Help Stop SOPA

SOPA

Politics

Science

  • How Diamond-Rich Magmas Rise from Earth’s Depths | Kimberlite Magmas Make Rapid Rise | Earth’s Mantle, Earth’s Insides, How Magmas Rise | LiveScience
  • How a Diamond Is Like a Champagne Cork | Wired Science | Wired.com
  • Stephen Hawking M theory makes God unnecessary original quote – YouTube

    God did not create the universe, the man who is arguably Britain’s most famous living scientist says in a forthcoming book.In the new work, The Grand Design, Professor Stephen Hawking argues that the Big Bang, rather than occurring following the intervention of a divine being, was inevitable due to the law of gravity.In his 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking had seemed to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe. But in the new text, co-written with American physicist Leonard Mlodinow, he said new theories showed a creator is “not necessary”.

    The Grand Design, an extract of which appears in the Times today, sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton’s belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have been created out of chaos.

    “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” he writes. “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.”

    In the forthcoming book, published on 9 September, Hawking says that M-theory, a form of string theory, will achieve this goal: “M-theory is the unified theory Einstein was hoping to find,” he theorises.

    “The fact that we human beings — who are ourselves mere collections of fundamental particles of nature — have been able to come this close to an understanding of the laws governing us and our universe is a great triumph.”

    Hawking says the first blow to Newton’s belief that the universe could not have arisen from chaos was the observation in 1992 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,” he writes.

    Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe. Writing in his bestseller A Brief History Of Time in 1988, he said: “If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God.”

    Hawking resigned as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University last year after 30 years in the position.

Religion

  • The Maddow Blog – Fumbling in the internet darknessTwitter
  • Twitter / @zefrank: if you are confused re: at …
  • 30 Renowned Writers Speaking About God – YouTube
    1. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Science Fiction Writer
    2. Nadine Gordimer, Nobel Laureate in Literature
    3. Professor Isaac Asimov, Author and Biochemist
    4. Arthur Miller, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright
    5. Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate in Literature
    6. Gore Vidal, Award-Winning Novelist and Political Activist
    7. Douglas Adams, Best-Selling Science Fiction Writer
    8. Professor Germaine Greer, Writer and Feminist
    9. Iain Banks, Best-Selling Fiction Writer
    10. José Saramago, Nobel Laureate in Literature
    11. Sir Terry Pratchett, NYT Best-Selling Novelist
    12. Ken Follett, NYT Best-Selling Author
    13. Ian McEwan, Man Booker Prize-Winning Novelist
    14. Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate (1999-2009)
    15. Professor Martin Amis, Award-Winning Novelist
    16. Michel Houellebecq, Goncourt Prize-Winning French Novelist
    17. Philip Roth, Man Booker Prize-Winning Novelist
    18. Margaret Atwood, Booker Prize-Winning Author and Poet
    19. Sir Salman Rushdie, Booker Prize-Winning Novelist
    20. Norman MacCaig, Renowned Scottish Poet
    21. Phillip Pullman, Best-Selling British Author
    22. Dr Matt Ridley, Award-Winning Science Writer
    23. Harold Pinter, Nobel Laureate in Literature
    24. Howard Brenton, Award-Winning English Playwright
    25. Tariq Ali, Award-Winning Writer and Filmmaker
    26. Theodore Dalrymple, English Writer and Psychiatrist
    27. Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-Winning Novelist
    28. Redmond O’Hanlon FRSL, British Writer and Scholar
    29. Diana Athill, Award-Winning Author and Literary Editor
    30. Christopher Hitchens, Best-Selling Author, Award-Winning Columnist

Woo & Science Denial

Share This