A great lost to humanity.
4
The author of this article mentions all these venerable universities throughout the article, but then, when mentioning the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB only says that it is "in Santa Barbara." That's a rather annoying omission for this UCSB alum, who would be proud to see our Institute get the same recognition as all the others. Anyway, loved Stephen and have great admiration for his work. Rest in peace, Dr. Hawking!
11
All diseases are grim, but ALS is really horrific. My mother died of ALS - six weeks before the birth of my son - her first grandchild.
7
I think in 100 years Stephen Hawking will be better known for his warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence than for any of his scientific achievements.
5
The world lost not just a great mind today but great human being. We would all do well to learn from Stephen's example of how to face adversity with such grace and brilliance. The world is a darker place without him.
9
HAWKING: “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star.
But we can understand the universe.
That makes us something very special”.
Oct 17, 1988: Stephen Hawking’s interview with Der Spiegel. Hawking sees us humans as clever monkeys who can comprehend the huge cosmos with a 3 lbs brain.
14
Truly a great cosmic jewel.
7
It is customary for a US president to pay tribute to such an esteemed figure but I guess that is difficult when you haven't heard of the man.
20
Stephen Hawking has proven that in order to develop fundamental human characteristics such as loving, caring for, knowing, curiosity etc., you don't need a moving body, you mainly need a moving brain.
Plato defined "philosophizing" as moving your thoughts.
Few people have been so good at philosophizing as Dr. Hawking, who time and again had the courage to question his own beliefs and convictions, and who was equally happy when discovering evidence supporting those beliefs as he was when discovering evidence refuting them.
And that is what science is all about: knowing how to feel a deep joy and satisfaction when you discover how to prove or refute something - independently of whether that means that you can stick to your own personal opinions or will have to change your mind.
At the same time, that's exactly the quality that is becoming rare today, in our current, anti-science and anti-intellectual, anti-philosophical (in the original sense of the word "philosophy") culture ... which is yet another reason to never forget about Dr. Hawking and how he lived his life.
This is a day to celebrate - to celebrate humankind, and to celebrate Dr. Hawking.
Thank you, Stephen Hawking, for what you have given the world.
12
Dr. Hawking is one of my personal heroes for his indefatigable spirit and his boundless intelligence. His work toward integrating quantum mechanics and gravity seems far beyond current understanding; perhaps experimental models will, someday, be developed to test and prove his conceptual thought. (Einstein had the same "problem.")
Humanity is poorer for the loss of Dr. Hawking, but his work survives him and puts him among the company of immortals like Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, and Einstein (among others). My sympathy to his children, friends, and colleagues. We all have lost a giant in our lives.
9
Before I experienced a loved one succumb to ALS I would have never guessed that people who suffered so much wasting of their body habitus could retain virtually all of their mental faculties to the very end. My father and Dr. Hawking, among many others, have shown me otherwise. What I remember most from my father's five year battle was the way he retained his sense of humor and powers of observation. From what I have read, Mr. Hawking did the same. Rest in Peace Dr. Hawking. The world is a far better place because of you.
23
God is the fire in every cell, the energy in every rock.
7
Mr. Hawking's beautiful, wonderful mind is still roaming the cosmos.
14
It's hard to think of anybody who so genuinely impacted the world for the better and did so much work I always forgot he had a disease that would normally destroy others.
May he rest in peace.
12
I saw him on TV saying without Britain's National Health Service he would have died decades ago. What a shame that would have been.
25
"In the 2012 biography 'Stephen Hawking: An Unfettered Mind,' author Kitty Ferguson wrote that it was rumored that Hawking would try to run over the toes of people who annoyed him. In 1977, Prince Charles got his feet crushed beneath his wheels during the royal's induction into the Royal Society, she wrote: 'The prince was intrigued by Hawking's wheelchair, and Hawking, twirling it around to demonstrate its capabilities, carelessly ran over Prince Charles's toes ... People who annoyed him, it was said, found themselves a target.' It was even rumored that one of the politically outspoken scientist's great regrets was that he never got a chance to run over the toes of Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Hawking, it has to be said, denied these allegations — albeit fairly unconvincingly. 'A malicious rumour,' he told Ferguson. 'I'll run over anyone who repeats it.' " (Business Insider)
12
Going through an overwhelmingly painful experience of grief in my life presently, reading about Dr. Hawking provides a strange yet beautiful, meaningful and comforting experience of renewed faith in life on earth and a joy in pondering the mysteries of the universe Dr. H strived to understand. There is so much I don’t understand and yet there is comfort in knowing that his life journey is providing me (and hopefully others) with inspiration on so many levels - his physical life, intellectual life and endless love of searching for answers to life’s mysterious wonders. Bless him.
12
He died on Pi Day and Einstein's birthday. Maybe there is more going on in the universe than he thought.
32
And let’s not forget that it’s also Wednesday, hump day. If ever there was proof of a God, that has to be it.
5
Science has lost a brilliant mind, humanity has lost one of its brightest stars. A sad day indeed.
14
Our star is not average.
2
The world of logic and intellect has gained better perspective and reason from his passing. Were he still alive, his babbling and delusion would make wishful thinking science and reality, as atheists are for evolution. Something, life, can't come from nothing: there MUST have been a creator, and every one knows this as fact, they simply choose to ignore it.
5
A dissent from these hagiographies. Hawking did not survive all those years because of greater mind over matter, rather his disease was mysteriously different from the usual ALS. It's quite hurtful to those (me) who have lost relatives to to this misery to attribute his long life to his intelligence and/or a greater will to live. My own cousin was a tenured professor and fought to stay alive to the bitter bitter end.
And re thinking outside the box? Sorry, but he was in lock-step with the British intellectual class in being not just anti-Netanyahu but totally and virulently anti-Israel. I find it odd that this is wholly missing from the Times obit.
9
I agree with your assessment that his long life was due to the atypical nature of his affliction, not to any superior intellectual prowess.
Regarding your political content, I am Jewish and have become quite opposed to Netanyahu in recent years.
7
RIP Steve, we will keep loving you.
3
One of the sadder things about the passing of Professor Hawking is that so many can only see his atheism negatively and not the awe-inspiring nature of the universe he showed us as, simply, a thing in and of itself with no “divine hand” to create it.
10
“Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not"
Yoda
1
Few people change the world view. For space scientists he's their God. For the rest of us, he's an icon of genius. It's hard to imagine a world without him but he just went home - the universe is his home.
8
Stellar article, Mr. Overbye. When Hawking's book was published, I immediately used it as a basis for a college class in physical science. Hawking has done as much as anyone in history to bring science to everyman-- despite the fact that his brand of science is the singularly most complex. Cosmology makes rocket science look like child's play. Perhaps most incomprehensible is how his mathematic achievements could be accomplished without pen and paper. His legacy will last for centuries. We were lucky to be his contemporaries. May he roam the cosmos until the end (?) of time.
6
His life is a reminder of the real power in the world - of values, beliefs, and looking beyond greed, avarice, and hate. He will be remembered long after our “titans of industry”.
6
While we should celebrate Prof. Hawking's remarkable scientific achievements, it's appropriate to remember his daffy and absurd philosophizing such as this assertion from "The Grand Design": "Because there is a law of gravity, the universe can and will create itself out of nothing", a triple non sequitur.
The principle of questioning authority and honest skepticism should apply even to cultural icons.
1
I can only assume he met death the way he met life: with courage and dignity.
5
As considerable as Dr. Hawking's work is and will be to our understanding of the universe, perhaps one of his most lasting legacies will be the gift he has given to other disabled people: the model of a life well lived despite and perhaps because of profound physical disability.
6
Today's goodbye also remarkably interweaves Hawking's life with that of the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, who was born with the sun exactly opposite to today's position. Ken Kesey spent the last few years of his life in a wheelchair after a stroke and stunned those in his audiences who were oblivious to this bad turn of his health fortune and accordingly surprised, as they came to hear him lecture in a very upbeat and inspiring way from his wheelchair, making them feel refueled with a zest and spirit and optimism that they'd lacked before even though able-bodied.
What a contrast with a Leader declaring America in a state of industrial carnage (no tax cut & evasion-caused gov revenue and spending carnage?), science irrelevant and not in need to be pursued for other purposes than private profit greed, let alone to be heeded, Mexicans rapists, Muslims to be banned, assault guns to be cruelly proliferated, trade partners to be warred with tariffs, blacks and liberals guilty without being tried, even after being cleared, while mocking the disabled.
As Hawking jokingly conceded to fail in fathoming the mystery that women constituted to him, here's a joke doing the rounds in other than the English languages: my life is like a Rihanna song. "Work, work, work, work, work, work." And of the rest of it I don't understand a thing...
Did Stephen Hawking not follow women in their use of other ways of grasping the nature of life and the universe than mental work, work, work?
2
Hawking was an example of how little about genius we understand. He was strong evidence for mind as distinct from physicality. And given what we cannot explain about emergence and reality, you cannot say that it violates quantum field theory or The Core Theory.
1
The world is a bit darker today without his light. He inspires and his spirit will serve as a model for future generations.
5
Sad news. By coincidence, I just recently finished reading his book, A Brief History of Time and thought it was great. He explained very complex ideas in a conversational way that was fun to read and ponder. His intellect, humor, and explanatory powers were a great gift to the human race.
2
God's middle name is Science. As i said before, now Hawking knows and he is now free to soar wherever there is to soar. The Universe, all the varied life on this planet, humans mostly trying to do their best, at least part of the time, a jeep running around on Mars, it's all mind boggling. So mind boggling it might be easier to say none of this exists. We are all insane for thinking so.
3
The collective I.Q. of the Human race has fallen by a couple of points with his passing.
20
To those compassionate individuals that gave so much to sustain Hawking all his years. Well done.
23
Mr. Overbye:
You do a disservice to Mr. Hawking and your readers by glibly stating that Mr. Hawking's work on black holes "has also led to speculations that we live in a holographic universe, in which three-dimensional space is some kind of illusion." That is a misleading tease and you know it. For readers interested in what the concept of a holographic universe actually means look at Professor Brian Koberlein's article titled "What it means to live in a Holographic Universe" posted at nautil.us on May 7, 2014.
5
He was interested in the big questions, but then he endorsed the absurd notion that matter created itself and intelligently designed beings were the result of random accidents of mutation.
http://godsnotdead.com/blog/world-renown-god-defender-john-lennox-interv...
5
You and John Lennox fail to understand what it means to violate Quantum Field Theory and The Core Theory, i.e., modern physics and cosmology. You therefore are dismissive of reality because I believe, you misinterpret it.
2
Absurd to you, maybe....but totally logical and believable to me. Let's just agree to disagree on that, but still, let's both honor the intelligence of this great human being. RIP
9
I thought the same thing. How odd to go through all this work, study, writing only to conclude there is no intelligent being behind it all. Rather pointless. So what's the purpose of life after all that? To top it off, Hawking believed in space aliens. Weird.
2
Two things: a life thrill was seeing Dr. Hawking at Berkeley, thirty years ago, where he lectured through his computer. The event could have been mistaken for a Beatles reunion: the crowd was vast, and so unruly that lines broke and I was pushed to the front of the auditorium. Nice seat! An overflow crowd had to watch on video from two other venues. This man was adored. And what a sense of humor. An earnest young student asked the most intricate, complicated, math and philosophy driven question incomprehensible to me; the question took about two minutes. Hawking typed out his response: "You...tell...me." Brought the house down. Second thing: I never thought I would find Rush LImbaugh amusing, but I listened to his radio show this morning, and just to let NYTimes readers know: Hawking got the Big Bang wrong. Whatever exploded into something had to have been SOMEWHERE before it happened, it can't have been NOWHERE, which negates the whole theory. Clear as the day is long! I think Cambridge needs to hire Limbaugh for it's Isaac Newton Chair - who knows what other blunders the man will reveal to us? Maybe that gravity is a Democratic conspiracy? I'm sure Dr. Hawking would have gotten a kick out of Rush Limbaugh's idiocy. Sorry he missed it. And I will miss him. Godspeed, Dr. Hawking. Maudlin though it be, I see you dancing in the stars.
8
'What a triumph his life has been' indeed!
10
Oddly appropriate he passed on Pi Day
19
Ah, but to Mr Hawking today isn’t Pi Day, it is 14/03...
1
May you now fly in zero-G Stephen Hawking, as long as time exists.
9
Rest in peace, brave and wonderful soul. You a now part of the great consciousness.
15
Stephen Hawking is an international treasure in my opinion an international treasure. I wouldn't put too many people in this category. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela come to mind, along with Malala. In my book, international treasures should be known without regard to nationality, race, and religion, and must have accomplished something the entire world recognizes as having somehow improved the human condition. Stephen Hawking definitely meets this criteria. I would love to see some of you add to the list.
4
I deeply regret not sitting in on one of Dr. Hawking's lectures when I was working not too far away from Cambridge. Stephen Hawking was much more than just a brilliant physicist. He had a good sense of humor, dedicated, thought provoking, and his desire for knowledge was never satiated.
Dr. Hawking inspired me as a young child to dream of becoming a nuclear physicist. When I reached college, nuclear chemistry/nuclear physics won out. The education led to a great career in IT where I was able to push the boundaries of computing. Now that I am in Me V. 3.0, I find Stephen Hawking to be a great inspiration on how to be successful with physical disabilities.
Godspeed Dr. Stephen Hawking. I am looking forward to sitting in on many of your lectures in the future. Maybe I will be lucky enough to be one of your students. I will also eagerly await the Theory of Everything.
I will raise my slice of Grandma's Blueberry Pie in Dr. Hawking's honor today. Thank you for all you have done for humanity and science. Cheers!
11
I had never heard of Stephen Hawking until my mother was diagnosed with ALS or MND. To me, he was remarkable for his fortitude, his resiliency and his humor against the degradation of his abilities. There is beauty in the fight - it makes us all better. I hope he is making her laugh on the other side.
11
beautiful man. Beautiful description of him and his work.
8
I am saddened by the death of Dr. Hawking. Dr. Hawking might not have agreed, but the most of humanity believes there is a soul somewhere in the human body, and it doesn't die when we die, and I take comfort in believing that Dr. Hawking's soul is closer to God than that of the the rest of us.
10
Not sad. Not happy. Always admired his persistence in the face of daunting disability, yet he was no hero in my eyes. Regretful that he used his intellect in grand ways but not grand enough to embrace the God Whom he has now met, and whom I hope has shown mercy for Hawking's atheism in life.
4
God met Stephen Hawing with a wide, very kind, grin on his face. God is big enough not to be at all troubled by a child of his who does not believe. No doubt they had a very interesting conversation and God has sent Hawking off to soar in new places.
5
Belief in God is just that -- belief. It has nothing to do with intellect and far less to do with empirical evidence, the scientific method, or the love and pursuit of pure knowledge, which was Dr. Hawking's life's work.
7
March 14, 2018
A most Biblical Character of our time and for all times. Just a dream of witnessing the penultimate of the best in England's Education system and then a Professor Hawking sharing his spirit with the worth for cosmology and with his prophetic inspiration that the light and times is achievable in life and with publications fro the world to fall in love with in having God given abilities - and in his case challenged to the utmost - with grace and superior human heroics that is for grand design and beyond mythic but in one word science to cherish timelessly.
jja Manhattan, N.Y.
3
Fitting coincidence for a physicist and mathematician, he died on Pi Day: 3rd month, 14th day. I guess you could say he came full circle.
13
I have a pet theory on why Stephen Hawking never won the Nobel Prize: his popularity with the common man had already immortalized him. Like a poet said, “The universe is not made of stars, but of small stories.” Hawking’s story will outlive time itself, as the universe not only looked at itself, it began to understand itself.”
7
Stephen Hawking was not an agnostic; he was an atheist.
When he spoke about matters of a deity, he specifically expressed no affirmation in the existence of any god, and consistently represented his cosmology as having an explanatory force without using the idea of god to articulate cosmology. He said, God is not necessary to understand the universe. Denying the necessity of the existence of any god is decidedly atheist, in the strictest meaning of the term.
Most recently, he was developing his idea of the No Boundary Proposal, in collaboration with others, to explain how the universe could have been created from nothing, for the purpose of obtaining scientific results to turn the No Boundary Proposal into a theory. That he went to such careful and disciplined lengths to explain cosmology as consistent with nothingness shows that his atheism was concrete and rooted in the scientific method. That he did not articulate his atheism as ideology -- as rooted in a priori principles denying the possibility of god -- did not dilute his atheism. He was a materialist in the strictest sense of the word, and he was impatient with cosmological explanations that could not be falsified with experiment.
