Stephen Hawking: "afterlife is a fairy tale"
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110516/us_yblog_thelookout/stephen-hawking-says-afterlife-is-a-fairy-story
Article is a couple days old, couldn't post it when I wanted...
What are you thoughts on what he said?
"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. It is not necessary to invoke ? to ... set the Universe going," he writes.
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Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently explained his belief that there is no ? and that humans should therefore seek to live the most valuable lives they can while on Earth.
Guardian writer Ian Sample asked Hawking if he feared death in a story published yesterday. This was his response:
I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.
Hawking's 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies, and in it Hawking referenced ? metaphorically as the force that could fully explain the creation of the universe.
But in 2010, Hawking told Diane Sawyer that "science will win" in a battle with religion "because it works."
"What could define ? [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that ? ," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."
Hawking's latest book, "The Grand Design," challenged Isaac Newton's theory that the solar system could not have been created without ? . "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. It is not necessary to invoke ? to ... set the Universe going," he writes.
Hawking was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 21. He lost his power of speech and for decades has talked through an electronic speech synthesizer. The device has allowed him to continue his research and attain a top Cambridge research post, which was previously held by Newton. His most famous theory explains how black holes emit radiation, according to The Guardian.
So if everyone is destined to power-down like computers at the end of their lives, what should humans do to lend meaning to their experience?
"We should seek the greatest value of our action," Hawking told the paper.
Article is a couple days old, couldn't post it when I wanted...
What are you thoughts on what he said?
"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. It is not necessary to invoke ? to ... set the Universe going," he writes.
??????
Comments
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I agree with him but in some scenarios, it might be a useful fairy tale to promote (ie. if the only way a person can deal with their impending death or the death of a loved one is to believe that they or their loved one will be/are in a better place).
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if my life and body were as ? as Hawkings I would probably doubt a afterlife and Collective Consciousness/? also, But given energy is constantly changing and never destroyed just converted Life energy becoming or going to a different reality is not too far fetched given the inifite dimensions of existance....
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co-sign nething hawkins sais.
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All Hail Gravity!
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I believe his statement is based on the assumption that the potential for the afterlife produces fairytale-like results; that Heaven and Hell is everything that we imagine it to be. What if the afterlife is as ordinary as a day of the week; that when Heaven and Hell happens, it happens not the way movies and misinformed preachers make it out to be?
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CO-SIGN the bolded. everytime dude is referenced i think thisFazeem Blackall wrote: »if my life and body were as ? as Hawkings I would probably doubt a afterlife and Collective Consciousness/? also, But given energy is constantly changing and never destroyed just converted Life energy becoming or going to a different reality is not too far fetched given the inifite dimensions of existance.... -
None of you wishful thinkers have noted the fact that the human mind contains all of our thoughts and dictates our actions. What happens when the cohesion of the mind and the uniquely combined atoms that store our thoughts dissipate or separate after cell death? How can consciousness remain after that? Are you saying that our consciousness is external? Proof? What happens when our bodies biodegrade? The energy remains in what form? Food for worms?
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FuriousOne wrote: »None of you wishful thinkers have noted the fact that the human mind contains all of our thoughts and dictates our actions. What happens when the cohesion of the mind and the uniquely combined atoms that store our thoughts dissipate or separate after cell death? How can consciousness remain after that? Are you saying that our consciousness is external? Proof? What happens when our bodies biodegrade? The energy remains in what form? Food for worms?
LOL good points........I personally hope there is an afterlife, but I wouldn't bet money on it. We'll all find out May 21st!!!! -
FuriousOne wrote: »Are you saying that our consciousness is external? Proof?
You want proof for this when they(science) can't even determine where the mind exists. They've dissected the brain, no mind, just the biological junk. -
Him being the smartest person in the world is a fariy tale!
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110516/us_yblog_thelookout/stephen-hawking-says-afterlife-is-a-fairy-story
Article is a couple days old, couldn't post it when I wanted...
What are you thoughts on what he said?
"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. It is not necessary to invoke ? to ... set the Universe going," he writes.
