Steven hawking died.....

[Mr Evilwrench]

More like Willy Wonka, Dr. Seuss, Dan Quayle, Sylvester Briddell, Jr., Justin Beaver, etc...

If you want to talk about the greatest scientific mind, it will probably take a long time before John von Neumann is eclipsed. I'm afraid Hawking was famous because of his disease, not because he was the most brilliant scientist. There are many physicists and cosmologists that the public never hears about that are far more important to humanity's progress in understanding the universe than Hawking.

Farraday, Maxwell, Einstein, Schroedinger, Feynman, Gell-Mann....the list goes on and those are only the ones that the press knows about when some scientist mentions them.

Hawking was primarily a science personality for a number of decades.

I would say Hawking was still operating at a very high level in his field. That stuff makes most peoples' eyes glaze over and drool flow from their mouths. It won't play in Peoria...

The left made him a hero for three reasons.....

1. He did not say there was a God
2. disease neutralized his gender threat
3. they think saying his name raises their IQ by 20 points

And this is what made him marketable for "that sort of people". One guy that's managed to lay low is Brian May. He's still contributing original work in astrophysics, though he's known by more for his musical talent.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

He's a guy who was given 2 years to live in the 60's... and he bucked the odds. He had 3 kids... he followed his passion.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with his passion and beliefs is one thing... To narrow down all of his offerings to science/theory to a singular atheist principle I think could be ignorant thinking.
No one on this planet is going to be 100% right all of the time... well except for wives anyways

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I don't know if SH was best, brightest, or smartest but he certainly made theoretical physics interesting to us pedestrians. God have mercy on your soul Steven Hawking.

 

[rhino]

What is amazing to me is that he was diagnosed with ALS at 21 yrs old, only given 2 years to live. He may be the longest survivor of that disease so far. I once read an article about it, and nobody could explain how he'd lived so long.

I've been thinking about that.

If no one else with ALS lived anywhere near that long after diagnosis, is it possible it was a misdiagnosis and that he actually had a different, but very similar condition that has not yet been identified?

 

[T.Lex]

I've been thinking about that.

If no one else with ALS lived anywhere near that long after diagnosis, is it possible it was a misdiagnosis and that he actually had a different, but very similar condition that has not yet been identified?

So, far be it from me to contravene the MSM, but I specifically recall looking into his health situation years ago because we had a friend diagnosed with ALS. I was talking to my wife about the prognosis and how there are outliers that live a long time. Hawking was who came to mind.

Because it was after y2k, I googled it. I found a British article quickly (might've been a BBC bio) that said his condition was VERY similar to ALS, but had a different mechanism. It was not ALS, but was often confused with it. But, people could live longer with it. For my purposes at the time, it didn't help. She pointed out that it was different. I specifically remember the conversation, for that reason.

Of course, now that he's passed, the emphasis in on ALS. But even if you read the (better) articles, they state that ALS is a "cluster" or "group" of conditions that have slight differences. For purposes of eulogizing him, those differences are minimized, even if they help explain why he lived so long.

Now, it is important that he was diagnosed young. That allowed for high-level treatments at an earlier starting point that probably had a positive effect. Our friend was about 50 when he was first diagnosed. That's a big difference.

 

[NHT3]

Life certainly dealt him a bag of lemons where his health was concerned but he refused to consider lemonade as one of his options. Since he never actually experienced a black hole (prior to his death) everything he espoused was theory. Obviously a very intelligent guy but for my money, unfortunately he couldn't see the forest for the trees.


[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public”

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Aron Bright[/FONT]

 

[rhino]

AH-HAH! My pachyderm's intuition serves me well!

So, far be it from me to contravene the MSM, but I specifically recall looking into his health situation years ago because we had a friend diagnosed with ALS. I was talking to my wife about the prognosis and how there are outliers that live a long time. Hawking was who came to mind.

Because it was after y2k, I googled it. I found a British article quickly (might've been a BBC bio) that said his condition was VERY similar to ALS, but had a different mechanism. It was not ALS, but was often confused with it. But, people could live longer with it. For my purposes at the time, it didn't help. She pointed out that it was different. I specifically remember the conversation, for that reason.

Of course, now that he's passed, the emphasis in on ALS. But even if you read the (better) articles, they state that ALS is a "cluster" or "group" of conditions that have slight differences. For purposes of eulogizing him, those differences are minimized, even if they help explain why he lived so long.

Now, it is important that he was diagnosed young. That allowed for high-level treatments at an earlier starting point that probably had a positive effect. Our friend was about 50 when he was first diagnosed. That's a big difference.

 

[Denny347]

Life certainly dealt him a bag of lemons where his health was concerned but he refused to consider lemonade as one of his options. Since he never actually experienced a black hole (prior to his death) everything he espoused was theory. Obviously a very intelligent guy but for my money, unfortunately he couldn't see the forest for the trees.


[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public”

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Aron Bright[/FONT]

noun, plural theories.1.a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regardedas correct, that can be used as principles of explanation andprediction for a class of phenomena:Einstein's theory of relativity.
Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.



Nothing wrong with developing theories. For some reason the term is getting thrown around here with a negative connotation.

 

[Denny347]

I've been thinking about that.

If no one else with ALS lived anywhere near that long after diagnosis, is it possible it was a misdiagnosis and that he actually had a different, but very similar condition that has not yet been identified?

So, far be it from me to contravene the MSM, but I specifically recall looking into his health situation years ago because we had a friend diagnosed with ALS. I was talking to my wife about the prognosis and how there are outliers that live a long time. Hawking was who came to mind.