That devotion to the experimental method did not make him an agnostic. He did not stop with having no knowledge of any deity. He went further, articulating and theorizing cosmology without a deity, based on scientific methods of falsifiability. That made him an atheist.
49
In that case, how do you define the difference between an agnostic and an atheist ... ?
1
There is a sort of cosmic significance with Dr. Hawking passing on Pi day…although Dr. Hawking would know it was just a coincidence.
Dr. Hawking has been and will be an inspiration for science and STEM education for a very long time. He and people like Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Alan Turing, etc. form the corner stones of future generations of critical thinkers and scientists.
Time to reread “A Brief History of Time” and drink an adult beverage in his honor.
6
An outstanding scientist and a real mensch.
9
Among his immense contributions to human knowledge, perhaps the most important is the absolute proof he gave us that "disabled" does not mean "unable." He utterly refused to be defeated by the limitations of his physical body.
I hope all the secrets of the universe have now been revealed to him.
5
Well, now he is enshrined in that very small and select pantheon of the truly great intellects produced by the human species.
The names are staggering and stupendous: Solon, Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare, Aristarchus, Pythagoras, Galileo, Gauss, Newton, Einstein, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian, and perhaps a dozen more in various disciplines throughout human history.
They represent heights to which the human consciousness are sometimes capable.
9
I hope that he has now found the means to another universe. What a magnificent life.
4
Stephen inspired me! I will be for every grateful that he was here to show us all the way. The only thing holding you back is you! Rest well my friend!
3
He died the Day of Pi. Out of 365 days, today, the day of Pi. All schools are celebrating the day of Pi, 3.14..., and they will remember him too. Resilient and lucky.
7
I heartily agree with every accolade about Stephen Hawking written here and elsewhere. But as someone who has witnessed a dear friend care for her severely disabled child for over a dozen years, I ask all of those mourning Hawking's passing and celebrating his life to spare a moment to think of the carers. I refer not just to his wives but also the countless doctors, nurses, and care staff who must have passed through his life, unlauded but completely necessary to his continued existence. Daily care for a disabled person often involves numerous unlovely tasks which many perform out of love and others because it is their job. For the people who helped make Hawking's life possible, who helped him attain the comfort and grace which enabled him to live his stellar life, I am so grateful for your work and dedication. Thank you.
46
They were paid by him.
Why should his family feel indebted just because he provided people with jobs.
1
Upstater,
"the countless doctors, nurses, and care staff who must have passed through his life, unlauded"
Please be reassured that Stephen Hawking and others frequently expressed their gratitude for the doctors, nurses and carers, as well as the National Health Service for which they worked.
Prof. Hawking was well known for championing the NHS and this is duly noted in the articles and obituaries here in the UK as something that was immensely important to him.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/i-would-not-have-survive...
4
I am in debt to my many teachers who taught me and to the doctors who have cared for me and my family. They were all paid. I guess I shouldn’t feel this way. They were paid.
It will seem strange to think that Dr. Hawking will no longer be with us but it seems remarkable that he should leave us on the birthday of Albert Einstein.
15
And pi Day!!
4
"Sic itur ad astra" (thus one journeys to the stars) Virgil, The Aeneid
Ave & Fare thee well...
8
On the day of Stephen Hawking death--I celebrate his life. What a great man he was--not only a gift to us all, but also one of us. Stephen has energized that better particle residing in me and showed me that many of the boundaries that I encounter in my life might be of my own creation, and there are always some opportunities left out there, if I only dared to see them. Stephen's life fills me with positive energy and the belief that I can do better and be better.
But the story of his life also reminds me that we all need each other's support to achieve something--that one's achievement grows out of support of others. Stephen could work on his theories because he received an extraordinary support of others, and was born to a place that gave him opportunities of education and personal growth. Just imagine how many geniuses have never realized because they didn't have an opportunity to grow or have never been helped through their hardships. Thus, for me Stephen's life and achievement are an example of what we can achieve if we get helped, cooperate and work with each other. How many "Stephens" are alive and have the potential to do great things, but will never realize them because of lack of opportunities or resources? They won't develop new theories about the beginning of the universe or make fascinating discoveries, and we'll never hear about them. Pity...
13
A superb obituary for an astonishing human being.
The great irony remains Hawking's perfect timing in the universe's time and space continuum. If he had been born just two decades earlier, early ventilator technology and pulmonary therapy techniques would not have been available when he needed them to survive. Iron lungs for respiratory failure in polio were still used widely in the 1950's, as positive pressure ventilator management was still in its infancy when he was diagnosed with ALS. Luckily, he did not need ventilator support until 1985.
Fate could not have picked a better disease to highlight the titanic mental abilities of one of the great thinkers in humankind's history. Outliving 99% of all other ALS patients, Hawking's few pounds of brain tissue (supplied with oxygen only by the ventilator for over 30 years) expounded on the great questions of physics with doggedness, humor, and grace. Physically ravaged by ALS, Hawking understood best that all of life shares but a brief existence in our universe.
7
A remarkable human being.
This obituary talks about Hawking's oeuvre but does not mention an area that he has been quite vocal in, which is intelligence, particularly the artificial variety. Given Mr. Hawking's physical condition, I would venture to say he understood quite well the role of intelligence in defining who and what we as humans are, and he was quite clear in the danger he saw in trying to capture that intelligence in computers. He has the credibility, we should take heed in his warning.
5
He was also a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences which may surprise people. According to the Catholic Herald, "his avowed atheism did not keep him from engaging in dialogue and debate with the church as his work and contribution to the papal academy showed." Would that all of us be as open to dialogue with people that we disagree with as he was.
12
A brief explanation of how Hawking saw the beginnings of the universe ex nihilo pretty much lines up with Moses' description of the same event thousands of years ago.
Actually not at all, Mr. Hawking did not rely on superstitious silliness to describe things.
3
What's your point? Hawking didn't set out to validate the Bible, he set out to prove scientific fact.
3
I am so sorry for that new. He is great physicist and unusual things with theories. When he falled on the floor he lost of all body but just one exterior he can't lost amazing intelligence. Finally he said that:"life would be tragic, if it weren't funny." The and he do that.
3
Thank you, Dr. Hawking, and enjoy your journey through the universe your genius helped us better understand...
1
I cried when I heard the news this morning. We've all lost a dear old friend. I used to be inspired by his science, and now even more so by his perseverance in the face of unimaginable difficulties. He's shown me and countless others that we can overcome life's challenges with positive attitudes and actions. Dr. Hawking will continue to inspire me until I enter the Black Hole that awaits us all.
47
Though I have nothing new or profound to say about Professor Hawking, it feels important to publicly grieve such a wonderful man. Humanity has lost a great mind and a great spirit, and we are the poorer for it. What an inspiration he was in his determination and resilience, and what a hilarious and observant personality. I can't pretend that I understood all of "A Brief History of Time" but I was able to glean enough understanding to gain a new awe and appreciation for the rules of the universe. I wish him peace and beauty in his rest.
8
An irreplaceable loss for all humanity, he was a pride for all us and most of all for disable person's in a capitalists society. Where society producing little original thinkers like Dr Hawking. A scientist who becomes physically disable at 21 years of age but it's soul was always young even at the age of 76. He was remains fearless and works for all humanity and also at same time critize the capitalist democracy.
6
Thanks thanks to the writer for a helpful discussion of Dr. Hawking’s work. I am ever so slightly less mystified now!
5
As we do with many bright folks, we tend to expect them to have the answers to all sorts of things beyond their field of expertise. A prime example is how many think that Mark Zuckerberg has the answers for all social ills. He doesn't. He created a device that dramatically facilitates the interaction between folks, but a social guru, he ain't.
With Hawkings, it is interesting that one of his admitted incorrect arguments (the Bekenstein example) involved the concept of entropy in the second law of thermodynamics. Well, Isaac Asimov answered the quandary about increasing entropy over 60 years ago in his short story, The Last Question. The answer was the last lines of his story when the computer proclaimed: Let there be light! And there was light---
1
Jim D--(Mark Zuckerberg IS a walking, talking arrogant, self-serving, social ill.)
I am sad, and I miss him already.
Inspiration for our minds and bodies equally.
What a man! What a life well lived!
7
Physics made intellectually tangible and magical by Hawking. On hearing he had died, the Arthurian legends popped into my mind. Time and space.
6
What's amazing and inspiring about Hawking is that he never gave up. Never mind the physics, he's a truly inspirational human being. And we are all better off for it.
3
If only we could make as much progress figuring out how to get a long with each other peacefully as physicists have made in figuring out how the universe works!
3
And 139 years ago today (March/14/1879), Albert Einstein was born. Coincidence ?
Rest in peace DR.Hawking.
6
Even Stephen Hawking who could explain Black Holes could not understand or explain President Trump, the President's Cabinet of Science Deniers or the GOP (Party of Science Denial).
7
Stephen Hawking was born the same date Galileo died; Stephen Hawking died the same date Albert Einstein was born - the universe works in mysterious ways...
10
stephen hawking died. someone want to give him a 27 mill 2 year contract?
you know,
so he can show us all what good completions are on life?
~peace
thomas
unreal. how the values are shot in and on planet earth.
and yes, one can say louisiana also
Brilliant, and even though brutally handicapped, he had a great sense of humor.
2
A.L.S. Pays Tribute to Stephen Hawking
You took all I could throw --
The worst I had to give --
This much I'll concede you:
You dared to dream to live.
I did not kill you outright
(Torture's more my style) --
And yet you persevered throughout
A life of endless trial --
Surmounting a condition
Than which there's none more vile.
You grappled with a foe
Who no word knows for "mercy" --
This I leave you as you go:
The salute of a Satan's curtsey.
6
i've already commented here.
but thought that you guys should probably look at this.
to see if there is any overall (and abundant :) meaning
to his span, his life, his work.
> https://www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html?m1=01&d1=08&...
i also lost my dad 68? days ago today. htm.
~peace
thomas :)
1
Yes, he had a brilliant mind but, let’s not forget dark side of his profession, the creation of terrible weapons that could hasten one of the things he predicted for humanity.
This is what you took away from the obituary of this brilliant and remarkable man? Dr. Hawking didn't create nuclear weapons and he certainly didn't advocate for them, at least not that I ever heard reported, and if anything he tried to warn us that we possessed weaponry that could bring about our own destruction. What a way to get in a not-so-subtle dig at this late, great man's expense.
13
A superior popularized explanation of the physics, as is everything Dennis Overbye writes. And a tribute to a great human being while we are so preoccupied with the power of the opposite, a certain very vile human being.
11
Hawking was a great communicator of ideas. If aliens dropped in and said “Take Me To Your Leader” I would have chosen Hawking.
14
I hope Trump praises him the way he has praised religious leaders!
7
What an amazing guy with an amazing life. He will be remembered just as Einstein before him. very rarely has a scientist transformed his own discipline AND touched the lives of millions around the world.
Astrophysics is different because of him. So is the public's perception of his field of science.
7
As a graduate student in theoretical physics, I spent a lot of time in Yosemite, climbing by day, and working by night in the Ahwahnee lounge. One especially cold January, I decided to read Stephen Hawking's seminal paper, though it bore no particular relevance to my work.
When I'd finished it, sometime in the early hours, I wandered outside to see the periwinkle twilight rising across Yosemite Valley, my mind swirling and enraptured by the immense beauty of Professor Hawking's work, his mind, savored in this most breathtaking of places.
I don't think I've ever felt as privileged to be alive as I did that morning, to be so utterly surrounded, inside and out, with such peace, such beauty.
May Professor Hawking rest in that same peace.
32
Hammond, you write beautiful words.
8
As with Jean-Dominique Bauby, the paralyzed journalist who wrote "The Butterfly and the Diving Bell" using only the movement of his left eyelid, a transcriber and partner assisted scanning, Stephen Hawking showed what you can do with a mind, not just a brain, but a mind.
"The mind is its own place," Milton's Lucifer says in "Paradise Lost," "and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."
Milton means to show us the monstrousness of Satan, and mind over matter can be monstrous (think the Nazis). But there is another way to look at this. You can overcome great obstacles and live life to your fullest if you have the brain, heart, will, courage -- the mind -- to do it.
In a world, in our nation, which so despises the intellectual, that should mean something -- if only for today. -- thegamesmenplay.com
13
I've been thinking about that . . . perhaps we shouldn't feel TOO sorry when looking back at the life of a man who couldn't move a muscle but could travel a billion light years instantly, at the speed of thought, and plunge into the marvels of black holes and supernovas. Perhaps he was truly one of the most privileged humans among us.
A crippled mind can be a much more brutal prison than a limited body.
2
When I was very young, a trip to the Griffith Park Observatory made me love everything about time and space. I loved the Carl Sagan series Cosmos and have loved astrophysics and physics ever since.
"A Brief History of Time", was one in many books about the possibility, if not reality of the space that surrounds us, that I embraced happily.
Hawking is up there with Neil de Grasse Tyson and Hubble as my heroes of science.
Godspeed to Mr. Hawking, and many thanks.
4
What an extraordinary obit, about an extraordinary man. Hawking's vast curiosity, passion for knowledge, and hunger to share his work with the world, have enriched all of our lives.
6
Thank you for such a well written piece on the life and work of the great Dr. Hawking. Mr. Overbye was able to convey the crux of Dr. Hawking's work and theories in a way that was understandable. His was a great mind whose work will live on to the edge of time and space.
3
I enjoyed learning about Stephen Hawking back in the 80s and reading A Brief History of Time. He helped make science accessible to non-scientists.
While I enjoyed Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Dr. Hawking in film and what a striking physical resemblance, it was an earlier made-for-TV film with Benedict Cumberbatch in the role that really was fantastic.
Condolences to his family, friends and the universe.
1
Dennis Overbye and others who contributed to this article on Stephen Hawking are to be congratulated on writing the most comprehensive and understandable explanation of Hawking's work I have ever read. It is both celebratory and compassionate in detailing the professional and personal of Hawking's life.
2
The scientific concepts he dealt with were lost on me. But what an inspiring genius, who defied what could have easily been a life of gloom. I also appreciated how he managed to keep his finger on the pulse of pop culture, appearing on shows such as the Simpsons, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a rare feat for a disabled person to have a presence in popular entertainment.
1
Stephen Hawking is one of the great heroes of human history. He will never be forgotten. He is an inspiration for everyone, showing that our mind and spirit can transcend our physical body and soar to achieve great things. Now he is one with the universe he helped us understand.
4
What a profound effect Professor Hawking has had on the whole world. His brilliance was amplified by his amazing spirit, passion, and humor. I know you don't believe in an afterlife, Dr. Hawking, but for all our sakes I hope you are somewhere exploring new worlds and seeing the glory of the universe for yourself. Thank you.
2
I've read A Brief History of Time twice, as well as innumerable other books about cosmology, physics, black holes, relativity, gravity, the speed of light, quantum mechanics, parallel universes, string theory - what have you - and I have to confess, I'm more confused now than when I started 60 years ago! But it's been fun and I certainly appreciate Dr. Hawking and all the other scientists trying to explain these things to the huddled masses.
2
I lived in Cambridge, MA while my partner did a fellowship and I made it a point to attend the guest lectures of some of the greats who visited Harvard and MIT. Seeing Stephen Hawking was the highlight of the year and of my lifetime. Afterwards, as we were filing out I heard a man who sat nearby say, "I have a PhD in physics and I'm still not quite sure what he was talking about."
I later lingered near the backstage area to get a closer glimpse of the man who so singlehandedly defied entropy and disease. It felt a bit like my clubbing days when we'd all wait at the back door to see the band. The feeling was similar but with a much greater sense of awe as I sized up the far greater accomplishments of this star. It blew my mind watching a young man lift the fragile, delicate body of Hawking off a chair at the edge of the stage and lower him into the waiting arms of another who then gently place him in his chair as his caregiver arranged his feet, hands, and clothing. I was witnessing a singularly impressive feat of humanity in the behind-the-scenes physical management one man had to endure and yet he still managed to soar above it all.
Some are just born to fly and nothing will hold them back. I was among the few who witnessed it in Stephen Hawking during that tender scene among his caregivers and it will be with me for the rest of my life, especially as my own body succumbs to age.
