Hawking: God Not Needed for Creation of Universe

(AP)  Did creation need a creator?

British physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking says no, arguing in his new book that there need not be a God behind the creation of the universe.

The concept is explored in "The Grand Design," excerpts of which were printed in the British newspaper The Times on Thursday. The book, written with fellow physicist Leonard Mlodinow, is scheduled to be published by Bantam Press on Sept. 9.

"The Grand Design," which the publishers call Hawking's first major work in nearly a decade, challenges Isaac Newton's theory God must have been involved in creation because our solar system couldn't have come out of chaos simply through nature.

But Hawking says it isn't that simple. To understand the universe, it's necessary to know both how and why it behaves the way it does, calling the pursuit "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything."

"We shall attempt to answer it in this book," he wrote. "Unlike the answer given in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' ours won't be simply '42."'

The number 42 is the deliberately absurd answer to the "Ultimate Question" chosen by sci-fi author Douglas Adams.

Hawking, who is renowned for his work on black holes, said the 1992 discovery of another planet orbiting a star other than the sun makes "the coincidences of our planetary conditions ... far less remarkable and far less compelling as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings."

In his best-selling 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," Hawking appeared to accept the possibility of a creator, saying the discovery of a complete theory would "be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God."

But "The Grand Design" seems to step away from that, saying physics can explain things without the need for a "benevolent creator who made the Universe for our benefit."

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing," the excerpt says. "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to ... set the Universe going."

Hawking retired last year as the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University after 30 years in the position. The position was once held by Newton.

[Noval53]

We earth natives are stuck on a tiny speck of a planet at the outer edge of a giant galaxy. We primitives of the galaxy can't go anywhere beyond our own moon. Yet we presume to know the origins of the universe. We are self obsessed arrogant ignorant little beings that know nothing beyond our own earth history; and yet we presume to know the grand design. Funny.

[ram0singhal]

Atom is signature of God.....

Atom = science = microscopic vision = neutron, proton, electron.

At OM = religion = macroscopic vision = omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent.
vibrations of energy converted into sound ,the first sound of creation ,
OM ALLAH GOD and the name one like .

I am the creator of nature .
Nature is my image ??? Nature is the cosmic world .
I always exist ????.. nature creates and destroys itself .
I am you ?????. nature is your body .
I am very simple?????. nature is very complex .
Like I am inside????. like I am outside.
I can see myself through you , you are my medium , and body is your medium .

A true scientist who has analyzed the thing to arrive at conclusions and as a scientist one has over come the ego and is ready to listen to others.and has no preconceived notions.

Earlier we thought that the cosmos is three ? dimensional,but now the scientists think it could be multidimensional.there may be dimensions and forces beyond our comprehension.

As scientists are progressing unfolding the mysteries of cosmos it is getting easier and easier to understand cosmic intelligence we may refer as god.

We will know god through modern science but we must test the nectar of the precepts and the wisdom of the sages and saints who explored the non-attributive .

we may compare the modern scientific finding in the light of the wisdom of saints and may be amazed to similarities in both the findings.
For example:-

We could only know particles of atom by year 1900-50 as neutron ,proton,electron and their properties but thousands of years before this fact was expressed through mythological wisdom stories like in Vedanta philosophy Vishnu as neutron, Brahman as proton, and Shiva as electron.and all together they govern the cosmas.as TRILOGY.

SUN light consists of seven colours this we know only since few hundred years but SUN temple in KORNARK in INDIA built arround 1100 A.D., sun chariot has seven horses representing colours.

till today we do not know why cosmos is expanding? but VEDANTA VISION explains:- that is the whole in the begining?.whole in the middle?whole at the last?..out of whole comes out whole still remains whole??

Atheist has time to talk??.theist has time to follow???.knower has time to live.....

Science is to know body or nature, religion is to know soul or God
Science and religion are two ends of one chain only.
Nature is God's reflection.

Science is a search of reflection. Religion is a search of God.

Religion is to know your inner cosmos. science is to know your outer cosmos.

when you know God, do not criticize anybody. you will criticize anybody due to ignorance , anybody will react due to ignorance
love all...

[ram0singhal]

?While there is neither light nor darkness, neither sound nor silence, neither heard nor unheard, neither positive nor negative, neither sweet nor tasteless,only that which is constant and eternal pervades beyond creation and destruction?
.
Energy equation of atom is zero. Energy equation of cosmos also is zero.

Eternity is dancing on eternity like football. it is the leather that is in between, in the same manner nature is in between , when we try to ponder how the cosmos was created , for that we can learn fundamentals from the process of procreation in human race also as entire cosmos is governed by a common law.

If we understand the cycle of procreation in human race , we will be able to understand the procreation of cosmos.

a man energies the millions of sperms which is big bang in mini scale represents time ,like electrons in atom,
into woman?s space which is like black hole ;like protons in atom connected to neutron which is like dark matter in nucleus ..Each sperm journey to meet egg to fertilise is journey of creation and destruction.
similar way the cosmic intelligence energies billions of cosmos in the hope one will become living planet earth.

earth is hope of cosmic intelligence.
The children remind us our childhood and every man and woman wishes to know his or her origin .
.It is the desire of seeing one? s own image and for that we need a mirror......purpose of cosmic creation...

