Philosophy
Stephen Hawking has been warning us lately that it might be a bad idea to risk contact with extraterrestrials because they might be malicious. There is no reason, he argues, to think that an advanced race of beings who could come this far would be friendly and not have colonial impulses.
At the risk of making an ad hominem attack, we might ask who would have the most to lose from constructive engagement with such an alien race with superior intelligence and knowledge. The answer, of course, is those whom we as humans hold up as the paragons of scientific understanding. If these aliens do exist and were to come to earth, they would instantly become a source of incredible advancement for our own sense of the universe. They, and not our top drawer astrophysicists -- Hawking first among them, would become the most influential experts on matters of astronomy and cosmology. Additionally, there would surely be among them one or two who would be quite skilled in communicating this advanced knowledge to us and it would not be hard for them to find a good agent and publisher, thereby rendering pop science classics like A Brief History of Time obsolete. If we make contact with other worldly beings, Hawking goes right to the remainders bin. So, we might wonder whether Professor Hawking is being authentically concerned about our well-being as a species or whether he is merely worried about his own royalties...
- Stephen Hawking - A Brief History Of Time
Stephen Hawking is one of the world's most famous theoretical physicists around. Everyone knows who he is, partly because of his physical disability, partly because of the synthetic voice through which he communicates (and refuses to upgrade), and...
- Hawking...making A Protest?
Who cares. "Hawking denies plans to leave Britain in protest against funding cuts" Media reports that the renowned physicist was considering a move to Canada are unfounded by Richard Moore March 3rd 2010 VARSITY Contrary to media reports this week,...
- "living Popular Scientist" Poll
Who is your choice for living "popular" scientist? Brian Greene...0 Freeman Dyson...3 Lawrence Krauss...0 Neil deGrasse Tyson...2 Stephen Hawking...3 Somewhat surprised. I suppose Hawking would lead...he is quite an icon. I expected Krauss to be at the...
- Pluto, Saturn, Hawking, Earth's Gravity
Just in. Stephen Hawking released data today indicating an issue with Earth's gravity. On March 31st 2009, Stephen Hawking announced on BBC Radio that at 9:47 PM the planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment...
- S. Hawking To Canada
Is this publicity or real research? "Hawking Plans Research at Center Started by BlackBerry Founder" by Greg Quinn November 27th, 2008 Bloomberg.com Stephen Hawking, a U.K. physics professor known for his work on black holes, plans to study at a...
Philosophy
Who Is Hawking Really Worried About?
Stephen Hawking has been warning us lately that it might be a bad idea to risk contact with extraterrestrials because they might be malicious. There is no reason, he argues, to think that an advanced race of beings who could come this far would be friendly and not have colonial impulses.
At the risk of making an ad hominem attack, we might ask who would have the most to lose from constructive engagement with such an alien race with superior intelligence and knowledge. The answer, of course, is those whom we as humans hold up as the paragons of scientific understanding. If these aliens do exist and were to come to earth, they would instantly become a source of incredible advancement for our own sense of the universe. They, and not our top drawer astrophysicists -- Hawking first among them, would become the most influential experts on matters of astronomy and cosmology. Additionally, there would surely be among them one or two who would be quite skilled in communicating this advanced knowledge to us and it would not be hard for them to find a good agent and publisher, thereby rendering pop science classics like A Brief History of Time obsolete. If we make contact with other worldly beings, Hawking goes right to the remainders bin. So, we might wonder whether Professor Hawking is being authentically concerned about our well-being as a species or whether he is merely worried about his own royalties...
- Stephen Hawking - A Brief History Of Time
Stephen Hawking is one of the world's most famous theoretical physicists around. Everyone knows who he is, partly because of his physical disability, partly because of the synthetic voice through which he communicates (and refuses to upgrade), and...
- Hawking...making A Protest?
Who cares. "Hawking denies plans to leave Britain in protest against funding cuts" Media reports that the renowned physicist was considering a move to Canada are unfounded by Richard Moore March 3rd 2010 VARSITY Contrary to media reports this week,...
- "living Popular Scientist" Poll
Who is your choice for living "popular" scientist? Brian Greene...0 Freeman Dyson...3 Lawrence Krauss...0 Neil deGrasse Tyson...2 Stephen Hawking...3 Somewhat surprised. I suppose Hawking would lead...he is quite an icon. I expected Krauss to be at the...
- Pluto, Saturn, Hawking, Earth's Gravity
Just in. Stephen Hawking released data today indicating an issue with Earth's gravity. On March 31st 2009, Stephen Hawking announced on BBC Radio that at 9:47 PM the planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment...
- S. Hawking To Canada
Is this publicity or real research? "Hawking Plans Research at Center Started by BlackBerry Founder" by Greg Quinn November 27th, 2008 Bloomberg.com Stephen Hawking, a U.K. physics professor known for his work on black holes, plans to study at a...