8
I lived in Cambridge, MA while my partner did a fellowship and I made it a point to attend the guest lectures of some of the greats who visited Harvard and MIT. Seeing Stephen Hawking was the highlight of the year and of my lifetime. Afterwards, as we were all filing out, I heard a man who sat nearby say, "I have a PhD in physics and I'm still not quite sure what he was talking about."
I lingered near the backstage area to get a closer glimpse of the man who so singlehandedly defied entropy and disease. It felt a bit like my clubbing days when we'd all wait at the back door to see the band. The feeling was similar but with a much greater sense of awe as I sized up the far greater accomplishments of this star. It blew my mind watching a young man lift the fragile, delicate body of Hawking off a waiting chair at the edge of the stage and lower him into the waiting arms of another who then gently placed him in his chair as his caregiver arranged his feet, hands, and clothing. I was witnessing a singularly impressive feat of humanity in the behind-the-scenes physical management one man had to endure and yet he still managed to soar above it all.
Some are just born to fly and nothing will hold them back. I was among the few who witnessed it in Stephen Hawking during that tender scene among his caregivers and it will be with me for the rest of my life, especially as my own body succumbs to age.
Thank you Mr. Hawking for your hard work and making your talent a gift.
Being differently able gave Mr. Hawking a rich interior life many of us may wish we to have. Throughout history artists, scientists, musicians, and people in many fields have overcome adversity to propel them inward past themselves. We all the richer for it.
3
Thank you, Dennis Overbye, for writing such a clear description of Stephen Hawking’s theories and ideas. You have made them understandable and approachable to us non-theoretical scientists, which is no small feat. Now we can appreciate Hawking’s contributions to the understanding of the universe.
1
An incredible scholar and human being. My condolences to his family and friends on their tremendous loss.
2
May every era be as blessed as we have been to have a singularly brilliant person among us who is determined to find the truth, wherever the truth takes us. I say "person" instead of "mind" intentionally. The mind we know about even if we can't quite imagine it. But Prof Hawking is reported to have said once something to the effect that his physical disability was a kind of ironic blessing because it meant that all he could do was to think. Such a sentiment, and such courage, elevates the person to brilliance, as well as the well celebrated mind. May we honor him by honoring the principle for which he stood, scientific truth, whether convenient or not.
1
Thank you, Dr. Hawking.
It's rainy here on the Oregon Coast,
but the first clear night we get,
I'll look up at the stars
and say thanks again.
2
Losing Stephen Hawking is more painful than most of us can express. This genius was able to help common people understand both the cosmos in general, and our place in it, in particular. While dealing with the ravages of ALS, he was able to travel far beyond his limitations and see the big picture and the structure of the universe.
His contribution to our fundamental understanding of physics can not be overstated. He was an icon, a giant in his field, and a hero to those of us wanting and needing to fathom the unfathomable. The field of physics will suffer for the loss of him. He is, at long last, part of the cosmos he so dearly loved.
2
No man has influenced our generation of future thinkers, explorers and space enthusiasts as much as he. He was more than a physicist, he was an inspiration for the relentless magnitude of the human spirit. His wit, humor, and fight shall never be forgotten. In his remembrance, we should continue our research and support with individuals with disabilities. A light has been extinguished in our green planet, may his soul forever rest in the stars.
4
A step out of time, a thought experiment.
Imagine a universe without time in which our future and history exist along.
Our universe that has every possible state of objects in it.
Imagine the same swimming pool both full with water (A) and empty with carrots all over the floor (B) .
And it switches from the swimming pool state to the carrot state over and over again.
How could life evolve in such a universe?
No fish could swim nor could a rabbit live on these lovely carrots if they could not seize the moment. If they could not seize that switch moment.
Only if a sense of time was built into life it could evolve.
The rabbit has to be aware of the empty carrot pool A to live and evolve and the fish has to choose the full waterpool B state in order to live and evolve.
Isn’t ‘time’ awareness a necessity for life?
Time for our rabbit is seizing the moment A switches to B and for our fish when B switches to A. But does it prove that time is only going one way? I would not dare to do so.
I would suggest the idea that it proves that life seizes the moment. With that positive thought I will close my thought experiment in memory of mr Hawking.
Reading “ A short history of time” is the first on my list.
It was a beautiful and inspiring life. Today I reflect upon and celebrate that life feeling a bit lighter, a bit less burdened by all of the silliness of everything. That Stephen Hawkings come out of this universe is a great and glorious thing! It is a wonderful place.
1
I'd like to thank Dennis Overbye for all his this outstanding obituary and all his articles on astrophysics.
That's "for his outstanding obituary"...my apologies for the typo!
"But if one of the pair fell into the black hole, the other one would be free to wander away and become real. It would appear to be coming from the black hole and taking energy away from it."
This can be seen as a parable of the life of Stephen Hawking. His body was the particle that fell into the black hole and his mind the released energy taken away from it.
Rest in peace, Dr. Hawking.
Gone, but never forgotten.
His books made some wild ideas understandable in some small way to a mere mortal like me.
Thank you Prof Hawking.
A true loss to our species - a great mind, not just for science but for progress and courage. A true counterpoint to the everyday mindlessness of much of what passes for human endeavour.
The very best kind of mystic is the one who approaches a quest for truth with an open mind, unflinching in its quest for truth.
We should rename one of the better constellations after him. I think Hawking is a more deserving name than many in use. Then, we will always be able to look up, find his smiling face, and ponder the wonder of it all, just as he did so well.
1
I am most jealous, Dr. Hawking, of the fantastic, extraordinary journey you have just embarked upon.
DEAR STEVE,
We will miss you!
Thank you for your helping all of us now and all our children for generations to come!
I know you will continue to explore the universe ad infinitum.
1
He was born 300 years to the day after the death of Galileo and died on the anniversary of Einstein's birth. Symmetry in the universe?
2
Nope just random coincidence.
2
A great mind lost to the cosmos and proof of concept that all humans, regardless of physical challenges can thrive and enjoy life if we allow them to.
3
I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet. But I'm an optimist. We will reach out to the stars. - Hawking 2001
Stephen has lost me as a fan when he said these words. I'm sorry but any human that advocates for colonization after knowing the horrific history of humans is not a brilliant mind. For me he would be a brilliant mind if he worked towards reversing or at least the understanding why we act as viruses towards our environment and not advocating the spread of it to other planets. The universe is simple - it exists - without anyone understanding what it is. Countless indigenous civilizations knew this, but our western egos are so big we cannot and only work towards the ego's goals. I am sad for his kids to lose a father, but it's time for a new generation to have new ideas and take us in a new direction...
Dr. Hawking's life was an amazing testament to human achievement: not only the brilliance of his mind and his scientific scholarship, but the fact that he lived to 76 with ALS, and that he lived with this devastating disease with grace, courage, and good humor. I'm sure it wasn't easy. Yet he pressed on and managed to share his outstanding mind and discoveries with the world. What a loss - to his family, friends, and colleagues; to science; and to humanity. Dr. Hawking was a living example of undisputed brilliance, curiosity, courage, and dedication to inquiry in a world that is steadily tossing these solid attributes overboard in favor of brash ignorance. Thank you for everything, Dr. Hawking. You were an example to us all, and you now belong to the ages. May your memory be a blessing. Rest and roam in peace amongst the stars.
1
that Hawking is famous enough to get all this coverage is largely a result of his gift for self-promotion.
I'll bet if you went out on the street and asked average people his name, many would know it but if you then asked what he contributed to science probably you'd be met by a blank stare in at least 999 out of a thousand faces. That so many have heard of him but not to Ed Witten, who is quoted in the article, is less a reflection of what each has contributed to our understanding of the universe and more of the fact that one had a good personal story as a result of disease and was willing to exploit this for all it was worth.
Although I am not one to fully believe in an after life, the instant I read this headline I had a vision of Stephen Hawking soaring above his chair, his bonds and his braces to spin in cartwheels of exuberant joy through his beloved cosmos, all mysteries solved.
God speed and thank you, Dr. Hawking.
If humanity survives I have no doubt that in 1,000 years people will talk and learn about Stephen Hawking in the same way as we talk about Archimedes, Aristotle, Di Vinci etc. There are a lot of world leaders who should use his passing to remind themselves what a truly great human being is.
2
I was brought into this world not far from Cambridge, and just about the same time that Mr. Hawkings was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. His writings have inspired me, and his heroic battle with that awful disease no doubt inspired millions onto rewarding lives. Rest in peace kind sir. The world is a better place because of you.
1
Hawking was an amazng intellect but no man is an island. This obituary only gives passing reference to the women in his life who certainly deserve recognition for their own grit and perseverance. We should also give acknowledgement to the scientific community as a whole. There are few professions where these types of achievements would even be recognized in a disabled person let alone awarded. Hawkings achievements were a group effort and represent the best of us, not just the best of him.
1
Dr. Hawking is one of the inspirations for my pursuing a career in science. We have lost one of the greatest men of our time.
2
A neurological disorder lurks in my genetic line, but Dr. Hawking's life was a promise that there is much to be achieved absent a fully functioning body. The incredible beauty of the universe he introduced us to far exceeds any theological description of a supreme deity.
Thank you, sir. The world owes you more than it can ever repay.
1
Your books made me fall in love with cosmology. Happy travels to and through the other dimensions, Mr. Hawking.
1
Truly an intellectual titan. Hawking‘s efforts to expand human knowledge an understanding will be a far greater monument to his life than any ceremony or headstone. In the context of human history, measured in centuries, it’s ultimately names like (in no particular order) Newton, Leibniz, Galileo, Curie, Einstein, Euclid, Riemann, Gauss, Goodall, Darwin, Pasteur, and yes, Hawking who prove most important. While the full implications of their work are rarely understood in their time consider how greatly humanity has benefitted from their work. Whole empires could rise and fall with less overall impact to the human race than losing some of the knowledge they have accumulated on behalf of us all.
We would also do well to bear in mind that while many of the names above openly described themselves as men and women of faith, they were brave enough to try to RECONCILE their beliefs with the observable universe around them, rather than taking the easy way out; scrubbing textbooks and suppressing data. Indeed, the so-called “Dark Ages” were not characterized by lack of religious faith, but by lack of objective record-keeping and pursuit of knowledge. So next time a “leader” proposes suppressing a scientific study, removing scientific theories from scientific textbooks, or conflates mere BELIEF (however deeply-held) with rational argument regarding any fact... perhaps it should give us pause.
1
Sad to hear of the passing of probably the most intelligent man in the world. I am sure his teachings will keep inspiring people for many generations to come.
1
Though I feel badly for his family and colleagues that are mourning his loss; I was not a fan of his or the whole culture where very intelligent people veer off into impractical, resource intensive research such as exemplified by C.E.R.N.. Instead brilliant physicists would hopefully lend their brain power to anti-war and political activism to make society better: Not diverge into these haughty intellectual pursuits that tend to be self-serving and self-aggrandizing. There are too many of these supposedly brainy leaders, exemplified in the movie "Good Will Hunting" where atrocious behavior, poor character and warped lifestyles get trumped by a brilliant mathematical mind. A sound mind in a sound body should be the objective for everyone, and I cannot help but believe that if the body is unsound the mind cannot be top rate; they require each other for good function.
1
The article seems confused about the nature of Dr. Hawkins' discovery. It mentions the Hawkins radiation and adds "Dr. Hawking even figured out a way to explain how particles might escape a black hole." That's backwards. He worked out the quantum process first and then DEDUCED that it would result in Hawkins radiation.
Of course Stephen Hawking was a genius.
But it was his courage that put me in awe of him. Just such a brave individual. Simply going about his business every day, with no blowhard antics but instead a sense of humor and a dedication to reality, showed the kind of ever-day courage that I admire more than I can say.
Few obits make me tear up. This one did.
1
The firmament reclaims one of its own.
Here's to your journey into the final mystery Stephen!
Godspeed!
1
Thank you for this wonderful obituary, which shows how much Hawking gave back to the world.
As someone who is not a physicist I can only marvel at his insights and try to comprehend them. But I guess what I find most wonderful about him is that he had a choice to remain in a state of dejection and bitterness about the awful disease he had. Instead, he used his considerable strength and determination against what I see as almost impossible odds to create such a beautiful life. Fate also lent a hand when his disease virtually stopped progressing. Sure, he was stubborn, arrogant, and imperious at times too. But this often goes hand in hand with genius, a genius to whom the scientific community and the world will be forever indebted.
It is basically impossible to do justice. Stephen Hawking's life was so stupendous in so many ways, it defies comprehension to almost all of us. To overcome so much and to achieve the soaring things he did. I can only think of the likes of Nelson Mandela and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who might half understand the development of enduring human and artistic achievement while imprisoned by a ruthlessly unfair system. And even they would doff their hats to Hawking.
Wow. What a life he lived.
It is important to state that Stephen Hawking was a passionate campaigner for the British National Health Service and strongly criticised its ongoing privatisation by the Tory government, specifically the movement toward a US-style insurance-based system.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/18/nhs-scientist-step...
He challenged the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on his misuse of statistics.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/25/jeremy-hunt-attack...
More recently he joined a lawsuit challenging the introduction of accountable care organisations as an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/08/stephen-hawking-lawsuit-...
I have no doubt he would see the preservation of universal health care, taxpayer-funded and free at the point of service as an important legacy.
2
Thank you. Dr. Hawking for your valuable contributions to Science. May you rest among the endless stars and in peace. Perhaps you know now, that the Creator is Scientist, just as you were.
Sympathies to his family and caregivers. We lost a great soul!
Godspeed Dr. Hawking. What an abundance and triumphant life. Thank You!
Back to the cosmos Stephen. Rest in peace.
2
Space "burials", like honorary burials at sea, should be a thing.
A rare thing, indeed, and reserved for those rarified lights among us who truly expanded the frontiers of humankind's knowledge of the natural world, and, in particular, the cosmos.
And if ever a guy deserved such an honor. . .
The contributions that Dr Hawking made to our understanding of the universe(s) we live in are incalculable.
So very sad this morning to read that Stephen Hawking has died. What a hero. We were so lucky to have him in our world.
It sounds trite -- but he truly had "a beautiful mind."
His beautiful mind allowed him to overcome a devastating physical illness that would have defeated the spirit of most other human beings.
Just as Einstein had a sense of humor, so did Hawking which he showed with his willingness to do appearances on the "Big Bang Theory" thereby introducing many people to one of the most brilliant people humanity has ever produced.
1
After seeing the joy on Stephen Hawking's face while in the 0-gravity flight inspired this:
The Cosmic Re-Entry of Stephen Hawking Darkness surrounds me, Silence holds me, My limbs are still strangers that pay me no mind. I am in Space, in a Black Hole no less. Adrift in my discovery, I spread my arms wide to savor the freedom from all the constraints of Earth.
My guide returns, his hand held out. I make my sad little boy face, hoping he'll see I've found my place. But it is time to go.
We spin towards sweeping, iridescent curtains. Black becomes blue. Stars explode around us. I am happy again. I knew I would love the Milky Way.
Earth appears. The Moon shows its dark side as I head home where my Wheelchair, Respirator, Pain and Gravity
Await.
This is a great obituary. Fitting. Thank you Dennis Overbye for a much appreciated chunk of serious journalism.
1
What a great man, what a great mind! Hope that we as a species can heed his intellect, his teachings and put our own collective minds to good work. We're a little lacking these days and there's much to be done.
Stephen Hawking show great steadfastness in not letting a dreadful neurological condition prevent him from using his most precious asset -- his mind. There is something almost Churchillian about the way Hawking did not let the odds against him stop him. Every day of the last 50 years was a gift to Hawking which he used well.
2
Physically paralyzed, but phenomenal Physicist.We celebrate Dr.Hawking's true inspiration. He overcame disability by leaps and bounds.Against all odds. Amidst all odds.
3
I saw Stephen Hawking once while I was living in Pasadena. He was teaching at Cal Tech at the time.
He was going into Vons Pavilion grocery store at Lake Ave and California Blvd as I was coming out.
Stephen Hawking grocery shopping!
I could not believe how lucky I was to have seen this brilliant man. RIP Mr. Hawking.
38
Here's to the quintessential beautiful genius who was relentless in his pursuit for new frontiers to conquer despite being confined physically. It's inspiring, amazing, and such a testament to the positive things the human mind can do.
