Stephen Hawking: Physics Is Enough

BBC Newsnight, 9-3-2010

A discussion on Stephen Hawking's latest work and its implication for God.


God didn't create universe, says Hawking
By Lauren Turner, Press Association
Thursday, 2 September 2010

The universe was not created by God, scientist Stephen Hawking has said in his new book.

Professor Hawking believes the laws of physics were behind the Big Bang instead, in a challenge to traditional religious beliefs.

In The Grand Design, extracts of which were printed in The Times today, Prof Hawking concludes: "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 God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

The book, co-written by American physicist Leonard Mlodinow and published on September 9, sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton's belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have created out of chaos.

He cites the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun.

"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 as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings."

Prof Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe, writing in A Brief History Of Time in 1988: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we should know the mind of God."

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• stephen
• hawking
• atheist
• atheism
• god
• religion
• jesus
• bible
• creation
• creationism
• christianity
• physics
• cosmos
• intelligent
• design
• dawkins

[aidanjt]

God is a kill switch for critical thinking.

[MRobert2l]

@lookatmepleasesir By your definition, "nothing" doesn't exist except as an abstract concept, like a line with "zero" width. Fine, if you want to define it that way, but that doesn't mean the quantum vacuum needs a "god" to get it started, let alone a god invented by Bronze-age Middle Eastern tribsesmen in the image of one of their chieftans. The quantum vacuum is not subject to time in the conventional sense (time flows from it, not the other way around) and therefore cannot be said to begin.

[itzahazylife]

@tigersforchrist

God also commands people to stone their son to death if he's rebellious. The God you talk about is a monster. He wants you to love him, but he wants you to fear him even more. The same as Hitler or other dictators. You're a willing slave to a tyrannical God.

[tigersforchrist]

Only a REAL FOOL would claim there is no God! Man creates awesome skyscrapers, fake hearts, tunnels, vehicles etc.. If we are very imperfect then what more can God create THE UNIVERSE! You must accept Jesus Christ as your Savior to receive eternal rest in heaven! Simple! John 3:16 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him! Repent & accept Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ or HELL?!? Visit cbn. com

[esraretin]

@aidanjt not there are nobel prized physicists who believes in god ,religions etc.

[devindasahan100]

I hope science advances to that point where these kind of guys (no offence) will not even try to come in front of media and try desperately to prove the existence of an almighty God. But I hope that time comes sooner, because the truth that cannot be discovered by science and was discovered by The Buddha will not last forever until the people start believing that an almighty God doesn't exist, the same way they now believe that the earth is spherical.

[devindasahan100]

Universe was not created by god, an almighty god doesn't exist.

[FrozenPetrolPie]

What takes more faith, to trust a known liar, or to trust a man who is known by all for his honesty? Religion has always been wrong and when it was in charge, we suffered the dark ages. While science has given us our modern world. So no, our faith is not the same.

The multiverse is not "just an opinion", its a scientific hypothesis proposed by the sharpest minds on the planet.

[GuyThreepwoody]

@FrozenPetrolPie Both faith,no difference, science is not having to take anyone's word for it right?

Without evidence, the multiverse is just an opinion, which like every opinion, is based on preference, in this case an intellectually fashionable preference for an accidental/ non created universe. The same preference that caused ‘scientists’ to claim a static Universe, and scoff at a creation, until a theist discovered the Big Bang

[FrozenPetrolPie]

At one point the guy said that it takes faith to believe in M-theory. Well, maybe that's true, but that faith is different from religious faith. To believe in a creator of the universe who also at one point was a human and walked on water is one thing, and to trust in science is another. To me the god concept seems to be highly improbable.

I believe in the multiverse, but its not a big part of my worldview. I'm happy to settle for "we don't know jet"

[FNsMadman]

The professor dude forgot to add that we do not believe in Hawkings theory. We just simply accept the fact that we still don't know, but that we have theories, which are strongly held.