Stephen Hawking 'Very Ill', Hospitalized

[chaosgs]

[citation][nom]B-Unit[/nom]WTF is so perfect about Earth? Its way to small, has finite natural resources, and natural disasters occur with alarming regularity.But, dont let me drag you out from under your rock. Enjoy your superstitions, Im going to go enlighten myself.[/citation]

You have such a negative outlook on life, instead of defining the beauty of it, you list all the negatives. It is perfect, maybe not perfect for us human beings, but it is a beautiful perfect place.
Since atheists believe they are only gonna live once, enjoy your negative pointless life, no amount of "enlightenment" is gonna fix that.

 

[Pyroflea]

Lmao, you just won't stop at any lengths! Einstein and Hawkings are both stupid; our deteriorating planet with limited resources is perfect; atheists are all uneducated pessimists; I suggest that you just stop talking, as almost everybody here has made an idiot out of your arrogant thoughts.

 

[mtyermom]

Guys... seriously... quit feeding the troll. Leave him to his ignorance, and stick to the topic at hand.

Get well, Mr Hawking.

I have read several of his books, as well as others on these subjects, and am always fascinated. I don't always completely understand the really deep/complex mathematics, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

 

[B-Unit]

Well, I'll certainly agree that Earth is beautiful. And I love Her dearly. However, she is FAR from perfect.

Speedy recovery Mr. Hawking. You are an inspiration on many levels.

 

[cudds76]

lol @ msdss....classic

Earth is great, but it ain't gonna be here forever. One wayward asteroid or comet and we're gone.

We need to explore space / colonise offworld just to maximise our chances of surviving any sort of unavoidable disaster.

So yay for theories, we need them for faster than light travel and "flying space banana car with guns that shoot sharks"

 

[cudds76]

[citation][nom]cudds76[/nom]lol @ msdss....classic Earth is great, but it ain't gonna be here forever. One wayward asteroid or comet and we're gone.We need to explore space / colonise offworld just to maximise our chances of surviving any sort of unavoidable disaster.So yay for theories, we need them for faster than light travel and "flying space banana car with guns that shoot sharks"[/citation]

oh, yeah, speedy recover Mr Hawking, you're a legend

 

[BrendanS]

ChaosGS = Troll...

 

[deltatux]

Wish all the best to one of the greatest mind in the world. Without him, our understanding of our world will be significantly reduced. Without Hawking, our understanding of physics and our attempt to finish the Big Bang puzzle would be very limited.

 

[chaosgs]

[citation][nom]BrendanS[/nom]ChaosGS = Troll...[/citation]

Only been here 4 years longer than you, id say your the troll, Comment section is for opinions and ideas. Problem is people shoot people down who are different, with different opinions and likes and dislikes.

 

[Guest]

well, he made a daring (but futile) attempt to prove time travel theoretically impossible at one point, didn't he?

 

[neurophducb]

A word on theories: One does not prove a theory to be true, this is not how science works. A hypothesis (theory) is formed based on logical analysis of the available data. Predictions are made based upon the logic of the hypothesis and, when applicable, experiments are performed to test these predictions. In the case of some branches of physics, experiments are observational rather than controlled in the lab. The results can either support the hypothesis or disprove all or part of it. A theory that amounts enough support or one in which all alternatives have been disproved is regarded as scientific fact despite the inability to empirically 'prove' it true.
Prof. Hawking was a master of logic and many of his theories have stood well against observational experiments. I hope he makes a speedy recovery so that he may continue to provide his insight into the makings of the universe.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]ChaosGS[/nom] it is impossible to disprove god[/citation]
It's also impossible to disprove that Jesus was the son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It's impossible to disprove the existence of the invisible pink unicorn. That doesn't change that fact that they're are completely ****ing retarded ideas that have no basis in reality.

[citation][nom]ChaosGS[/nom]You have such a negative outlook on life, instead of defining the beauty of it, you list all the negatives. It is perfect, maybe not perfect for us human beings, but it is a beautiful perfect place.[/citation]
And you're basing this on what? You haven't been to any other planets that could harbor our life. You don't know how beautiful any other planet may or may not be. And the fact of the matter is, just the idea of space has open so many minds, generated new thought, and brought the world new innovations. Going to space pushes our ability to think and innovate further than we could artificially.

[citation][nom]ChaosGS[/nom]Since atheists believe they are only gonna live once, enjoy your negative pointless life, no amount of "enlightenment" is gonna fix that.[/citation]
You must not understand what Atheism is, it's a lack of belief. You can't lump all Atheists together under a single belief because that's exactly what they lack. I have plenty of theories about consciousness after death, but the fact that I lack conviction to those ideas makes me an Atheist.

You speak the inability to rule out possibilities, so how can you truly believe something that cannot be proven?

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]yamagiru[/nom]If we could only remove the shackles of ignorant, hokey religions we would have been there by now.[/citation]
Religion is a good thing! It's my strategy for winning civilization 4 anyway!
In reallife though - I'm not religious, but I acknowledge that religion is nessecary. It provides some sort of meaning or hope for people who need that crutch to get thru life.

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]You must not understand what Atheism is, it's a lack of belief. [/citation]
It's not a lack of belief, it's a definite belieft that there is no god. An atheist believes there is no such thing as a god, and therefore isn't open to any religion.

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]I have plenty of theories about consciousness after death, but the fact that I lack conviction to those ideas makes me an Atheist.[/citation]
No, it makes you an agnostic. Most people who don't conform to any specific religion are in fact agnostic, not atheist. They don't completely reject the idea of god, they merely don't believe any of the official stories about him/them.

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]Religion is a good thing! It's my strategy for winning civilization 4 anyway! In reallife though - I'm not religious, but I acknowledge that religion is nessecary. It provides some sort of meaning or hope for people who need that crutch to get thru life.[/citation]
This I have to agree with, I had a conversation about this very topic dealing with morality, and facing non-existence in death.