RIP
2
Remarkable human being on so many levels. Dr. Hawking has been subsumed by his glorious universe and still the love for him will remain here on earth.
3
All my life, I have been a cripple. I wore polio braces until my legs could bear my weight. I was the slowest person in grammar school, all the way through 6th grade -- which was enormously important back then.
But I was smart. Not Stephen Hawking smart, but smart. Show me once, I got it. Every time. My parents afforded me an exquisite education and I did the best I could with it. I can write and few can write better. That is enough.
So here I am, at the end of my life, and Stephen Hawking died last night. I am still weeping and I do not know why. I never met the guy. I never approached his level of dignity. But when I consider his life I am the little boy in polio braces who wanted no one's pity and who writes sentences.
Thank you, God, for him. Thank you.
151
The article mentions the "coincidence" that he was born 300 years to the day after the death of Galileo. One might also note that his lifespan, 76 years, was the same as Einstein's, and furthermore the date of his death, March 14, is Einstein's birthday. All of which is amusing, but presumably of no cosmic significance.
2
Stephen Hawking, the rolemodel for science and intellectual fields for decades, passed away today. This is a great loss for human civilization, but I hope his wish of an interstellar human civilization will come true and that he'll rest in deserved peace. A wonder in human form.
An amazing life — purposeful, curious and expansive.
Thank you, Dr. Hawking.
Loved your smile and you accomplished what everyone dreams of - you made the universe a better place. Thank you
1
I cannot - before today - recall reading a review that left me in tears.
What a great man. What a great mind. What amazing spirit. It seems irrelevant that he did not believe in God. Whatever was within him was a divine force that defies human explanation (until perhaps a scientist of Hawking's caliber comes along and explains it to us).
May he live forever in the annals of science and knowledge.
2
Apart from the great intellect I found his humor to be most insightful and engaging.
1
I can't tell you how sad this makes me. Such a brilliant man and shining proof of how nothing can stop you, if one has the will to keep going, even under the most challenging circumstances.
So many good, brilliant people are dying or abandoning or being pushed out of our greatest institutions and we are left with this ghastly, growing confederacy of dunces ruining our world, ginning up for more war, persecuting people for their heritage or skin color, eliminating science, poisoning our food, land, and air, all for money and power, the global idols of doom and destruction, no more aptly exhibited than in our country today.
I loved that the only thing Stephen Hawking didn't like about his voice was that it had an American accent. That made me laugh out loud through my very real tears reading this wonderful obituary. Thank you, Dennis Overbye!
2
Dr Hawking was defined by his brilliance and achievements, not by his physical condition. I find all those praising him for his courage living with ALS disheartening as if Dr Hawking is nothing more than an inspirational speaker.
Please, let's talk about his discoveries, theories and advises to humanity and not the typical "courageous", "inspirational" political nonsense people use when talking about person with disabilities. I am pretty sure he wouldn't want his tombstone to say "Stephen Hawking, ALS survivor"
1
That he died in the early hours of Pi Day affirms for me that, at times, humans do have a bit of control over when we die.
6
I'm deeply saddened by this news, and the depth has caught me by surprise. The NYT did a wonderful job on this unhappy assignment.
2
Let's also remember and honor Jane Hawking, Stephen's first wife, without whom he would have died at an early age and without whom this scientist would not have survived to make his discoveries and contributions to the Universe. My father, who was an Astrogeologist, when asked what the secret to the best science, said "follow your intuition." Great science is also due to humans who pay attention and see things that others do not. Long live Stephen Hawking!
4
Perhaps Musk's next Tesla car shot into space will carry Mr. Hawking's ashes too so he can continue traveling the cosmos in style. A personalized engraved platinum license plate of his Hawking radiation formula. The speedometer can go up to infinity - in case exceeding 300,000km/s is not outlawed.
Is there a book of Hawking's "humour" and jokes? He's brilliantly funny too.
The anti-"social" Republican's incessant attack on health care and science for all citizens would have squelched this beautiful mind and human. They are putting many beautiful minds and humans at risk every day. How many artists, scientists, humanitarians have already been squelched by the so called party of life?
3
Einstein died at 76, too. Is there a time limit for those who study time?
1
One must think and wonder...
We were blessed that Stephen Hawking lived as long as he did. This is an incredible loss, a hole in the world of science.
TWINKLE TWINKLE
I met him once at a lecture he gave in Santa Monica. After the lecture, rows of people lined up to meet him, many of them physics students, some of them, like me, laymen who read his book and tried to understand it. I waited in line, and when it was my turn I said, “I’m not a physicist. I just wanted to say hello. So: Hello.” What I remember then was how brightly his eyes twinkled. I wish I had said, “Thank you. You make humanity proud.” That probably would have been too sentimental for him, but I’m sure he would have had the good manners and rascally cheek to make his eyes twinkle.
Sorry to do this to you today, Steven, but: “Thank you. You made humanity proud.”
70
AND TWINKLE
Steven Hawking: “Psst. PH ≠ V.”
1
How ironic that Mr. Hawking died on Einstein's birthday. Two giants!
Blessings to Stephen Hawking. He unchained our brains.
Born 300 years to the day of Galileo’s death, and died on the anniversary of Einstein’s birth. The universe is telling us something.
112
Holy mackerel Mr. Waksman, you are awesome for knowing and sharing this intel. Indeed - the universe IS telling us something, I only wish I knew what it was. Thanks for imparting this trifecta of facts on a non-science gal such as myself.
2
Amazing.
1
He is free now. His being has returned to a black hole where it will radiate information and inspiration back into the universe for eternity.
The universe gave this world Dr. Hawking for a brief time but he will shine in the heavens forever.
1
“What a triumph his life has been,” said Martin Rees.
Indeed.
Hawking deserves remembrance in print.
One of the great minds of all time.
Along with Einstein, Newton (a prior holder of the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge that Mr Hawking had--along with the likes of Charles Babbage, one of the father's of computing!), Darwin, Archimedes, Da Vinci...
Somehow, I can't help but think that THIS should have been the lead story on the Times homepage today. Hawking was a true giant, who changed the world, unlike the strutting and preening intellectual and moral micro-minis, who're named / implied in the "lead" stories today...and too many days!
2
To Dr. Hawking - should you cross paths with Albert Einstein, please give him my sincerest regards. Lord knows the kind of celestial magic you both could cook up now that your permanent residence is on that side of the grass.
3
“I wasn’t looking for them at all,” he recalled in an interview in 1978. “I merely tripped over them. I was rather annoyed.”
I think that that statement characterizes best how many discoveries are made. What Hawking left out, perhaps because it's obvious, is that he paid attention. And he made it look like fun which is part, but not all of what discovery is. It's hard work, fun, and joyous. I'd bet anything that that's what kept Hawking going for so many years despite his ALS.
Now he will be with the stars and the universe forever without any limits.
27
Although I’m an agnostic, I hope that Stephen was wrong in his atheism. If anyone deserves to wander the cosmos in an afterlife, it is him.
Thank you, Stephen Hawking.
46
He wasn’t an atheist. He was an agnostic. "God may exist, but science can explain the universe without a need for a creator." - Stephen Hawking
1
A well-written remembrance, explaining complex ideas for regular people like me. Sorry it had to be in the context of Hawking's death.
13
Some 25 years ago six or seven of us sat in a tiny lecture room in the old maths building in Cambridge listening to Professor Hawkins discuss a paper he had written on the arrow of time, could it ever go backwards. As I listened, I wondered if raw curiosity in a brilliant, eager mind could hold a progressive disease like ALS at bay.
The lecturer organizing the seminar told a tale about Professor Hawkins that summed up so much of that spirit. He said the first time he invited the professor to address the seminar he waited nervously at the front door of the building. He felt very much the young academic wanting to have everything go right for his famous visitor. As he was greeting the professor he noticed that the great man’s eyes were looking past him and that famous computer voice said “I think I can make it.”
At the far end of the hall was the ancient service elevator. The massive steel door was just beginning to close. The chair shot forward, raced down the hall toward the closing door, and, as the young lecturer said, “He almost made it.”
This was a human being who competed head to head with the mysteries of the entire Universe to understand who we are, where did we come from, where do we go? Thank you, Professor Hawkins. I hope we all keep racing for the elevator.
105
Beautiful comment and beautiful man.
If only as much thought was given to potholes as it was black holes, life here on earth could be so much nicer. But it was nice that a man confined to a wheelchair much of his life could get out as much as Stephen did, even if it was only his own world.
2
Thank you, Dr. Hawking, for your many great and important contributions. Thank you to all the family and caregivers who cared for your body to free your mind.
12
This news has hit me very hard, in the way that the death of Oliver Sacks hit me. They stand as shining examples of big thinking, generosity of spirit, and dedication to knowledge at a time when petty, venal, closed minds dominate the news and the public discourse.
I am grateful for all that Dr. Hawking gave the world and hope that our education system will not fail the great minds of the future.
21
I was moved when I read your comment because I felt exactly the same way when I heard he had died. In fact, I cried. Dr. Hawkings opened new worlds to all humanity. Now, if we can only get beyond the “black hole” that we are in now by following his example of thinking ever more deeply (and hopefully!) about our world.
Grateful to have lived during his time and sad to see him leave. Despite ever greater numbers we humans are creating fewer and fewer geniuses.
4
Not sure what his wish (cremation or burial) was after he died, but if it was cremation, Space X should offer to send his ashes into space. He will truly be a "star baby" as in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
7
For some reason, my thoughts of Stephen Hawking keep coming back to the idea that here was arguably one of the greatest minds in the history of science, and he seemed to take real delight in doing cameo appearances on "The Big Bang Theory". There he was, swapping barbs with the great Sheldon Cooper!
I think that tells you a lot about the man, and it's all good.
6
Rest In Peace Mr. Hawking. Thank you for being a champion for the thinkers, dreamers, and those who do not let disabilities limit them. You will be missed.
9
There is one aspect of Dr. Hawkins life & death that should not be overlooked. It is his access to what conservatives dismissively refer to as socialized health care. Had he been born here without access to the level of care then available in Britain he likely would have died young in one of the for profit warehouses we call nursing homes. For far to many disabled that’s the fate our system of profit above all provides.
26
As Nehru said about Gandhi after his assassination--
"A great light has gone out of our lives."
And as Neil deGrasse Tyson said--
"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it."
15
Hawking was a top-shelf theoretical cosmologist, but a less than stellar theoretical theologian. He was often right about black holes, but always wrong about God. Funny thing, neither black holes nor God can be seen directly, but each can be detected in exactly the same way, by how they interact with everything around them. It would be interesting to have a conversation with Hawking now that he has entered eternity. http://www.prophecysociety.org/PDF/PG_FREE.pdf
3
@Dan Bruce: "He was often right about black holes, but always wrong about God."
-------
Prove it.
4
First off, according to his article, it's all true because the bible says it is. Ah...I have serious problems regarding that as evidence. Any other ideas?
2
“God” as so many like to reference in their self-interest or religious doctrine misses far too many details about human behavior to be taken seriously. However, the primordial force Nature misses nothing. It simply and complexly is. Most humanity, i.e. organized religion, tends much too quickly toward creating a “Being” rather than realizing our existence is primordial and contemporaneous all at once in the context of Nature. There lies the rub.
2
it's heartening, of course, to learn that imminent death inspired hawking to live his best; but disheartening, too, introspecting re known life, so ordinary by compare. does everyone long for an obituary such as his, a tale of cosmic home runs, or is there peace enough in witness and understanding, if only in paraphrase?
2
We have just lost one of the great people of history — someone whose expansive mind and boundless curiosity pushed the human race forward. You will be fondly remembered as we venture deeper and deeper into the unknown.
2
The very definition of brilliance, it's beyond comprehension....
1
As noted in the article, Hawking was born on the anniversary of Galileo's death. Perhaps someone has already noted this but today, the day of Hawking's death, is Einstein's birthday.
19
... and Pi day. Thanks for this note!
5
RIP Dr. Hawking. I would say join Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Einstein, and others before you who have studied the dimensions of God's creation, but since He does not figure significantly into your equations, I will leave it at that.
4
God?
Which one exactly?
We rationalists always forget.
1
@Victorious Yankee,
One day you will meet Him.
The glory of curiosity will take you places you never dreamed . . .
We will miss you Stephen Hawking. At times like this, I hope those who believe in reincarnation are the ones who are right.
4
My initial feeling was selfish, one less person who was truly looking out for the welfare of mankind is gone. I felt sorry for us. We were lucky he was with us for so long.
4
Stephen Hawking had a brilliant mind. Considering his deteriorating physical condition through many years it would seem that there must be much more to a mind than just the physical brain. At any rate at this time he knows " the mind of the Lord" of which the Bible speaks.
3
So proud to be from the same country as this man England...never again will we see his like.
An amazing man who proved all wrong that he only had to years to live...fly high Stephen....fly high...you will for sure go on in history.
3
The mind is an amazing thing.
Eternity comes from the passing of ideas, the memory of them and how they transform the universe. There is no doubt that Stephen Hawking's ideas are now a part of eternity.
Sadly no Pi day in England!
4
Terrific obituary, thank you. I feel quite certain that the earth will ultimately be destroyed not by a massive explosion or by a terrible virus but by something much more banal and commonplace: simple human greed.
4
The earth will not be destroyed. As for a terrible virus, perhaps that's us.
Who will speak out with such credibility, now that he is gone?
We owe him such gratitude.
4
Thank you Stephen Hawking's for everything you taught us. you will be missed
5
In in many ways, in the most trying times, Stephen Hawking provided us with hope. A black hole is now clearly visible.
2
Stephen Hawking was an avowed atheist. What a loss, but what a life! A hero.
We are a bit more alone in the universe.
2
Amazing that someone so otherwise brilliant couldn’t experience that consciousness exists independent of the physical brain. But he does now.
2
Anybody who can father 3 kids, have two wives, author a monster best-seller and pursue one of the most distinguished career's in science while strapped into a wheelchair barely existing on the edge of survival throughout much of his life, and who did not waste a second of his life can only be considered a remarkable human being. Respect. (As Ali G would say.)
14
Headed into a blackness
Deeper than any that he probed --
At least, he's dressed for the journey:
In gratitude, enrobed.
7
President Trump, this man is a genius.
11
RIP Dr. Hawking. I like to imagine his soul sitting in that red Tesla cruising through the universe.
9
while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Godspeed, sir. You are a beautiful man.
4
Hawking made science sexy, fun and exciting.
3
God and the Universe rest and keep his soul. The man died on Pi Day (3/14) of 2018. Thinking of infinity right to the end.
6
My grandfather died on Yom Kippur
(For Jews, there is no holier day):
Hawking left on Einstein's birth --
A sacrament of science, in its way.
7
... and that was Pi day also. Thanks for this item!
Reasons not to pull the plug!! The best was yet to come. Definitely an Epicurean. Does everyone know that the Greeks devised the concept of atoms and void? (Check out your WikiP.) or read De rerum natura, altho Lucretius is not the first with the theory. We need not fear death nor the gods.
1
Much to be admired -- for both scientific and nonscientific aspects. I am astounded he survived half a century with ALS and continued to be productive to the end; I am a physicist with a communication disability also and slightly older. I never had the opportunity (which I take now) to thank him for several popularizations he wrote, including my favorite: "God Created the Integers".
I don't know if this has been noted, but he seems to have passed away on Pi Day. How fitting and ironic.
4
What a wonderful complicated enlightening imaginative curious human being Stephen Hawking was and will always be.
Being curious is the root of and the route to human progress. The ability to think originally, independently and creatively begins with acknowledging ignorance. Wise humans are willing to say 'I don't know' when asked a question when they have no education, experience nor information.
Ignorance aka not knowing what 2 pus 2 equals is a universal curable condition. Stupidity aka knowing that 2 plus 2 equals five is a limited incurable ailment.
The ability of Hawking to explain and share his wisdom was a humble humane empathetic gift to his fellows.
8
In contrast to the shallow personalities headlined often in the NYT, Hawking made a true contribution to human knowledge. In addition, he overcame disability to carry on this work. His life is a real, positive example for humanity. As Descartes once wrote, "science is the highest calling of mankind"
3
Wow. Hawking dies on Einstein's birthday. And it's Pi Day.
2
"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky"
Because of Stephen Hawking we have all been able to touch the sky---and beyond. What an inspiration of triumph over adversity!