??????
How can something be created by nothing. A spark of some kind has to happen- who lights the spark?
Also I personally believe that this scientist is a fraud and probably will 'cure' himself in the not too distance future and proclaim himself as a messiah. -
FuriousOne wrote: »None of you wishful thinkers have noted the fact that the human mind contains all of our thoughts and dictates our actions. What happens when the cohesion of the mind and the uniquely combined atoms that store our thoughts dissipate or separate after cell death? How can consciousness remain after that? Are you saying that our consciousness is external? Proof? What happens when our bodies biodegrade? The energy remains in what form? Food for worms?
We dont know the origins of our conscious and you will not find one single neuro scientist that can tell you what 70 + % of our brain is for(I'm guessing with human mind you mean our brain?)...most of the things we can label and know what their function is, is based on years of research and comparing with different species(we know which part of our brain makes it possible for us to see/acknowledge things) We know why our brain has it's shape, but we do not know how we got this conscious, we cannot explain why our brains make it possible for us to discuss the things we are now discussing. I'm saying we cannot say our brain dictates our thoughts and actions when we dont know what its for, the given that we can speak about it as if it is just a computer, like our body is just a machine as if we stand above our body, is food for thought not? There were legit german scientists years ago that claimed energy leaves our body the moment we die.
Hawkings is talking about gravity, but where did gravity come from? Nothing in this universe makes sense, nothing is truelly is logical, you cannot talk about what is 'likely' or 'impossible' when all things come from nothing. You cannot tell me something isnt likely when all of the universe came from something thats microscopic....? 's studying the universe say that there are as many galaxies and planets as there is sand in the sahara.....we cannot travel to these other galaxies......maybe that can only happen when you die? absurd theory indeed, but what the hell.
I saw louis theroux;s second doc he made about the church of jesus christ, so I understand why people want to diss religion and it's followers, but it's kinda whack that they ignore the given that consciousness is something personal, enlightment only comes through individuel study and once you reach such enlightment your conscious becomes/already is obsolete.....and you are ready to die.....some reach it by studying the law of moses, others while taking a ? ....
we will find out eventually -
Fazeem Blackall wrote: »if my life and body were as ? as Hawkings I would probably doubt a afterlife and Collective Consciousness/? also, But given energy is constantly changing and never destroyed just converted Life energy becoming or going to a different reality is not too far fetched given the inifite dimensions of existance....CO-SIGN the bolded. everytime dude is referenced i think this
I doubt that the reason he doesn't believe, his collegeues and peers probably share the same beliefs, and I sure don't think they have any disabilities on the level of Hawking. In fact, I have observed the opposite. I'm willing to bet Christians disables will outnumber atheist ones percentage wise.
Examples: People concluding that their is a reason that they suffer is because it's for their own good and things will get better in heaven.
Third world countries being highly religious.
This person too: -
We dont know the origins of our conscious and you will not find one single neuro scientist that can tell you what 70 + % of our brain is for
source for this claim please -
but where did gravity come from?
well obviously is was a SUPER POWERED MAGICAL PERSONALITY WHO GETS MAD IF YOU EAT A HAM SAMMICH
believers are idiots -
@My_nameaintearl wrote: »well obviously is was a SUPER POWERED MAGICAL PERSONALITY WHO GETS MAD IF YOU EAT A HAM SAMMICH
believers are idiots
OBVIOUSLY
unbelievers are idiots too -
@My_nameaintearl wrote: »source for this claim please
I suggest watching david suzuki's the brain a universe within, its discovery channel ? I know but still... -
"a show on the discovery channel"
c'mon, son -
@My_nameaintearl wrote: »well obviously is was a SUPER POWERED MAGICAL PERSONALITY WHO GETS MAD IF YOU EAT A HAM SAMMICH
believers are idiots
LOL yeah, was pointing out that hawkins logic was just as flawed as the argument of the believers, he said that gravity created something etc which therfor made the entire ? argument of religious bigots obsolete....but what created gravity? isn't gravity by itself something remarkebale and worth studying then? Don't you find it annoying that we cannot answer that question? without asking what created what before that etc and so on. Me questioning hawkins does not mean I believe in some white bearded dude lurking from the clouds lol. -
@My_nameaintearl wrote: »"a show on the discovery channel"
c'mon, son
Don't know if it was actually aired on the discovry channel, it's a 5+ hour documentary that consists of 3 parts. But really, it is no secret that we still dont know what most of our brain is for, don't have to take my word for it though, just read up on it yourself. -
people are still doing this?hawkinslogic was just as flawed as the argument of the believers, he said that gravity created something etc which therfor made the entire ? argument of religious bigots obsolete....but what created gravity?