Because it was after y2k, I googled it. I found a British article quickly (might've been a BBC bio) that said his condition was VERY similar to ALS, but had a different mechanism. It was not ALS, but was often confused with it. But, people could live longer with it. For my purposes at the time, it didn't help. She pointed out that it was different. I specifically remember the conversation, for that reason.

Of course, now that he's passed, the emphasis in on ALS. But even if you read the (better) articles, they state that ALS is a "cluster" or "group" of conditions that have slight differences. For purposes of eulogizing him, those differences are minimized, even if they help explain why he lived so long.

Now, it is important that he was diagnosed young. That allowed for high-level treatments at an earlier starting point that probably had a positive effect. Our friend was about 50 when he was first diagnosed. That's a big difference.

We have a friend (and former co-worker) suffering from ALS like disease. It also is NOT ALS as he developed this as a result of exposure to VX nerve gas in the Corp. The deterioration is slower, he's been symptomatic for almost 10 years now. Sadly, it looks like it's about done running it's course. I guess there are a family of "ALS" like diseases. All equally horrible.

 

[rhino]

noun, plural theories.1.a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regardedas correct, that can be used as principles of explanation andprediction for a class of phenomena:Einstein's theory of relativity.
Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.



Nothing wrong with developing theories. For some reason the term is getting thrown around here with a negative connotation.

In science and engineering, "theory" is actually a pretty strong term. Many theories have significant mathematical and experimental evidence that supports them and none exists to refute it. Relativity is a good example. Very few phenomena that are factual ever get elevated to "law."

In order for a hypothesis to become a theory, it has to be tested extensively by multiple investigators with the preponderance of the evidence supporting the hypothesis.

 

[Denny347]

I've been thinking about that.

If no one else with ALS lived anywhere near that long after diagnosis, is it possible it was a misdiagnosis and that he actually had a different, but very similar condition that has not yet been identified?

In science and engineering, "theory" is actually a pretty strong term. Many theories have significant mathematical and experimental evidence that supports them and none exists to refute it. Relativity is a good example. Very few phenomena that are factual ever get elevated to "law."

In order for a hypothesis to become a theory, it has to be tested extensively by multiple investigators with the preponderance of the evidence supporting the hypothesis.

Oh I know. I was just taking note that people are throwing the term around as if it means little to nothing.

 

[rhino]

Oh I know. I was just taking note that people are throwing the term around as if it means little to nothing.

Ah! Like, "Evolution is just a theory" implying that it's essentially just someone's wildass guess.

 

[BE Mike]

I was sad to hear of his passing. I pity him, although his tenacity for survival was amazing. What contributions did he make that I would think changed my life? I'm not being cruel, I'd really like to know. Not being into physics, I'm clueless.

 

[T.Lex]

I was sad to hear of his passing. I pity him, although his tenacity for survival was amazing. What contributions did he make that I would think changed my life? I'm not being cruel, I'd really like to know. Not being into physics, I'm clueless.

I think this is a fair question. But, best asked in the other direction.

Were you open to his contributions changing your life?

I can't think of anything that he studied that had a direct impact on anything external. The car I drive, the food I eat, etc.

But, his ideas - and the explanation of his ideas - changed how I view the world and the... beautiful complexity of the universe. Although he might not have appreciated this comment, in his work I glimpsed God's majesty and mystery.

In a sense, his work was like art.

 

[Route 45]

I guess it shows who has more class.

Ahem....cough, cough.

...... right now Stephen hawking is finding out if he was right or wrong. I don't think he will like the answer.

 

[Alpo]

He set the boundary conditions for General Relativity with Black Hole geometry and developed mathematics to support his theories with proofs. As of yet, there is no observational evidence tosupport his ideas but that is a technical hurdle, not a theory problem. Where there is criticism of Hawking is that he went "pop" quite awhile ago. That is a pretty good indications that he was finished as a serious theoretician. That's not always the case, but it happens frequently.

 

[BE Mike]

I think this is a fair question. But, best asked in the other direction.

Were you open to his contributions changing your life?

I can't think of anything that he studied that had a direct impact on anything external. The car I drive, the food I eat, etc.

But, his ideas - and the explanation of his ideas - changed how I view the world and the... beautiful complexity of the universe. Although he might not have appreciated this comment, in his work I glimpsed God's majesty and mystery.

In a sense, his work was like art.

So, his ideas contributed to making order out of what was once considered chaos? If so, interesting, even for a pragmatist like me.

 

[NHT3]

noun, plural theories.1.a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regardedas correct, that can be used as principles of explanation andprediction for a class of phenomena:Einstein's theory of relativity.
Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.



Nothing wrong with developing theories. For some reason the term is getting thrown around here with a negative connotation.

Nothing negative intended. If proven then "facts" would be the the term used to describe them. God is a theory that I choose to believe in and he didn't. We all march to a different drummer and have our theories. Pondering something aside from black holes might have served him better but it was his choice. I'm not knocking the guy, just disagree with his thought process. One of us is terribly mistaken on some of the unknowns we seek to understand.

 

[flightsimmer]

I was greatly saddened by the news that Steven Hawking had past away.
I am even more sad after watching the science channel about him.
In the last chapter, at closing Steven said that he had found no evidence to support the theory of a God.
I'm sorry to say that he was looking in the wrong place. Steven was looking into the universe for answers when God was all around him.

I had always hoped that Steven would come to the realization that there was indeed God.
Steven spent most of his life in a debilitated body and even though he had come to terms with his situation and lived a full life in spite of it, it was my hope that he would find and except Jesus as his Savior and at the end of his life here he would be healed by Jesus and spend eternity walking with Him and exploring the New Heavens and asking him how He did it all, but alas he apparently he did not. With great sorrow, Steven will be missed.