RIP.
2
The thought that, after being born, we will die, is our mortality. Most deny this reality, with religion or stupidity. If ever, there could be a devil’s bargain, now, this time, someone else should have bitten the bullet. RIP SH
A true hero in an age of false gods.
1
He died on Pi-day!
1
Steven Hawking was my # 1 scientist. I am still in high school and I always wanted to see him in person. I did a few essays on his work.I believed and still do believe that he was the greatest man who have roamed this very planet. Right now, I want to go back in time and meet him in person. I want to take over his work and go inside a black hole. I want to show everybody that his work is correct. He made me a little bit of a physicist. I am going to commemorate him in every day that I live.
6
Lucky him dies on Pi day!
1
Thank the stars that died so that he may live.
2
His body maybe gone but his ideas will live forever- God speed Stephen Hawkins
It's the lost of humanbeing. Have a peace sleep. Dr. Hawking.
3
And in the end, these words from Stephen may save us from the ignorant.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40461726
1
Stephen Hawking the man may be gone, but his words will continue to travel through the cosmos he has done so much to help define.
8
Hawking's death is all the more of a loss at this time, when good science is under such attack and junk science gets more attention.
His life was an example to all of us of how will-power can help talent flourish against adversity.
Speaking of adversity: even the healthiest and most able-bodied of us depend on others to live our lives, even when we pretend that we do it all ourselves. Hawking obviously had to rely on dedicated care from many inside and beyond his family. They too deserve recognition.
22
The physical part of Stephen Hawking was always the least of him. May he continue to soar through the cosmos.
37
May the public's fascination with science which Dr. Hawking helped spark not be dimmed by celebrities and politicians who come to power and claim to have the truths of the universe figured out. May his light be as strong as that of the cosmos he helped reveal.
50
There are no words which can truly describe how much good Dr. Hawking has done in his lifetime. Whether it was for humanity, planet Earth, or the infinitesimally small part of this wondrous universe we live in.
What a beautiful human being humanity has lost today. Fortunately, his contributions will live on a very long time.
36
At a time when some among us would degrade scientific inquiry into looming issues like climate change, Hawking was perhaps the epitome of the human mind's quest for understanding of the world around us, and our place in it. His body failed him, but his mind was ever active and deeply brilliant in revealing the mysteries of existence.
I prefer to think that Hawking has already passed into a black hole and re-emerged as a bright new star blinking at us brightly through curved space.
42
A very sad day....a profound loss for we Humans. Thank you Stephen for your genius, your brilliance, your heroism...may you RIP, I suspect your journey continues. Love & sincere condolences to your family and close friends. Thank you Stephen Hawkins!
24
He is free now!
14
X, first thing and beginning of everything.
Inspired by Stephen Hawking and the many other great thinkers of big thoughts. Let me add my attempt at a big thought.
In trying to understand the beginning of everything, I suggest there existed “X” (as in solving for X). X existed for all of time and was perpetually changing. It was not created. It just existed. It was composed of enough matter and/or energy to power the “big bang”. During one of its many changes over time, it achieved a state which became or caused the “big bang”. Thank you, Stephen Hawking.
2
For me, Stephen Hawking isn't dead.
He is the newest, smartest member of 'The Guardians of the Galaxy'.
Trading barbs with Rocket Raccoon while cobbling together a quantum portal device that just might save the Universe.
RIP Professor and thank you.
13
I don’t normally comment on obituaries - what is there to say except that death is awful? But Hawking was such a heroic and astounding figure that I have to register my sorrow at his passing and my admiration of his genius. I read his books and I admire the lucidity of his writing as much as the profundity of his thinking. A genius like him is a justification for humanity’s existence. Looking at the stupidity, venality and pettiness of millions around the world sometimes makes you wonder whether the evolutionary accident that has created us is something to celebrate or to regret. But a man like Hawking makes up for a lot of insignificant and wasted lives.
36
We should heed Stephen Hawking's warning about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Encountering alien beings could wipe out humanity by exposing us to microbes that our immune systems would have no defense against. Hawking said it would be like when Native Americans were wiped out by exposure to European diseases. It is a foolishness that a few elite scientists decide to spend billions of dollars on this useless and dangerous search, when we have so many problems to solve here on Earth.
12
Native Americans were not wiped out by exposure to European diseases. They were wiped out by Europeans.
Your fears are groundless.
Even if extraterrestrial life were discovered, it would be impossible to be in direct contact over the vast distances of space.
If and when such distances were conquered, humanity would certainly know how to protect itself against alien micro-organisms.
ALL knowledge is potentially dangerous, but ignorance is dangerous in and of itself. Also, whether any particular bit of knowledge is “useful” to humanity at the time it is discovered is almost entirely unknowable. Science and technology is not a faith-based phenomenon where the solutions spring fully-formed out of vacuum. A scientist gathering “useless” data about microbes at the bottom of the ocean may not know that their work may allow some other researcher to create a life-saving vaccine. Even think tanks focused exclusively on solving identifiable problems draw upon the work of people in wholly separate fields.
The classic example are the myriad “spinoff” technologies of NASA. It’s practically a cliche at this point when people ask “why focus on space when there are problems on Earth?” In reality, the mere pursuit of knowledge beyond our planet has yielded plenty of tangible benefits to medicine, materials science, computing, mathematics, communications, etc. The point is, don’t be so quick to write off any scientific endeavor as “useless” just because it does not present immediately actionable data right then and there. There’s no way of knowing what piece of the puzzle any researcher is holding or how important it might be to some larger picture.
1
There was something almost mystical to having such an extraordinary mind, dedicated to the understanding of the nature of the universe, trapped in a broken body, confined to a wheelchair. I understand that one of his final conjectures, a corollary of sorts to his extraordinary finding that black holes actually emit radiation, is that they are portals to other universes, a statement with mystical overtones as well. And, if there's someone who can speculate something about black holes, that would be him.
Mr. Hawking, may you have a great, better next time. You are an inspiration.
10
almost?
The very best kind of mystic is the one who approaches a quest for truth with an open mind, unflinching in its quest for truth.
Physically disabled for 55 years and he still couldn't find an excuse to not leave his mark on the world. Hawking has such a great story.
26
Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day.
Albert Einstein was born on "Pi Day," March 14.
Stephen Hawking died on Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday.
Signifying nothing, but interesting, no?
As Don McLean put it, "The three men I admire most . . ."
22
He seemed to defy gravity.
"Speeding through the Universe
Thinking is the best way to travel."
(In search of the Lost Cord, Moody Blues 1968)
10
And, he was a fearless atheist.
30
ohh, no...not now. a great hero, forever.
9
"Quiet people have the loudest minds."
-Stephen Hawking
29
Trump walks but cannot think. Give me Stephen Hawking any day.
27
Dr. Hawking’s revelations and his life are a testament to the beauty of the human mind and spirit. To mention the name, “Trump” in the same sentence baffles me more than all the complexities of the universe.
1
Dead on Einstein's birthday --
At the self-same age:
Rarer than a Newton's the savant
Who knows just when to turn The Page.
3
Dead on Einstein's birthday --
At the self-same age:
Rarer than a Shakespeare's the actor
Who knows just when to leave the stage.
6
More than anything, his achievements and contributions to science are a true testament to the human spirit, his unimaginable physical disability could not stop him to achieve the great things in science. Truly inspired, may his soul R.I.P.
6
Simply an amazing human being. RIP, Dr. Hawking.
9
Two recent deaths, one, an Evangelist of Christ, the other, of Humanity. Did the Evangelist of Christ know and truly accept the humanity of Christ, after all? Or was he simply trading, in a sense, on our common fears, of darkness and annihilation? Fears that the Evangelist of Humanity faced as bravely and profoundly as anyone of whom we know, in our relatively brief history as rational beings-in-time.
Two seminal figures of the recent age, one looking back, the other, forward. Who would you choose to follow?
10
One of the most brilliant minds that the world will forever miss! He defied odds every step of the way and is the reason I love science a lot more. God bless you Dr. Stephen Hawking! Your light will continue to shine on further.
4
When human mind put to a good cause, wonders can be achieved.
I salute Mr Hawkins for picking up every challenge through his life and help us show how human we can be, if we choose to.
2
He helped us understand the vastness and complexity of this amazing universe.
I hope he's now getting to explore it, and I hope he's having a blast.
10
A gift of a challenging paradox once again. A gifted human being, for whom disability became opportunities, daily, to BE,with his available and accessible internal and external resources. Dr. Hawking quested and questioned the meanings, and parameters, of "black holes." Contributing in his lifetime to better universal understanding, as process and outcome, for all of US. Trump, as a boundaryless, unaccountable, person, and President, tweets faux "answers," blackening whole selected "others," values and norms.
3
Thank you for helping us understand and marvel at this beautiful and complex Universe, or perhaps a Multiverse. Thank you Stephen!
2
As tragic and heartbreaking as his loss is, Dr. Hawkins is not dead for any of us. He will continue to live for ages and eras yet unknown through his work, in our minds, and with his life’s example of persevering against all physical odds.
But seriously, Dr. Hawkins, you chose Pi Day? Your sense of humor competes with your scientific brilliance!
6
Stephen Hawking: the brightest star in our universe. May you shine forever.
17
Wow too bad. What a heroic guy for so many reasons. The world just got a lot dumber.
12
Plenus annis abiit, plenus honoribus - He is gone from us, full of years and full of honors (Pliny).
15
When you learn his story, you realize he was a living miracle.
11
I have a few of his books on display in my library to let my houseguests know what a brainiac I am.
10
You should try reading them!
6
by complete coincidence, and that humans are able to see patterns in everything, his initials are written into the cosmic background radiation, but in my humble opinion, probably deserved
3
Thank you Stephen Hawking. The Universe salutes you.
16
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1
Godspeed Dr. Hawking.
4
What a magnificent read this obituary was.
The greatest part is we can honor and vindicate each other even as we diverge. If Dr. Bekenstein can be vindicated, so can Mr. van der Sluijs, even from the other shore, even by the Times moderation, even as he takes another edge, in poetry, vying to outsweep meticulous and delicate theory in a succinct evocation of another complexion and completeness:
March 14th, 2018
Death and birth are relative.
But ain't today awfully cute
And might I say an absolute
For Hawking to join Einstein's whiff?
Great Lord, today we offer thee
On the altars of hate, denial, pedantry,
Of hit- and clickbait slavery
Another lamb slaughtered by knavery.
But only the remaining body form.
You can have it, or Your worm.
However black the hole You dig,
The mind escapes its trap with wit.
The mind is King and freely roams
The depth and width of our existence,
The mountains and the oceans in the distance,
Then reassembles from white foams.
And if you cannot stand the heat
(Like roasted sacrificial meat),
Lighting bigly from our foreheads,
Stay out of the kitchen with your wimpy 'winner' war rhet.
(Global) warming is real, as Hawking shrieked.
A legacy we gotta meet!
Don't tell us anything of stamina,
You hammock dweller of mock blabla.
The mind is King if used to roam
The depth and width of our existence,
The mountains and the oceans in the distance.
It reassembles from white foam...
11
RIP Stephen Hawking.......
Read Top 10 Famous Quotes by Modern Cosmology's Brightest Star
http://www.quotss.com/article/Top-10-Famous-Quotes-by-Stephen-Hawking
1
I saw A Brief History Of Time around May 1992. I had such a huge crush on him. Even in the wheel chair, bent over but not so messed up yet. And then the photos of him at Oxford, such a cuuute and brilliant mind! Within a month I met Paul Williams (creator of Crawdaddy Magazine), right off he attracted me with those Issac Asimov glasses and mop of hair and fast and interesting mind. It was like my brief celebrity crush on Stephen Hawking prepared me for meeting my husband to be. But I was the one that liked Astrophysics! Well, its poetic aspects anyways. And Paul thought that was funny and cute. Im glad both of them got to accomplish so much on this planet, we are so much better for having had them here...
God bless you Stephen Hawking, may the energies that propelled your electrons, protons and neutrons, escape the earths confines and may you traverse the heavens, uncovering new beautiful mysteries. Thank you beautiful soul.
4
A brilliant physicist but an awful man.
7
What justification do you have for this statement?
worked with him in 2001
1
The entire world lost an incredible mind today. Very big loss for myths entire planet.
The mind isn’t lost, where will it go? From the universe, back to the Universe!
3
Living, as we do, in an age where mindless louts tend to occupy all our attention professor Hawking’s death seems to leave us with an especially large loss to humanity. “Thank you” is not enough of a salute to such a man.
12
The world loses one of its greatest minds.
2
Given only a couple of years to live in 1963. Steven Hawking, we are so happy that you proved those poorly calculating diagnosticians wrong. Thanks for your being, wisdom and the sharing of it all. Rest in peace.
5
Thankfully he wasn't American or the health care system would have killed him before he made his greatest discoveries.
20
God rest ye merry, gentleman
Let nothing you dismay.
1
And on this day, I shall mourn.
But then I will eat some pi in Stephen's honor. And I like to think that would have amused him.
R.I.P., Dr. Hwaking.
3
His mind and soul will now return to the Heaven.
1
Rest In Peace, Stephen.
You showed us that you don't need legs to reach the stars.
6
If God exists, He sure made sure that Stephen Hawkins had a long life for someone with his physical disability. He also made sure Stephen Hawkins had one of the most brilliant minds and the grace to share his intelligence with us.
2
According to Hawking himself, the reason for his longevity was the services of our brilliant NHS.
9
We can postulate that God gave these things to Dr. Hawking, but if so He also gave him free will: it was Dr. Hawking who chose, despite his illness and the profound physical limitations it foisted on him, to share his gifts with the world and to do so with kindness and grace. He chose to live with as much strength and honor as possible, rather than descend into bitterness and despair, which he so understandably could have done. What an honor for us all. Not everyone may believe in the Almighty, but whether one believes or not one thing is undisputed: how well Dr. Hawking used and shared the gift of his brilliance. Humanity is so proud of him.
1
Terribly disabled, yet Mr. Hawking traveled farther in his lifetime (mind) than any human in history.
3
RIP Dr Hawking. possibly the greatest scientist since Einstein, you expanded our knowledge of the universe and also showed that profound disability is not an obstacle to greatness. Thank you.
3
The fruits of unbound intellectual curiosity, forever personified.
2
When is human curiosity no longer? When we stop thinking and die.
1
Beautifully written, Dennis Overbye. A worthy piece.
8
cry now, the dali Lama will also pass and we will weep, and the wheel will turn
The writers of the Big Bang Theory should pen an episode depicting how Jim Parson's character Sheldon Cooper is coping with the death of his intellectual equal Stephen Hawking.
4
In the multiverse, Stephen Hawking lives on. Forever.
4
There will never be another one like Hawking! We say that all the time when legends pass... but in this case, there truly may never be one like him. To accomplish all that did, in fields beyond the understanding of >99.99% of the population in spite of all the worst that life had handed him, is just mind boggling. May you rest in peace Dr.Hawking! We will surely miss you... but you are in excellent company with Newton, Einstein, Gauss, Feynman et al.
6
What can you say about someone who teaches you so many things, including humility and appreciation about the endlessly beautiful and amazing universe? In his passing, he will experience great joy and relief (according to my buddhists beliefs).
I prepared for bed and then read this headline. So, I offer this set of the Lyrics from Chrisse Hyde of the Pretenders entitled The Message of Love.
"Now look at the people
In the streets, in the bars
We are all of us in the gutter
But some of us are looking at the stars."
5
I think she’s quoting Oscar Wilde. But nonetheless, a good epitaph.
"No con, but Lamb," the voter said.
"No tariff sham, we won't be had."
"No empty State, it's all so sad."
And voted for the Democrat.
Election results may be snappy.
They still can make me halfway happy.
There's one thing though that makes me vent:
The perennial U.S accent!
It swallows sense in a black hole:
Hysteria and hyperbole.
I have to join the stance of Stephen:
The overdrive is really deaf'ning.
(Stephen Hawking had to die on the same day Albert Einstein was born.)
6
Was born the day Galileo died, too.
2
No, he was born on the date Galileo died.
If he’d been born on the day Galileo died, he would have been MUCH older than 76.
1
Stephen and the cosmos - forever together at last
3
Loved Hawking. Still don't have a clue what he is talking about, but it sounds cool.
