Postmodern Encounter Series -- Hawking and the Mind of God

Author: (English) Peter Coles / Li Xingmin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Hawking demonstrated in his practice that what John Milton said was reasonable: "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." He proved with his thoughts Hamlet's song: "Though I be taken in a cabin, I am king of infinite space." Stephen Hawking has reached a unique position in contemporary culture, combining the remarkable achievements in the remote field of theoretical physics with the fame usually reserved for movie stars and rock musicians. However, Hawking's specialized work is being challenged in its conceptual scope and mathematical details, to the extent that understanding its significance properly is beyond the grasp of most people, except for a few experts. So, how did the scientist Stephen Hawking become the icon Stephen Hawking? Hawking's theories often lead him into such intellectual territory that has traditionally belonged to religion rather than science. In the conclusion of his bestseller A Brief History of Time, he explicitly acknowledges this, where he states that his ultimate goal was to understand the mind of God. Hawking and the Mind of God examines the quasi-religious implications of certain key themes in Hawking's works, which not only illuminate the phenomenon of Hawking worship itself but also shed light on a broader debate: how scientists present themselves in the media.