidence for your gawd. Because of that, you want to denigrate one of the worlds foremost cosmologists because he didn't live up to your standards of philosophy?
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I think that you are mistaken.  I'm not trying to denigrate the man for any reason, let alone for his belief concerning God (although I do disagree with him).  I was responding to others comments.   The fact that he was very talented in theoretical physics doesn't mean anything in these other areas.  Likewise not seeing him has some great philosopher to be heralded for hist metaphysical stances, doesn't take away from anything else. 

News flash, he wasn't a philosopher even if he waxed philosophical at times.

I agree.   And this was mostly all that I was saying.
As I mentioned previously I have a lot of respect for Stephen Hawking,  probably more so, for his character, then his knowledge.