9
We as a people were given an enormous gift in the form of Doctor Stephen W. Hawking. He changed a once held concept of the universe, and moved us forward to a deeper, better, understanding of it. Equally important, he proved unequivocally that severe physical limitations need not equate to limitations on mind and spirit. Rather, that, in spite of the devastation of the physical being, the human zest for life can remain indomitable. It can be justifiably said that Doctor Hawking expressed at least reservations about the reality of God. He, so much more than the rest of mankind, now has a unqualified answer.
77
Dr. Hawking was atheist. He unequivocally stated that a belief in God was unnecessary to understand the universe. He himself denied the existence of God. Dr. Hawkings is now, however, uniquely situated to test his hypothesis. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he won't be able to report his findings on the God issue until sometime after the 'explosion' releases all that hidden information.
There's no question in my mind that we, as a human society, have been incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Hawking among us. His intellect and twinkly humor will be missed.
As a disabled scientist, it's literally impossible to describe what this man meant to me personally. Inspiration is a word that doesn't even begin to express my motivation to better myself. I've been in a wheelchair since I was four years old.
I went on to get my Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from NYU, in part because of my admiration for scientists like Professor Hawking, and geniuses like Charles Proteus Steinmetz, and a singular amazing politician - FDR. I didn't care that the world that wasn't ready for us. I used the same backdoor ramp and elevator that FDR used when he addressed my class at C.E. Hughes H.S.
Let's take a wild leap, imagine all the disabled geniuses whose progress upwards, if not stymied by peoples' perceptions, might of contributed to better our world.
Gut the ADA? Not happening. Hold us back, harder than you think. Einstein had a blackboard for his mathematics, Hawking had only his mind, simply incredible.
Feeling sorry for the little cripple in a wheelchair, there's a chance she or he has to work twice as hard as you, for what they have. There's a better than even chance their IQ is double yours.
Diversity, is a no-brainer. Electing dolts to office because of family, appearance, fortune or fame, now that's a really stupid concept!
Professor Hawking will live forever through his work, his revolutionary insights about our universe, and the students he mentored. Others without his intellect, and work ethic will disappear into the detritus of history.
24
Even supernova's fade. And so goes today's brightest star in the human firmament. Fare thee well Sir Stephen of the Hawking's clan. Your body may have failed you but your energy and spirit, as proven by your calculations, will live on forever.
John~
American Net'Zen
1
He had ALS. It’s like being buried up to your neck in the sand and seeing the tide coming in. His survival for so long is as astonishing as his physics.
Today is Pi day, (3.14159265359) Happy mathematics Mr. Hawkins, you rock!
7
May he continue to roam the cosmos in all its wondrous glory.
4
Unfortunately his scientific views were borne from a mechanist bias, and after reading a Brief History of Time many years ago, I realized his science was superficial and undaring. The world conflates his disability with specialized genius. As someone who spends considerable time with people overcoming their impairments, this overblown fawning is a turn off. He was a populist made popular by his wheelchair.
I have no idea what you're talking about. The test of a scientific theory is whether its predictions are confirmed.
....And today is Einstein's birthday.
2
The black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy should be named in his honor...
1
Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes' remains one of the most accessable science books ever written even as it tackles subjects as esoteric as time, worldlines and black holes.
Thank you Stephen Hawking...RIP.
1
Rest in Eternal Peace. You’ve expanded many minds and inspired many thinkers. Thank you for your wonderful contributions to the human race.
3
We will all meet amongst the stars. RIP, but I have a feeling his spirit will be in the heavens feeding his insatiable curiosity.
1
He will always remain an inspiration to the handicapped people. Being handicapped is not an impediment to lead a normal life,and also have a great career. RIP Sir.
2
I recently subscribed to the journal Science and the first issue arrived a couple weeks ago. It was like getting clean air, clear waters and cloudless skies, pages of pure light in a world of jumbled thought. I was always interested in science — my major was journalism with a minor in chemistry — and felt a desperate need in these chaotic times for evidence human beings are who we purport to be, creatures of a higher intellect who can transcend the battle to survive and, through discovery, create beauty.
Stephen Hawking epitomized this to me, a man who showed the possibility within us all. He roamed realities only a few will even glimpse. His physical limits made his story even more compelling, and I sometimes wondered if, paradoxically, they pushed him into a higher plane, gave him vision beyond the ordinary. After reading “A Brief History,” I tried to go further to reach a point of understanding, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around it, and so must satisfy myself with his conclusions, like viewing great art in a gallery.
Music, poetry, visual arts, dance and, yes, science — they all seem to be one, proof of promise. I rejoice in Dr. Hawking’s life, a compass into infinite spaces.
3
I first heard Stephen Hawking in the early 70’s, at an astrophysics conference in NY. My high-school physics teacher had wrangled me an admission pass. At that time, Hawking could still speak with his natural voice, albeit with difficulty. I still recall how he pronounced “black hole”, which was clearly a challenge. I also recall that the conference organizers thanked his mother for traveling with him so he could participate.
Fast forward to Oxford in the late 80’s, and Prof. Hawking was giving a semi-public lecture on black holes and cosmology. He’s using a computer-controlled voice synthesizer; after the first half of the lecture, there’s a pause while the second half is loaded into the computer memory. At the end, people ask fulsome questions, which he typically answers with a few words selected from his synthesizer’s menu.
Later, a group of us (I’m by far the most junior) go out for dinner with him at an Indian restaurant — he loves Indian food. Within the constraints of his computer-controlled voice, he’s a bit more loquacious among colleagues. But until half-way through the meal, nobody thinks to lower the synthesizer’s volume, and his pronouncements on deep issues in relativity and cosmology go booming through the restaurant with lecture-hall force. I wonder, what do the other patrons think?
125
I doubt/hope the patrons realized they were in the presence of brilliance.
Hawking could eat naturally? Who fed him?
1
Josh Barnes, I was with you in those days, at St. Ann's in Brooklyn. Not doing Physics, but Greek. It's been quite a ride--wonderful that you got to know him.
I always felt very bad for Hawking's handicap. That any human being should suffer any handicap (especially of this kind) is very sad and heart wrenching. God forbid.
And of course he was a very good physicist. But to say to he changed our view of the universe is a great exaggeration. (I would ascribe it to today's culture of media hype and the usual British propaganda). I can name many physicists in the last 50 years with more fundamental/important contributions.
RIP Stephen. You - and your courage above all - will be missed.
3
Oh my goodness, I was so sorry to hear of Stephen Hawking's death. He had a mind equal to, and possibly greater than Einstein's, because he grew up in a later time and was able to read all of Einstein's theories of everything.
Still, we must be grateful, because after his diagnosis, he was slated to die in two years. The man went on and on and just refused to give up and stop thinking.
We all owe him a great debt. I will always miss wonderful minds immensely.
67
Who 'refuse(s) to give up' and, as a result, does not die from ALS? Magical thinking! I know of many people who would avoid dying from ALS if that were the case. Give to ALSTDI to help those who have ALS and just aren't as lucky as Stephen Hawking.
1
The key phrase was “he refused to give up and stop thinking”-luck is another thing entirely
Just as a physical specimen, Dr. Hawking may open a new chapter for humanity's fight against disease - especially neurological disease.
You simply DO NOT get to live long at all once you are found to have ALS, the cruelest fate I ever saw during my brief period in a VA hospital.
76 years. It still stuns me.
He made it that long. Doctors, please find out how.
2
A great man with a nimble mind and a rigid body who brought the world of science, time and physics to us lesser mortals in words we could understand. God owes you Stephen. The rest of us are grateful for the time he gave us with you. RIP
Bravo to the authors of this gorgeously written obituary! The NYTimes obit writers are second to none.
4
I weep. He was the world's greatest living mind who transcended a devastating disability. As a young, disabled academic, facing constant discrimination, he has been a personal inspiration to me. A deep "Rest In Peace" Professor Hawking, it has never been more well-deserved. I weep.
1
While I respect Hawking’s honor to the cosmos, I can only pray for his soul. His bitterness towards religion showed that for all of his empathy towards such said celestial bodies, he never imagined what was celestial already around us.
I’m excited for the endless comments mocking religion to ensue in his death, despite that the man died just like we all will. How eternal the struggle, despite the teleology.
1
Hawking seemed to have a bold humility with respect to his own ideas. I imagine the penchant for superlatives that populate these eulogies would amuse him.
What a great picture of Dr. Hawking. He will be missed.
Bye, star man. Your energy will vibrate forever. Peace to your loving family.
3
I so admired Stephen Hawking for his perseverance, his brilliance, and his bravery. I remember trying to read "Brief History of Time" as a kid and realizing that math and physics were never going to be my strong suit. I always wished I could understand his discoveries more, but I recognize that that kind of genius is not mine to understand. I am so grateful and awed by those who can look at the universe and decipher in not with words, but with equations, and then explain what they've discovered to the rest of us, who can look at them and the heavens in wonder.
RIP, sir.
2
Go in peace I am so sorry you left us and admire you immensely not only for the science but inspiration. Thank you also for speaking for medical trends to abandon those afflicted by physical incapacitation.
Stephen Hawking was and always will be recognized as one of the greatest human beings in history. He is my generation's Albert Einstein. I revere him. He helped bring zero and infinity closer than one could imagine. He will always be remembered now whenever I look deep into the heavens. Thank you sir for pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and human perseverance.
1
Stephen Hawking, along with Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson are on the Mount Rushmore of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century. Mr. Hawking is proof that one doesn't have to be limited in life by disability, rather that a person can achieve great success in spite of the disability. If humanity has to escape Earth to settle on a distant planet, I bet the ship that carries mankind through the stars to our new home will bear his name in recognition of all he did to help us mere mortals understand the big, bold universe that we occupy a very, very small portion of.
An extraordinary man personifying genius, persistence, and resilience.
Safe travels, sir, as you finally journey free among the stars...
1
Stephen Hawking was more than an inspirational scientist. He was a living example of the indomitable alliance of the human mind and human spirit and an avatar of human dignity. RIP
The next time I go to complain about this, that, or the other limitation, I won't.
What an incredible life.
Nice article NYT.
I am totally humbled by the man's life and accomplishments.
MB
2
I feel so lucky and beholding to have lived in Mr. Hawking's lifetime and to have witnessed his brilliant mind and work through videos and various writings. To be able to share with future generations the simple statement of "I lived in the same time period of Stephen Hawking" is similar to what my parents told me when they lived in the same time period of Albert Einstein.
Our entire world has been so enriched by his incredible brain as well as his inner strength in battling his physical ailments. He was and will always continue to be an inspiration and role model. Thank you Mr. Hawking for sharing your genius with the world.
1
We should turn grief to happiness of having shared our time with such a person, of having him during 76 years. I should, but I can't, yet. We need more people like him.
1
A remarkable man. A remarkable life.
1
No excuses. Mr. Hawking proved we are only limited by limitations we impose upon ourselves. The moment we tell ourselves we can not do something... it is game over, due to self defeat. The only caveat being his mathematical intelligence and focus was exceptional.
My condolences to the Hawking family. It is a short list of disabled humans who have inspired more people to move forward, and never stop learning, or improving.
1
And to think he died on Pi Day. A genius who also had a great sense of humor.
1
A new star to shine down on us is born in the cosmos. Rest in Peace, Dr. Hawking.
I cried this morning to learn the loss of a scientist I didn't know nor really understand..
Though challenged, somehow, Stephen Hawking managed to comfortably cruise beyond the skies, and inspire us here on Earth. RIP
2
From the cosmos we all come and to the cosmos we return.
We are all from the same mother.
A wider view of the all and the everything is a healing, bonding thing.
Stephen helped us to see that view.
On the Pi Day, Stephen Hawking leaves us forever to begin his interstellar journey. Travel in Peace, sir.
A man who pushed the limits of not only his physical frame but the entire cosmos by incisive inquiring mind, a true Atlas! With such rare human intellect he displayed for everyone to see and admire, even his own prediction that Artificial Intelligence one day will vanquish it, appears to be one with the least chance to win among all his predictions.
The stars dimmed just a little last night but the sun will brighten today as we all think about his amazing mind and inspirational story.
5
It isn't often that reading of the death of someone famous brings me to tears, but Dr. Hawking's passing did. It is a reminder that among us, sometimes giants still roam.
5
A true giant. A legend. So many great scientists has already stood upon his shoulders. And so many more will. One of the truly greatest inspirations for all humans and an epitome of human spirit.
Thank you professor Hawkins, for all the moments in my life where reading your thoughts has filled me with a lasting bewonderement about our universe.
3
I'm sorry to hear that he has passed away but at the same time it's a relief to know he is no longer imprisoned inside his body due to his devastating illness. I also wonder if he donated his brain to science. After looking at some online pictures of the brains of some of the people afflicted with ALS I really have to wonder how much more he could have accomplished if he had never contracted ALS. That is, did the disease affect his cognitive abilities during his physical decline over the last 50 years of his life?
His theories and mindset opened my eyes to another world, challenging my own beliefs. His attitude, humor along with a scientific approach changed me for the good; a type of bravery instilled in my thinking because of him. Rest In Peace as you made the world a better place.
1
A remarkable man. A remarkable mind. A remarkable list of achievements, not just as a scientist but also as an educator. I mourn his passing.
Dr. Stephen Hawkins was the ultimate smiling survivor who exemplified the soaring human spirit thriving in a frail human body. What he taught the world was astounding. He will be missed with eternal gratitude by many but especially those who cared for him and ensured his survival and his eternal contribution to science. Rest in peace in a place of your choice.
3
One interpretation of quantum physics (to my understanding) is that Stephen Hawkings has always existed, and always will.
That works for me.
5
Rather, it's general relativity that says this, not quantum physics.
1
I once "met" Stephen Hawking (more like stood there, in front of him with a handful of other people). Outside a Cambridge Massachusetts restaurant where he had just celebrated his birthday.
I remember his eyes, very mischievous and a little melancholic... Bon voyage, Professor, and thank you.
7
in deference to Prof. Hawking's lack of regard for the need of supernatural explanatory devices, i need to state that positrons do not have "evil" electron twins, or vice versa. To characterize them like that is to introduce a concept that is meaningless.
3
An amazing human being. Despite all his challenges he thrived. He said and did so many things; things most of us could never even imagine while suffering from a debilitating disease. He did so because of his indomindable spirit and the amazing health care he received. Not very long ago in this very newspaper he responded to opponents of the push in the US by saying: “I am British, I live in Cambridge, England, and the National Health Service has taken great care of me for over 40 years. I have received excellent medical attention in Britain, and I felt it was important to set the record straight. I believe in universal health care. And I am not afraid to say so.”
God Speed. We will look to the stars and think of you.
8
Dr. Hawking is now that much closer to ultimate truth. How I would love to hear him report back on the existence or lack thereof of that "heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers."
I became familiar with Stephen Waking scientific works in 1980ies after I red his book titeled A brief History of Time. I admired his approach to scientific thinking mixed with popular science. Years lated I translated to Farsi languadge a book about his life story which was printed in Tehran,Iran several time. In 1990ties, he published a book entiteled " A briefer history of time" . I translated this book also in Farsi. I am happy to having a contribution in making him known by interested public in Iran.
1
Often I feel the mind takes us away from reality, but for what purpose I'm not sure. But for Hawking to have lived within himself and maintain control is unbelievable that words will never be able to say. His mental strength and courage goes beyond the universe. Thanks and hopefully peace is finally with you.
1
My appreciation of physics is limited to watching in awed incomprehension at what the greatest minds have uncovered and theorized. Stephen Hawking took awe to reverence as I witnessed the astonishing output of a greatest mind alive in a body frozen by the severest of limitations.
Dr. Hawking has been the one of the kings of science in the world of physics and a king of comedy in his hilarious appearances on The Big Bang Theory. He made us gasp; he made us laugh. And now we weep.
Stephen Hawking was the Albert Einstein of my generation. Like Einstein, Hawking would be known for his scientific brilliance. A light has now been extinguished.
Just as millions of us were elevated by the brilliant intelligence and perseverance that shone out from him, I hope that he and his family have, and will continue to, benefit from the love and respect we radiate back toward him.
He may not have believed in God or in an afterlife, but then it's a bit like his remark about the Nobel Prize. Faith is, in that way at least, similarly a belief in things not seen. That which we cannot see is not negated by our will to look elsewhere.