The obvious reason why Hawking's argument is nothing like a religious person's is that Hawking isn't jumping to a SUPERNATURAL conclusion.
As for why gravity exists at all, Hawking addressed that in at least two of his earlier books. The over-simplified answer is that nothing (empty space, literally nothing) is unstable and subject to quantum fluctuations.
"But then why do quantum fluctuations exist?" Well, obviously, Great Jobu the Glorious was seated in his celestial palace one day and decided that mankind should exist to worship him, so.....
Do you see what I'm saying here? -
there are quite varied beliefs amongst his peers and colleagues. you ? need to quit fronting on here like smart = atheist or scientist = atheist or even that scientist = smart, because thats not allways the case.I doubt that the reason he doesn't believe, his collegeues and peers probably share the same beliefs, and I sure don't think they have any disabilities on the level of Hawking. In fact, I have observed the opposite. I'm willing to bet Christians disables will outnumber atheist ones percentage wise.
Examples: People concluding that their is a reason that they suffer is because it's for their own good and things will get better in heaven.
Third world countries being highly religious.
This person too:
and he denies the whole existence of a creator, not just christianity.
its painfully obvious dude is bitter because he has the postore of a pretzel and has to to talk in a ro-bot- voice.. but cats fancy themselves to be so smart that the common sense answer eludes them every time.
the christian version of afterlife is a fairytale. the afterlife period is a fairy tale. not because there is no creator but because life does not stop for it to be an "after". it just changes form. heaven and hell are relevant to consciousness in one's tenure here on earth. -
there are quite varied beliefs amongst his peers and colleagues. you ? need to quit fronting on here like smart = atheist or scientist = atheist or even that scientist = smart, because thats not allways the case.
and he denies the whole existence of a creator, not just christianity.
its painfully obvious dude is bitter because he has the postore of a pretzel and has to to talk in a ro-bot- voice.. but cats fancy themselves to be so smart that the common sense answer eludes them every time.
the christian version of afterlife is a fairytale. the afterlife period is a fairy tale. not because there is no creator but because life does not stop for it to be an "after". it just changes form. heaven and hell are relevant to consciousness in one's tenure here on earth.[/QUOTE]
drop that knowledge! -
Professional scientists are overwhelmingly atheist. I could look up the numbers if you want. It's especially glaring compared to the general American population.there are quite varied beliefs amongst his peers and colleagues. you ? need to quit fronting on here like smart = atheist or scientist = atheist or even that scientist = smart, because thats not allways the case.its painfully obvious dude is bitter
lmao
first, this is just a ridiculous ad hominem attack that you have to make because you aren't willing to read any of the science
second, he's probably the most decorated scientist alive. he's a champion of academia. he's sold mad books. c'mon, son. -
@My_nameaintearl wrote: »Professional scientists are overwhelmingly atheist. I could look up the numbers if you want. It's especially glaring compared to the general American population.
lmao
first, this is just a ridiculous ad hominem attack that you have to make because you aren't willing to read any of the science
second, he's probably the most decorated scientist alive. he's a champion of academia. he's sold mad books. c'mon, son.
decorated..mmmhmm
sold mad books...mmmhmmm
what has he done to improve the human condition? society? our everyday lives?
don't worry i'll wait....
u wont give a real answer though, because you know and i know the answer is NOTHING.
you will just continue to troll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LFBqvvW-M