toldailytopic: Stephen Hawking says Heaven is a 'fairy story'

[genuineoriginal]

Touche; however there are many otherwise intelligent and enlightened people who are not cyborgs and who wholeheartedly agree with Hawking, so I don't see why you felt it appropriate to bring up his physical condition. What does that have to do with it?

Did you read the article? I did.

The author of 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time" said in an interview with The Guardian published on Monday that his views were partly influenced by his battle with motor neurone disease.
Heaven is a 'fairy story', says Stephen Hawking​

 

[bybee]

Touche; however there are many otherwise intelligent and enlightened people who are not cyborgs and who wholeheartedly agree with Hawking, so I don't see why you felt it appropriate to bring up his physical condition. What does that have to do with it?

It has a great deal to do with it. He does not live a normal life. His body cannot take care of him. His body cannot bring him pleasure. He dwells in his intellect. While he is alive he has a spirit which is life.
Einstein believed in a higher power. He loved life.
Stephen Hawking doesn't love life.

 

[Paulos]

It has a great deal to do with it. He does not live a normal life. His body cannot take care of him. His body cannot bring him pleasure. He dwells in his intellect.

It has nothing to do with it. Lot's of people hold the same views as Hawking without being in his condition. Remember Carl Sagan?

Einstein believed in a higher power. He loved life.

Einstein no doubt did love life, but he was hardly a theist in the traditional sense. Here's a quote from Einstein:

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms."​

Source: http://atheism.about.com/od/einsteingodreligion/tp/Einstein-Quotes-on-Afterlife.htm

 

[Silent Hunter]

Is. 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

:rotfl:

Hawkings doesn't pull his own chain the way many Christians do for themselves.

 

[Silent Hunter]

"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." - Stephen Hawking

SOURCE

. . . absolutely. Christians are so afraid of death they need the hope of a "heaven" to justify their otherwise worthless (and meaningless) existence.

 

[genuineoriginal]

:rotfl:

Hawkings doesn't pull his own chain the way many Christians do for themselves.

He could if he got an I-phone, there's an app for that.

 

[Paulos]

Christians are so afraid of death they need the hope of a "heaven" to justify their otherwise worthless (and meaningless) existence.

I don't think that anyone's existence is worthless or meaningless. Do you really mean that?

Even if you don't believe in a God, you must admit that the universe has brought us into existence. Existence has meaning, ipso facto. We are "star-stuff", as Carl Sagan was fond of saying.

 

[Silent Hunter]

He could if he got an I-phone, there's an app for that.

. . . judging from your posts . . . you created the app . . . :chuckle:.

 

[Silent Hunter]

I don't think that anyone's existence is worthless or meaningless.

. . . is our existence meaningless? . . . as a part of the present? . . . perhaps . . . perhaps not . . . :idunno:. In the overall "scheme" of existence? . . . yes.

Do you really mean that?

. . . that our existence is ultimately meaningless? . . . yes.

Even if you don't believe in a God, you must admit that the universe has brought us into existence.

. . . unconsciously . . . yes. As they said on "Jurassic Park" . . . "Life will find a way."

Existence has meaning, ipso facto.

. . . the mere fact that we exist doesn't mean, by default, our existence has meaning . . . we just are.

We are "star-stuff", as Carl Sagan was fond of saying.

:thumb:

 

[Persephone66]

Sounds about right to me.

 

[Paulos]

. . . the mere fact that we exist doesn't mean, by default, our existence has meaning . . . we just are.

"There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose, because as we both know, without purpose we would not exist. It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us, it is purpose that defines, purpose that binds us."

Quotations from "The Matrix" aside, it is undeniable that the universe has evolved as though with a sense of "purpose" from the big bang until now, and I would suggest that this purpose has meaning. As Carl Sagan suggested, "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself."

Cosmos -- The origins of the universe

 

[DavisBJ]

People tend to intellectualize the afterlife. We can sometimes overthink simple truths. There has to be an afterlife. Can you imagine it any other way?

I imagine the afterlife will be much like my life was 50,000 years ago. How keenly do you recall what you were doing ages ago, long before your birth?

 

[Silent Hunter]

"There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose, because as we both know, without purpose we would not exist. It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us, it is purpose that defines, purpose that binds us."

Quotations from "The Matrix" aside, it is undeniable that the universe has evolved as though with a sense of "purpose" from the big bang until now, and I would suggest that this purpose has meaning.

. . . you can "suggest" all you want . . . the onus is on you to . . . prove it.

As Carl Sagan suggested, "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself."

. . . philosophically . . . he didn't mean literally.

Cosmos -- The origins of the universe

. . . we are "star stuff" . . . without purpose . . . without meaning . . . according to Sagan.

 

[ThermalCry]

The evidence would clearly appear to suggest that he's right. That's why you guys call it faith, because there is no real reason to believe it. I think I'm going to use his quote as my new sig!

 

[alwight]

toldailytopic: Stephen Hawing says Heaven is a 'fairy story', what do you think about that assertion?

I must be brainier than SH then 'cause I came to that conclusion many years ago. :liberals:

 

[Selaphiel]

Considering the disastrous quality of his latest book "The Grand Design" I do not put much into this statement. Hawking should stick to his physics and not embarrass himself by making philosophical/theological comments that would be naive for a first year student of those disciplines.

The evidence would clearly appear to suggest that he's right. That's why you guys call it faith, because there is no real reason to believe it. I think I'm going to use his quote as my new sig!

During the 1600+ year history of systematic Christian theology that never has been and never will be the definition of faith. Nor is it the Biblical meaning of the word faith. That is not an argument for God of course, but any debate needs be built on accurate definitions.

 

[Silent Hunter]

I must be brainier than SH then 'cause I came to that conclusion many years ago. :liberals:

:shocked:

:chuckle:

 

[assuranceagent]

I thought "Brokeback Mountain" was a fairy story. :think:

Kinda makes you wonder where a guy who holds empirical observation in such high esteem gets the information to make such a proclamation...

 

[Persephone66]

I thought "Brokeback Mountain" was a fairy story. :think:

Kinda makes you wonder where a guy who holds empirical observation in such high esteem gets the information to make such a proclamation...

Can God be empirically observed?

Can Heaven be empirically observed?

 

[Paulos]

. . . you can "suggest" all you want . . . the onus is on you to . . . prove it.

Did I say I could prove it? Can a belief be proven? Do I expect you to believe what I believe? Here's another quote from The Matrix for you:

Commander Lock: Not everyone believes what you believe.
Morpheus: My beliefs do not require them to.​

. . . philosophically . . . he didn't mean literally.

. . . you can "suggest" all you want . . . the onus is on you to . . . prove it. I think he was being quite literal.