To make a long story short, I don't need religion to be a good person, and I don't need to believe I'll get to live forever to live my life.

[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]An atheist believes there is no such thing as a god, and therefore isn't open to any religion.[/citation]
Not all religions purports the existence of deities. I was a Nichiren Buddhist for a number of years, and I have never in my life believed deities existed.

[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]No, it makes you an agnostic. Most people who don't conform to any specific religion are in fact agnostic, not atheist. They don't completely reject the idea of god, they merely don't believe any of the official stories about him/them.[/citation]
The existence of deities doesn't matter to me in the slightest, the relevance of such deities is what really matters to me.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]Not all religions purports the existence of deities. I was a Nichiren Buddhist for a number of years, and I have never in my life believed deities existed.[/citation]
I assume by deities you mean god figures or the like. I'm not familiar with all religions, but I'm sure you are right. But it doesn't much change what defines an atheist. Let's replace the 'a god' part with 'a higher meaninig in life' and we should be able go agree.

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]
The existence of deities doesn't matter to me in the slightest, the relevance of such deities is what really matters to me.[/citation]
See - my point exactly. You don't deny a possible existence of such deities, which means you cannot be an atheist, as their basis of belief is that there is nothing to believe in ; full stop. No futher questioning of what if, or what's it matter.

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]To make a long story short, I don't need religion to be a good person, and I don't need to believe I'll get to live forever to live my life.[/citation]
I'm with you here, to some extend anyway. While I believe religion isn't nessecary to be a good person, I still have a feeling that a religious person has better odds of being 'good' in our understanding of the word as compared to a 'modern' person.
On that account though I'll gladly admit that I'm not a 'good' person, I'm more like 'lawful neutral' really. Perhaps even more like just neutral. But most of the people I admire as being 'good', or 'lawful good' to keep it in the d&d alignment setting, happen to be religious (not fanatics though).

 

[Tindytim]

[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]I still have a feeling that a religious person has better odds of being 'good' in our understanding of the word as compared to a 'modern' person.[/citation]
I would agree with this, but it would be great if we could get some religions that didn't create a huge amount of pseudo-science in an attempt to disproves theories with huge backing.

 

[D2ModPlayer]

To me true science and true religion can coexist (said already by someone else on this thread in so many words). Since there is not alot of true science (based on the fact that theories are always changing, even Hawkings own theories), there is conflict. But as we progress in theories about how the universe works I think we'll even begin to understand those things omnipitant, eternal, and divine.

I have always respected the work scientists put forth in helping us find more meaning in things we do not always understand, or thought we did but found out we were flawed in our thinking. Looking for that perfect truth in science in many ways, reflects a similar yearning for religious pursuit in finding spiritual truths. Science, especially cosmology, has us looking outward. Religion often inward. But I find if I do alot of one or the other, I always naturally gravitate toward the opposite. Looking outward cannot exist without the ability to look inward. A full circle as you might say.

I hope Mr Hawking gets better soon.

 

[necro1783]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]I would agree with this, but it would be great if we could get some religions that didn't create a huge amount of pseudo-science in an attempt to disproves theories with huge backing.[/citation]

I got one for you, it's the religion of Wicca. In extreamly short since of explaination Wicca is the worship of nature, depending on what branch of Wicca you worship depends on what you truly believe in. For example I am a very religious common wiccan my god is father time and my goddess is mother nature. I worship the earth, space, and time. As for the big bang theory even my religion does not disprove it nor prove it, all I believe is for there to be life it must have come from both female and male. As for keeping me a good person, I'll admit it I'm more of a "chaotic good" person but the only belief in my religion about acting towards others is "An it harm none, do as ye will". I find it is a perfect fit for me personally, it doesn't go agianst science like other religions but it also doesn't try to force beleifs on me like most religions do. Just my two cents.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]I would agree with this, but it would be great if we could get some religions that didn't create a huge amount of pseudo-science in an attempt to disproves theories with huge backing.[/citation]
That would require a religion to actually be true to the bone though, and none are. Most religions are 'invented' for the sake of resource management, the aquisition of power in some form or another, or the simple misinterpretation of some event or fact.
I don't know what is true and what is not, but neither does anyone else. And as long as there is no solid fact, there's a 'need' for that pseudo science in order to keep the religious claims valid.
All that being said, I think religion has created a lot of good (as well as the lot of dead people we all usually think of). I'm not too much into religions from africa and asia, but everything from norse mythology to islam has provided the world with some sets of morals that have helped us become the civilized world we are now. I don't nessecarily agree with all of it, especially some of what I read in the Qur'an and some of the religions which include human sacrifice to buy favors, but overall I think they're part of the reason we're civilized in the first place.

Anyway, we're getting a bit much offtopic here I believe.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]necro1783[/nom]I got one for you, it's the religion of Wicca. In extreamly short since of explaination Wicca is the worship of nature, depending on what branch of Wicca you worship depends on what you truly believe in. For example I am a very religious common wiccan my god is father time and my goddess is mother nature. I worship the earth, space, and time. As for the big bang theory even my religion does not disprove it nor prove it, all I believe is for there to be life it must have come from both female and male. As for keeping me a good person, I'll admit it I'm more of a "chaotic good" person but the only belief in my religion about acting towards others is "An it harm none, do as ye will". I find it is a perfect fit for me personally, it doesn't go agianst science like other religions but it also doesn't try to force beleifs on me like most religions do. Just my two cents.[/citation]
Sounds like a religion quite fit for a more modern world. Though a bit redundant in my eyes. But then I don't believe there is a single religion that is fit for all. We may all have the same origin, but we're not all alike.