Beyond the aspects others have acknowledged here, I think the most beautiful thing about Dr. Hawking, and scientists in general—other than the sincerity of their search for factual knowledge—is their acknowledgement of and deference to such facts when they are found, their willingness to admit when they were proven wrong and their ability to cease advocating for their discredited notions. Would that all professions were so. God can afford to play dice with the universe; the rest of us can't afford regimes playing dice with humanity.
91
We were so lucky to have had him for 76 years! His life will inspire generations to come.
Rest in peace, Dr Hawking, and thank you for all you gave to so many.
Unfortunately his ideas are beyond my limited understanding. What I do understand is that an individuals ability to find purpose in life allows him to develop a resilience that overcomes the odds and achieve a long lasting and meaningful life. I may not understand his work; but I appreciate that he has demonstrated what the human spirit is capable of.
2
Just as his work showed that information, even in a black hole, is not lost, we can expect that his information, his body of work will live on beyond him and provide the foundation for further advances. That is what a scientist hopes for. It means you have advanced the body of knowledge and Dr. Hawking certainly did that. He will be missed.
2
What Dr Hawking proved to humankind is that Mind is everywhere boundless and boundary less. It cannot be contained even in limited physical forms. In essence each of us is part of one Mind, each of us plays a different role but everything is uploaded to one Mind “who or what or which or where” enjoys relishes partakes in all the drama, without being affected or sullied by it.
2
There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein
Today is the birthday of another genius. Another miracle. Albert Einstein was born and Stephen Hawking has passed on.
He was a miracle and a pure inspiration.
How the stars wil dance tonight as they welcome the galaxy of soul grace that this human STAR gave us with his courage and beautiful mind full of miracles!
His light will fire the heavens above! His soul with BLAZE! He was a rare human being on earth that will never be forgotten and will always inspire us. RIP.
1
In several novels (Childhood's End, 2001:A Space Odyssey), Arthur C. Clarke imagined that the ultimate end of evolution is a creature of pure mind, unrestrained by a physical body. Stephen Hawking probably came closer to that than any other human being.
3
A sad thing to see first thing this morning. I was dazzled by this man's brilliance and greatly admired his ability to work despite his physical disability. He will surely be missed by the global scientific community and people in general.
To the human mind, to the human spirit, to the limits of understanding that we struggle against, and sometimes pierce with such beauty.
Thank you, Stephen, and thank you, Einstein.
1
A legend has left us. A brilliant and courageous man has taught the common man to embrace and learn what the universe can teach them. Although Hawking was an atheist, I pray that God will welcome his spirit unto heaven.
1
I used to cross him regularly on my way to lectures at Cambridge. Seeing this man who accomplished so much with his beautiful mind despite being trapped in an unresponsive body was a powerful inspiration.
Live long and prosper in the universe, Professor Stephen Hawking.
3
I saw Stephen Hawking give a talk at Santa Monica College in the early 1990s. He was, of course, using a voice synthesizer, but he didn't sound like he was speaking with an American accent. Rather, he sounded slightly Norwegian.
Regardless, he commanded the stage, using his idiosyncratic Norwegian sense of humor to amuse and enlighten. After his talk, he took questions from the audience. Someone asked him when he thought The Theory of Everything would finally be discovered? He told of a gathering of theoretical physicists twenty years before, many of whom thought they should have the answer in about twenty years. He said he still felt the same way. In twenty years we should finally have The Theory of Everything.
1
May the warmth of the Cosmos be kind to you. May your work ever kindle the gifts of curiosity, inquiry, and compassion in all our hearts.
The world will remember you till the end of time, and maybe a little bit more.
1
Stephen Hawkins was both a genius and a role model. Whatever he had, he shared it with all of us equally and we are all better off for it. I wish he hadn't left us; it fills me with trepidation with what he left us to contend without his counsel. To this, he probably would have said, "Don't be afraid."
1
Sir isaac Newton once said "If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."
For his scientific theories and the tenacity of his spirit we will forever be in Stephen Hawking's debt: he has helped us all see further than any of us could have imagined. A giant of a man and a gigantic loss.
3
"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love."
How astonishing and inspiring that for all his mathematical and cosmological brilliance, Hawking may be best remembered as a humanitarian.
2
It speaks well for the human race that we can produce such individuals as Stephen Hawking. But it also speaks well for us that there are so many folks -- just look at the comments here! -- who have the capacity to both understand and celebrate the greatness of which we are capable.
2
The beautiful reality is that after spending decades contemplating the Infinite with the limitations of the human form, Mr. Hawking finally gets to experience the Infinite without limits...
1
Stephen Hawking has “slipped the surly bonds of earth” and will be greatly missed as a voice of reason in these fraught times.
[[Dr. Hawking's only complaint about his speech synthesizer, which was manufactured in California, was that it gave him an American accent.]]
To be honest, I didn't realize he was English.
The "complaint" about the American accent is the funniest thing I've read in a while.
God speed.
He died on Einstein's birthday.
Rest in peace, Dr. Hawking.
"“I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit.”
That should be engraved on his tombstone alongside the Hawking radiation formula.
1
Stephen Hawking told the Guardian in 2011: "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."
Mr. Hawking, much love and light. Thank you.
2
Stephen Hawking is an inspiration for us all. HIs work with Roger Penrose laid the foundations for the mathematics behind the theory of black holes. Astronomy has gradually revealed that his vision was on target. Now black holes are accepted as a mainstay within astronomy. It is accepted that the milky way galaxy contains at its center a black hole with a mass of several million suns. It is the collision of black holes that most likely provided the gravitational waves detected a few years ago.
I have often wondered why Hawking didn't receive a Nobel Prize. Perhaps for the same reason that Einstein received a Nobel Prize for the photoelectric effect and not for the discovery of general relativity.
Politics.
We like to think that science is above politics. But when it comes to awards, the evidence is to the contrary.
Both Einstein and Hawking worked on topics that were regarded as on the fringes at the time. And that is what makes their achievements perhaps even more remarkable.
There is a tendency in politics to hold up original thought to ridicule. All opinions are supposed to fit into one of two rigid ideologies, liberal or conservative.
Our inability to tolerate views that diverge from the norm is one of the reasons democracy is now failing in the US, and we see a new ascendence of autocracy in the great powers, Russia and China.
Hawking was different. His views often appeared odd. He was a champion for making the rest of us think outside the box.
70
Read the obit. No Nobel, because not testable at present.
1
At a time when the worst of humanity seeks to reassert itself, the celebration of a life that embodies its best is reassuring - even as we lament its passing.
462
Hear hear.
Stephen Hawking literally was mind over matter. The engine of his being won battle after battle against his disease. His cognition parted mysteries of space/time, wringing order from chaos and replacing confusion with understanding. He was one in a billion, and his passing dims the collective light of humankind. This world desperately needs more like him. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for another one of his kindred spirits to emerge. It feels like we’re running out of time.
145
On the Day of Judgement, humanity will surely call upon Stephen Hawking to speak on its behalf, along with Beethoven, Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy, Einstein and a handful of others. No more.
Except that Hawking was a pioneer of quantum physics, which argues that the universe could indeed have been created from nothing, challenging the fundamental argument for belief in gods. Or Santa and the Tooth Fairy for that matter.
57
John, sadly you enlist minds of the western world. From Australia, at the very least you could acknowledge the contributions of great ancient minds sages who roamed the world. European colonists wanted to prove they were superior to their colonies so they deliberately hushed up, silenced, abolished, dismissed and banned world of ancient masters. Never mind East or west humanity owes its wisdom to both, without one there could not be another. Colonial masters could never have become rich if they had not exploited their colonies.
1
So, where DID all that protium come from, anyway?
1
Let each of us not wait until the promised Day of Judgment to make daily contributions which enable and sustain menschlich interactions between kin, friends, and strangers.Overcoming, in ways similar, or not, to Dr. Hawking's efforts, current divisiveness, given who each of us is with our own flaws as well as strengths.Efforts, alone and with others, to minimize lack of mutual trust. Lack of mutual respect. Lack of caringness. Lack of mutual help, when and if needed.
Indeed, this new represents a great loss for humankind. March 14th will be forever remembered as the birth date of Albert Einstein and the departure date for Stephen Hawking.
89
And March 14 is Pi 3.14 day!
Fond farewell to the brightest light in the universe of our generation.
78
He was indeed a "beautiful mind", never letting his physical disability get in his way - inspiring for so many reasons, and a great loss to intellectual thought - one of my favorite musical Artists, Todd Rundrun, wrote a song celebrating him years ago called "Hawking" - https://johnrieber.com/2018/03/13/rip-stephen-hawking-a-brilliant-mind-t...
10
Pi day, too.
There are few genuine souls that have enriched humanity as much as Stephen Hawking. His scientific work was immensely challenging, even when he was wrong. That it was even more enriching when he was right, is an immeasurable good. But his most important work was his humor:
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”
― Stephen Hawking
105
God Speed, Sir!
Thank you for everything. The world - and the Universe - was better, bigger, grander, and more glorious for your presence in it. Your contributions were not just in physics. You modeled determination, imagination... and the indomitable spirit and potential of mankind.
Now, Fly With God! Your work here is done...
31
Rest in space, Stephen Hawking.
49
R.I.P. Stephen Hawking. What an inspiration and blessing to humanity.
20
I have spent the last 15 minutes or so trying to compose my thoughts and they still won't sit still to be composed, so I'll just babble on a bit . . .
I am old enough and lucky enough to have been able to follow Prof. Hawking's career from early on. It is easy to say something like: "He belongs in the Pantheon along with Einstein and Feynman and . . . " He does. He was brilliant, and an inspiration to physicists and those whose first exposure to physics was one of his books.
Many people will enumerate his intellectual accomplishments. I would like to take some time to acknowledge and honor his grit, courage and stamina he displayed in his life. The way he lived his life deserves as much recognition as his intellectual accomplishments.
His intellect and accomplishments are singular and deserve all of the respect they are given. I would also suggest that the way he lived his life is as singular as are his intellectual achievements, and are just as inspiring and worthy of acknowledgment. Not only did he take our understanding of the Universe to a whole new level, so did he take our understanding of how one can have a wonderful and fruitful life in spite of hugely debilitating handicaps.
Stephen Hawking has given us two indescribably wonderful gifts. I hope that we will always appreciate both.
112
That this man survived for as long as he did is an inspiration to us all, as is his towering intellect and his ability to not just inhabit but excel in that very precise world of math and measurement (i.e., science).
But what I will remember about Hawking is not what most will remember him for -- i.e., for his seeming certainty that the world of science will, eventually, provide a Theory Of Everything.
What I will remember him for is his occasional, sotte-voce, humble acknowledgment that man's finite, mortal mind will never achieve anything even approaching a Theory of Everything. To me, that's best represented by a brief piece he wrote entitled "Godel, and the End of Physics."
Genius is never about being certain about anything. And though Hawking thrived on the adulation which certainty will bring from those who are desperate for it, in the final analysis, he -- though not quite as brilliantly and honestly as Einstein -- was much more humble, and less certain, than many of his acolytes want to acknowledge.
But, in the end, that desperation for certainty is our problem, not his.
27
And -- lest we forget -- we all owe thanks to those brave women and men who stood by his side and helped him and said don't pull the plug. All are needed by each one: nothing is good or fair alone.
1
Dr. Hawking never gave up on his life despite his disease or his prognosis very early on. He made every moment of his life count and we are so fortunate he was able to do it for so many years. I offer condolences to his family and circle of friends for their great loss. The last true genius of my time, he will be missed.
19
A great and generous human being which Isaac Newton was not. As for the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as far as I know he never disclosed if he had more recent testing done which most likely would have disclosed that he did not have ALS but one of the variants of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This does not diminish his courage and fortitude but one wonders how the attribution of an ALS diagnosis to Hawking might affect patients who have definite ALS.
13
I will forever be grateful that Stephen Hawking visited this planet during my lifetime. His mind, trapped in a crumpled body, ranged across the universe, looking into black holes, wandering to the beginning of time, rushing to the far future to see how it all ends. His real stories can only be written in the diamond-hard language of mathematical physics. But he managed to make this all very accessible to us, in a way only he could, especially in his book, ‘ A Brief History of Time’. He was on the Earth for the briefest of moments compared to the timescale of the universe, but he managed to open for all of us handicapped by the same time-constraint, a window to wonders we never thought existed.
37
Beautifully said! Thank you
1
Staggeringly wonderful comment.
2
The story of his life is of course inspiring but is ability to see what happens in nature, mainly due to gravity shows that he saw a different world from the rest of us. His tenacity with his illness inspires us all, including me as I recovery from a hip fracture. You can't give up!
11
I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but; on this side of the international date-line, at least; today is Albert Einstein's birthday.
41
Peter. Great catch. Thanks.
1
Pi day here!
Dr. Hawking was a stark example of what a rational mind can accomplish. The world is in short supply of such people. He will be greatly missed.
14
R.I.P. Stephen Hawking. Every mind - a world unto itself. No words to convey what it means for such a world to end.
On physics and cosmology......
It is illusory to believe that physicists actually succeed in explaining the nature of the world. What they give us instead are ways of looking at the fundamental laws which make their self-consistency obvious.
As Wittgenstein put it...
“At the basis of the whole modern view of the world lies the illusion that the so-called laws of nature are the explanations of natural phenomena.” (Tractatus: 6.371
Perhaps Hawking knew this deep down. A few years ago he published a collection of papers on quantum mechanics titled... 'The Dreams that Stuff is Made of'.
4
Hawking:
"His vision saw the Infinite and the Singularity.?"
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
Cambridge University
7
These are sad news. May his ideas live forever. Rest in peace professor.
5
At the very end of one of his hundreds of papers on cosmology, astrophysics, mathematics, in a paper on the subject of apparent irreversibility of time and of time travel, Professor Hawking wrote in the last paragraph, dispensing with his theoretical formalism:
"There is also strong experimental evidence in favor of the conjecture from the fact that we have not been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future."
http://thelifeofpsi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Hawking-1992.pdf
His was a beautiful mind. He took deep theory and complex philosophical subjects and boiled it down to something we can all understand ... not unlike Professors Einstein, Thorne, Penrose et al.
The World is a lesser place without Stephen W. Hawking
7
He never ceased to strive to find,
Though his body disavowed his control --
Let others rightly render honor to his mind:
I salute his * soul * .
12
I was working at Fermilab outside of Chicago when Dr. Hawking came to give a lecture. It was in the 80's before he had the computer assisted voice and at that time, he used an assistant, a grad student or postdoc I think, to interpret his speech and then turn to the audience stating what he had said. Part of his lecture was correcting some of the assumptions he had made earlier in his work that he later realized were not always correct. It was standing room only in the Fermilab Auditorium. Before the lecture itself, he drove himself around the Fermilab cafeteria in his wheelchair acknowledging us as he went by. I learned later, not sure if this part is true or not, that after he received his computer assisted voice system, it had an American accent as it was developed in the U.S.; he was not happy at first but once the system was upgraded to have a British accent, he rejected it as he now accepted the American accented system as his own voice.
13
What a magnificent man! Your life has been a gift to us all!
8
A truly admirable person and scientist.
Rest In Peace and I hope you will enjoy a new form of travel thru the cosmos.
9
Fly Free, Dr. Hawking! Your legacy will endure for all of human history, and we will be forever thankful for your contribution to our comprehension of this strange and marvelous universe.
6
Stephen Hawking, what an incredible human being you have been. In the worst of times, you have carried on with a desire to learn and share your extraordinary gift right to the very end. We were lucky to have shared the world with you. A sad day.
7
You have been an ultimate source of motivation for a lot of us Dr. Hawking.
R.I.P
11
One of the greatest joys of my life was meeting him in Boston on assignment for AP. I asked him if we could try to communicate via ESP. He smiled. His comp uter speech was very slow and awkward. Yet the twinkle in his eyes and wide smile made me think he liked the question.
He was such a brave genius. I like to think he is enjoying his view from the stars. He must be happy out there!
6
"Oh, NO!" my 14-year-old son, an aspiring theoretical physicist, cried out tonight. "Stephen Hawking is dead!" We both burst into tears. An amazing scientist. And amazing human being. A stone-cold serious thinker who also engaged people where they live— by writing books, appearing on TV shows, and generally showing up for life wherever he could. To say he will be missed is a ridiculous understatement. There is and never was or will be anyone like him. The world just got cold and stupider. Rest in peace, Dr. Hawking.