Children are our mirror , in their childhood we mirror ourselves as we do not remember our childhood so is the cosmic intelligence.

Mirror is the unison of two opposites , transparent glass and non transparent silver, the non attribute consciousness and the attribute body,both of them unite to form the mirror. this is a rule and rule applies to all. truth is for everyone and we will be able to realize this as simple as snapping our fingers.

.understanding energy equation of atom we can understand God?.as energy equation of atom is zero?what is zero on earth?.the water?calorie zero
or neutral in character?.so with warmness the water turns invisible.and eternal?the soul part..represented by right brain..that is why our body
remains warm till soul is there?.with cold?water turns into ice?.the visible..and non eternal?the body part?.represented by left brain?

Either people believe there is current or people do not believe there is current. Knowing the current is religion , knowing the use of current is science, Believing?. and not believing ???both are philosophies.

the cosmic intelligence is beyond every known and unknown dimension but with in love of no dimension....

the dimension of oneness is science of macro vision.....and modern science is micro vision.....

it is the micro vision great scientist Stephen Hawking is talking....
vision of two eyes merging only brings the dimension of depth....similarly God or cosmic intelligence will appear only with oneness of emotional intelligence....right brain...our soul...the eternal part...and logical intelligence....the left brain....our body...the non eternal part....

talking with partial vision of logical intelligence....Mr. hawking
comments is more of his own belief not the knowing....

[linfinster]

I think deep down he's just mad that he has the physical problems he has and this is his way of snubbing God. Besides anyone who truly is as brilliant as his is knows, God does exist. Perhaps that other planet is there to give us something far reaching to strive for perhaps as in space travel or optics, whatever. When He is done with this world as it is right now, things are gonna be VERY different.

[Bennettras]

It never ceases to amaze me that while science views GOD as theories and "no proof," we are supposed to believe theories of science as fact. They are still theories. No proof. Just as there is no proof for those scientists that GOD is real. Faith and theories....hmmmm

Hawking, please retire for real this time, or let people know that theories are not fact.

[Bennettras]

It never ceases to amaze me that while science views GOD as theories and "no proof," we are supposed to believe theories of science as fact. They are still theories. No proof. Just as there is no proof for those scientists that GOD is real. Faith and theories....hmmmm

Hawking, please retire for real this time, or let people know that theories are not fact.

[linfinster]

I think deep down he's just mad that he has the physical problems he has and this is his way of snubbing God. Besides anyone who truly is as brilliant as his is knows, God does exist. Perhaps that other planet is there to give us something far reaching to strive for perhaps as in space travel or optics, whatever. When He is done with this world as it is right now, things are gonna be VERY different.

[gruven13777]

Where did helium, hydrogen, and dust come from?

[ToolMangler1]

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing," the excerpt says. "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing,"



I disagree....
I respect Mr Hawking for his accomplishments but he needs to 'rethink' this last effort.

I posit: It is because of existence that there is 'gravity'!!!!
'Nothing' comes from 'nothing'. You can start from the middle and say that "All to the plus side of me and all to the minus side of me is 'existence' (the Universe). You may also say that 'the universe is cyclical' simply because your mind cannot envision anything different. You can assign mathematical limits to everything you are aware of (except existence) and because of that you 'cannot' deny GOD. You may doubt his existence (not wise) but I can come closer to 'proving' GOD than someone else can to denying.
Besides that, wouldn't you be really 'ticked' off if this life was all there was?????

[bpai99]

Truly, religion is the monster in humanity's closet, still lurking in the shadows from a time before science, reason and progress; always biding its time to burst its chains and drag us back into the abyss of superstition and dogma. The Christian God (for example) and its Bible have been used to justify the Crusades, the Inquisition, slavery, genocide and apartheid. Many of those spewing hatred and threatening violence at Muslims today will claim with a straight face they are doing so in the name of Christ.

Someday humanity will emerge from its intellectual infancy, take responsibility for itself in the here/now and face the universe without a crutch. In doing so, we hopefully also can discard the mind-boggling arrogance that maintains we are at the center of the universe, and that the supreme force that made everything created us in its image (that's really kind of a cute presumption, in an intellectually childish way).

[grega78]

Greetings, I see u have a strong opinion about this.
Unfortunately it seems that there is little more to your argument than your opinion though. All the "problems" you mention about Christianity refer to the way humans have taken drastic measures based on their flawed and twisted beliefs, and not actually followed what the christian message has to say.

It's sad that all we see of Christianity these days is fundamentalists and "The Church".. what about Mother Theresa, William Wilberforce, Elizabeth Fry, Ashley of Shaftesbury...the list goes on

God isn't the cause of Man's problems, it's man's sinfulness (knowing what the right thing to do is, but choosing otherwise), and the way they see and react to God that is the problem.

One last point...do you REALLY know what Jesus did for you?