24
An intelligent and playful mind has been lost and the world is the poorer for it. With so much political posturing and celebrity fluff attempting to pass for substance today, Dr. Hawking was always a voice of thoughtful reason and wry observation. From demonstrating that Black Holes evaporate via "Hawking radiation" to advocating for space exploration and settlement his intellect will be sorely missed. "Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it". --- Alan Perlis
7
What a bright light has gone out for us tonight,
9
Jennifer:
Not gone out...still there...a path illuminated by Professor Hawking to greater discoveries....always "On the Shoulders of Giants"....
I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Hawking give a lecture at Case-Western University some years back from my cousin who is a Professor there.
Dr. Hawking came out on stage...faced the audience for maybe 45 seconds and said....nothing! The tension was palpable....you could hear a pin drop in the packed audience...Then...over the speakers came that familiar, synthetic voice...."Can You Hear Me?"...A collective, triumphant "YES!!!!" erupted from the audience. Will never forget!
"On the Shoulders of Giants"......
13
There was something about this scientist that emanated love.
13
Dr. Hawking has been an inpiratation for many. He never let his physical state overshadow his mental capacity and that was his gift to the world. RIP.
15
Stephen Hawking, an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, one of the most brilliant minds in history, and someone whom I admired deeply, has passed away. May he rest in eternal peace. My thoughts and condolences go out to his loved ones.
13
Hawking was an exceptional teacher. He was also a gifted scientist in the fiel of physics. But teaching and sharing knowledge in ways easy to understand was the credo of his life. He leaves a space that, it seems, only gets filed every 50 years. He needs to be remembered by us, not merely by his sicknesses, but by his achievements. RIP.
6
Literally in tears reading that this unique and brilliant man is gone from our world. His work represented the best of what the human mind could conceive of. Trapped by his body, he nonetheless touched the stars and flung open doors to understanding the universe, inspiring intellects and everyday people alike. If anyone deserves to be "one with The Force", it is Stephen Hawking.
16
Stephen Hawking belongs on the short list of the most exemplary humans ever. Thank you Dr. Hawking for demonstrating that the mind is infinitely more powerful than the body in which it resides.
15
I still remember the first time I came across "A Brief History of Time" as a teenager. The man on the cover looked like an alien with otherworldly intelligence. The book took me on a magical journey: black holes, quantum theory, the beginning of time itself. Along with his unquestioned brilliance as a scientist, Hawking's most important quality was the impish humor that shines through his writing and speeches. He had a real eye for the comic sense pervading life and the universe, and his irreverent enthusiasm was infectious. He taught people to laugh in the face of misfortune.
Perhaps the most important lessons we can learn from Hawking's life are indomitable courage and good humor in the face of tragedy, inexhaustible curiosity and wonder about life and the universe, and unremitting optimism that humanity will survive and thrive against all odds.
10
Some years ago, when I was a graduate student in Cambridge, I was invited to dine at Gonville and Caius, Dr. Hawking's college. By this time I had been in Cambridge for several months and formal dinners had worn rather thin (they are grand affairs, of a sort, where one has to be decked out in suit and tie and college gown) and I had little interest in attending. But I was assured that I may just be able to get a glimpse of the great man himself (sitting at High Table) and so I did attend. And, yes, I did get just a glimpse. The dinner I don't recall - but the glimpse I still do . . .
17
So many humans have come and gone, so few are remembered forever. I hope his thoughts are super nova and will shine as long as humanity survives.
8
One of the finest minds of this or any other century. His discoveries helped explain the universe, even to people not immersed in the physics on which they are based. Through it all, he never lost his delicious sense of humor. His numerous appearances on The Big Bang Theory were laced with humor and self mockery. How many of us, facing his sorts of challenges, would have fared anywhere near as well.
Rest in peace, Dr. Hawking. You touched people in all walks of life, all around the world.
8
We can do well to mind Hawkings' final warnings about risks to humanity over the next century or millennium, be it from global warming or AI making humanity dispensable. A remarkably creative thinker is gone.
4
A brilliant mind, a fierce warrior. We need more like him.
7
Mr Hawking's showed that disabilities don't define us or hamper our intellect. What an amazing man with a wicked sense of humor. Like other greats in the world of physics he will live on through his work for generations. As for me, I'll miss him terrorizing Sheldon on the big bang theory.
211
I agree, Sheldon and the Big Bang Theory made this brilliant man so much more accessible to all of us. RIP Mr. Hawkins.
1
I am a simpler woman who has to read your obituary, let alone your own writings, multiple times to even gain a glimpse of what you discovered, what you saw. But how you inspired is clear to all of us. Thank you.
23
I would vote that the Steven Hawking’s of the world be given the very first genomic treatments to extend life.
He should have had the chance to share his brilliance for generations, beyond the paltry 76 years he was given.
5
Prof. Hawking proves that there is no limits in life. Anything can be accomplished. There is a black hole in humanity tonight.
15
Fitting that he passed away on Einstein’s birthday and Pi day 3/14.
36
Not a life well lived. A life MAGNIFICENTLY well lived.
19
R.I.P Professor Hawking, one of the greatest minds in the history of humanity.
10
Truly, a great loss for humankind.
9
In 1992 I was in Cambridge, England, attended the University of Cambridge Open Days, went to a talk given by Stephen Hawking, and asked him a silly question afterwards: “Given the sort of work you do, why is it that you are in the Mathematics Department?”
4
Richard fuhr....no argument from me especially if you only had time to ask one question.
1
Hawking held the title of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics - an honor also held by Isaac Newton!
I would guess it comes down to practicality and collaboration. In Hawking's own words, his words "were just words. The truth was in the math." Theoretical physics relies heavily on complex mathematics to validate it so it’s logical to have some of the best mathematical minds working alongside him.
And I guess when you are Stephen Hawking you really don’t need other physicists to support your theories, you only need mathematicians to work out the finer details to help you paint the picture that’s in your head. You know, use the language of everything in nature to help explain the theory of everything. So not a silly question at all. And I’m just guessing. But my spouse is a PhD mathematician (in a school of medicine dept of cell biology), so a bit of a biased hunch.
Sad news. Such a tremendous human being and intellect. You will be greatly missed, Dr. Hawking.
3
Deepest condolences to Dr. Hawking's family and friends.
What a brilliant spokesman for science and the quest for understanding the truths of world around us.
Latet enim veritas, sed nihil pretiosius veritate
Truth is hidden, but nothing is more beautiful than the truth
~Sanchez de las Brozas
10
Freed from the feeble physical body that tied you down for so long, you are now truly FREE and able to go EVERYWHERE in spacetime. Perhaps in 60 or more earth-years from now, I'll meet up you in the Cosmos, my friend.
4
Dr Hawking,
May flights of angels sing you to your rest
2
A giant, in spirit as well as in mind.
Stephen Hawking: R.I.P.
Proof that you should never trust a doctor who tells you, in your mid-twenties, that you have two years to live.
22
The world has lost one of it most extraordinary and brilliant men. The beauty of his mind, the beauty of his spirit, and the beauty of, yes, his body will forever be an inspiration to those thousands, perhaps, millions of us still living. If only we could do a fraction of what he has done for the world of science and even the human condition, would not the world be a better place? He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will never die. I hope he is in a peaceful place where he can continue enriching the souls and spirits surrounding him.
9
R.I.P. Dr. Hawking. Your work will always be cherished by those with inquiring minds.
5
When he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
Thank you Mr Hawking for all you have done. You lived a full and honorable life. A beautiful mind that will not be forgotten. May you continue to have adventures amongest the Stars.
54
Well done: I feel like a layer of armor has been removed in humanity‘s defense against the inhumane.
4
Juliet wanting Romeo's love to become a constellation for all to
admire (Act 2, scne 11). And Bobby Kennedy on his beloved brother, just assassinated - and still admired for taking humanity to the heavens. Thanks, Kimberley, for helping us stay positive, for reminding us in dark days that brilliant humans like Hawking may at last displace the Dippers, warriors, and dead Gods the sky we pretend is Heaven. One day when all people have grown up and "put away childish things." May Hawking's name be among the blessed."
1
He was an inspiration to us all.
12
He made it a lot longer than most with Amytrophic Lateral Scelerosis, my dad certainly wasn't spared as many years as Stephen was.
12
May you rest in peace, Mr. Hawking! You were an inspiration for a lot of people. To be at the level of your field despite your disabilities, it must have been such an inspiration for those in similar situations to know that they can be whatever they desire to be, no matter what others may say!
3
Godspeed, Stephen. Your vast intellect may further expand in Heaven, without the limits of your body and a new strategic viewpoint of the universe. Your wisdom may help unlock more mysteries and lead mankind beyond the confines of our limited understanding here on earth. Waiting here patient and hopeful for your signals!
7
Not since the era of Richard Feynman, and Carl Sagan has the discipline of Physics had such an eloquent and important translator of our physical world for the common man. Stephen will be missed, but never forgotten. Now the baton of rational explanation of scientific inquiry passes to a new generation through Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Bill Nye.
11
Bill Nye? Not even remotely in the same league.
1
Condolence to the family, his contribution toward Science will be remembered year to come. He was indeed a genius that world ever witnessed
1
This is a great loss.
Yet we should be grateful that we had Dr. Hawking for so long after his illness began when he was a young man.
Brilliant mind ,a sense of humour, great courage.
3
“In April 2007, a few months after his 65th birthday, he took part in a zero-gravity flight aboard a specially equipped Boeing 727, a padded aircraft that flies a roller-coaster trajectory to produce fleeting periods of weightlessness.”
ZERO G, not zero gravity. As Hawking would surely point out had he not just blown this dimension, the two terms do not describe the same thing; there is no such thing as “zero gravity”: gravity, however weak, exists everwhere in the known universe.
If it should ever turn out that there is a region of space utterly devoid of gravitation, it would mean that few if any of the accepted laws of physics apply there, and all Hawking’s work would have to be thrown out in favor beginning all over again.
20
Genius lasts.
Farewell and onward dear dear sir.
22
What a shame that death has to claim as great a soul as the one that inhabited Dr. Hawking's body. Safe journey brave soul, safe journey.
16
Goodbye, Dr. Hawking. We shall sorely miss you. Now you are free to wander the cosmos and touch the face of God. Godspeed. We are so richly blessed to have known you, experienced your intellect, and shared your passion and wonder for the universe.
10
Any feelings of loss caused by Dr. Hawking's passing is made less by the great joy in knowing that we shared the earth with him and that he made our lives richer with his intellect.
22
What a great visionary and influential physicist.
And...he and Elon Musk agree on a lot, for example:
Man should not put all his eggs in one basket (planet).
and
Artificial Intelligence could be a huge disaster.
Thanks for the advice, Stephen. Rest in peace.
5
I remember reading a Brief History of time in high school and being pretty blown away by it, most which I still don't fully understand to this day. He was diagnosed with ALS at 21 and managed to make it to 76, which is absolutely remarkable. Whether he was betting annual subscriptions Penthouse over black hole theories, or throwing retroactive parties for time travelers, he was an amazing scientist sitting in the exact same professorship at Cambridge along with other geniuses like Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage Paul Dirac. Here's to one of the greats.
7
Thank you for your knowledge & contributions. Thank you for being an inspiration. You are missed. RIP, Mr. Hawking.
4
The physics community will sorely miss him - he was living example of a true scientist despite his debilitating illness.
5
The Washington Post's headline had it right, referring to Hawking as the physicist who came to symbolize the power of the human mind. Quite an inspiration.
14
Who among us has better transcended physical limitations and shown how imagination and intellect can make us soar?
May Dr. Hawking’s spirit soar now, released from the imprisinment that he endured on Earth.
11
We have lost a true genius. Vale.
2
He was an inspiration not only as a scientist but somebody who could write for a larger audience and make science alive.
5
What a courageous man, and his mind never stopped despite his frailty. If we could live just a bit like that, the world will be thankful.
Thank you Stephen Hawking, you did well by all of us.
7
Because he lived so much longer with his ALS diagnosis than expectations would ever have predicted, I was surprised to discover that I had thought he would live forever.
20
Bound to a wheelchair for most of his life -yet the wonders this man saw! He used his celebrity to reach everyday people and share these wonders. A magnificent, inspiring life. Godspeed Prof. Hawking.
2
I teared up the moment I read this headline. Goodbye Professor Hawking. You were one of the greats. So long as our species survives your name and accomplishments will live on.
7
Thank you, Dr. Hawking, for teaching and inspiring us. In these dark years, you were a light of inspiration and wonder. And through it all, you did so with your wit and awesome sense of humor. Rest In peace, Professor.
5
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
In the footsteps of Sir Isaac...
May the World build on his shoulders....
Hawking
"On the Shoulders of Giants"
1942-2018
7
We named our cat for Hawking’s chair: Lucasian professor of Cattymathics. Luke, for short.
1
God's speed, sir. You understand the phrase better than I.
4
Mr Stephen Hawking, I knew that you had to die someday and that day has finally come, thank you for sharing your work with the rest of us, thank you for even choosing to work at all, thank you for your imagination, and for your determination, you have inspired countless people to pursue the sciences (myself included) and to expand the horizons of our minds and that makes you truly immortal in a sense. The fire you lit will never be snuffed out although you have been. RIP.
32
Dr. Stephen Hawking, thank you for keeping science, the Carl Sagan’s “Candle in the Dark”, burning for all these years. It is now a public responsibility to keep it burning in these obscure and retrograde times of science denial.
135
Humankind is lucky Dr. Hawking outlived the doctors’ predictions by over 50 years. He was truly an icon for the science and disabled communities.
19
Energy is neither created nor destroyed; it's only transferred.(First law of thermodynamics.) Happy transfer, Mr. Hawking!
164
gold star gold star
wonder what mr hawking would say to that.
:) see, the ability to wonder :)
~peace
thomas :)
My favorite anecdote about him was during a visit to the set of Star Trek for a brief cameo, as he passed the warp core in the engine room he is reported to have said, "I'm working on that."
52
Love it!
3
R.I.P Dr Hawking. Useful long life, great example
10
I've tried reading A Brief History of Time but have never been able to finish it. My brain just can't handle the complexity of formulas and quantum mechanics. I feel sad.
15
It's easier to understand the second time you read it.
No it isnt! ha ha!
But give it a shot, anyway.
13
Years ago, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Hawking after one of his lectures, and what struck me was how he truly transcended his apparent condition; the robotic appearance of his wheelchair was completely dwarfed by the great humanity of his charisma, intellect and sense of humor.
48
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when it's components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
Vale, Professor Hawking.
26
whenever i doubted my abilities ,he was of great hope to me,deeply saddened by his passing away
6
if his body had been as strong as his mind, he would've lived for centuries.
7
I can't imagine this planet without him. His genius, his perseverance, his contribution. He is leaving a huge hole in our lives. I will miss him tremendously.
11
He lives on as all great philosophers do in his theories and writing. Generations will continue to know and appreciate him. Much gratitude to those who cared for him and supported him day to day. We all grieve with you and celebrate his life.
256
He lived in his body what his thoughts imagined: that theoretical spaces could be made real, that limits were perhaps only theoretical. I hope he is limning the continuum with pure joy right now.
8
Turned to star dust on Pi Day. We'll miss you.
22
A remarkable human being. Thank you, Dr.Hawking, for keeping our eyes open. Wonder, to which Universe he has now gone?
3
I'm shocked. I will celebrate Pi Day in his memory.
9
The world has lost a great mind. He is now among the stars.
7
An incredible human being. God bless you Dr. Hawking.
4
One of the amazing few who transcended the quotidian, and made humanity a better race, expanding knowledge and gracing all of us with his superior mind.
11
Stephen Hawkins was the person who inspired my younger self to study physics today. From his book to "The Theory of Everything", Dr. Hawkins influenced my life in such a way that no physicist ever did.
10
My condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. He now can soar to places too magnificent to describe.
23
Some 25 years ago my sixth grade teacher introduced us to Dr. Hawking. I vividly remember sitting in the classroom hearing about a man who could barely move with a mind that explored the complexities of existence.
His death is a loss to science and to humanity in general, but the headline "...dies at 76" still denotes a triumph. He lived decades beyond what was expected and produced a substantial body of work.
And what are the odds of a genius, afflicted with an unusual disease, who outlives that disease by an improbable margin? Perhaps Dr. Hawking could have told us.
56
One of the great physicists who shaped my view about god and existence. Rest in Peace Maestro.
15