1. Cape Town
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    06 Jul '10 07:01
    Originally posted by KellyJay
    He should know?
    Kelly
    Its quite likely he did not claim to know but was hypothesizing. PinkFloyd did not give a link or quote so I don't have any context except vague memories of things I have read by Stephen Hawking.
  2. Standard memberKellyJay
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    06 Jul '10 14:08
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    Its quite likely he did not claim to know but was hypothesizing. PinkFloyd did not give a link or quote so I don't have any context except vague memories of things I have read by Stephen Hawking.
    You think his knows about the Big Bang too, or are we still talking hypothesizing?
    Kelly
  3. Cape Town
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    06 Jul '10 14:49
    Originally posted by KellyJay
    You think his knows about the Big Bang too, or are we still talking hypothesizing?
    Kelly
    I think the Big Bang is a Theory. ie we are pretty sure it happened and there is a fairly large amount of evidence for it. Of course the exact details might be a bit less clear.
    And yes, I call that 'knowing'.
  4. Standard memberKellyJay
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    07 Jul '10 02:19
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    I think the Big Bang is a Theory. ie we are pretty sure it happened and there is a fairly large amount of evidence for it. Of course the exact details might be a bit less clear.
    And yes, I call that 'knowing'.
    You believe the Big Bang occured and have little to no doubt it occured.
    Kelly
  5. weedhopper
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    07 Jul '10 03:13
    Originally posted by FabianFnas
    If he says he know, then he knows better than anyone else.
    Few knows more than Stephen Hawking in these matters.
    Oh, I'd have to disagree there. I've read (and I know, "don't believe all you read"😉 that there are probably 20 or more astrophysicists that are more qualified and better in their field than Hawking--but he gets all the press, 'cuz he wrote bthat little book Brief History of Time (and because that computer-generated voice gives his words a Yoda-like quality of truth.😀

    He has contributed greatly to our knowledge, I realize that. And I certainly believe a singularity took place that we call the Big Bang (maybe more than one over the eons); there's too much to support the postulation) for me not to believe it. I just happen to still believe God was behind it and, up to now, the scientific world has no answer to contraindicate mine.
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    07 Jul '10 03:50
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    Oh, I'd have to disagree there. I've read (and I know, "don't believe all you read"😉 that there are probably 20 or more astrophysicists that are more qualified and better in their field than Hawking--but he gets all the press, 'cuz he wrote bthat little book Brief History of Time (and because that computer-generated voice gives his words a Yoda-like quali ...[text shortened]... was behind it and, up to now, the scientific world has no answer to contraindicate mine.
    If he is among the twenty best in the world, I tend to believe that he knows what he's talking about.

    Doesn't matter if he a good populizer, doesn't matter if he sit ina wheelchair, doesn't matter if he as a voice that resembles Youda's, he knows what he is talking about.

    If I say that I know better than him, then I certanly doesn't know much at all.
  7. Cape Town
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    07 Jul '10 06:25
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    Oh, I'd have to disagree there. I've read (and I know, "don't believe all you read"😉 that there are probably 20 or more astrophysicists that are more qualified and better in their field than Hawking.
    Surely 20 constitutes a 'few'? So at least the second sentence you quoted is correct.
  8. Cape Town
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    07 Jul '10 06:32
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    I just happen to still believe God was behind it and, up to now, the scientific world has no answer to contraindicate mine.
    And you are welcome to that belief.
    However, I think Hawking was saying that since the current makup of the universe is a result of the events during the big bang and not what came before, it doesn't really matter whether God was behind it. It wouldn't make any difference.

    If he had an effect, it would be either in the formulation of the laws of physics (which are not a matter of history but rather brute facts from our point of view), or he interfered with the universe during its development.

    I still don't see why what came before the big bang is so important to you. If you believe in a God, surely all his other attributes are more important to you than how and whether he created the universe? What difference would it make if the universes existence was just as much a brute fact as Gods existence?
  9. weedhopper
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    07 Jul '10 21:23
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    And you are welcome to that belief.
    However, I think Hawking was saying that since the current makup of the universe is a result of the events during the big bang and not what came before, it doesn't really matter whether God was behind it. It wouldn't make any difference.

    If he had an effect, it would be either in the formulation of the laws of physi ...[text shortened]... nce would it make if the universes existence was just as much a brute fact as Gods existence?
    My desire to know what occurred before the BB is simple curiousity--it has nothing to do with my faith that God was there before, during and after however many BBs there have been or will be.
    I'm with you about Hawking--if he says something about black holes, I tend to believe he knows whereof he speaks. When he starts chucking in quotes about God, however ("God not only plays dice with the universe, He throws them where no one can see them" is one I seem to remember), he's out of his league and it quickly becomes clear he should stick to lectureing astronomy.
  10. Germany
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    07 Jul '10 21:32
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    My desire to know what occurred before the BB is simple curiousity--it has nothing to do with my faith that God was there before, during and after however many BBs there have been or will be.
    I'm with you about Hawking--if he says something about black holes, I tend to believe he knows whereof he speaks. When he starts chucking in quotes about God, howev ...[text shortened]... he's out of his league and it quickly becomes clear he should stick to lectureing astronomy.
    In the context of God throwing dice, neither Einstein nor Hawking were talking about the Christian God.
  11. weedhopper
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    08 Jul '10 10:07
    Originally posted by KazetNagorra
    In the context of God throwing dice, neither Einstein nor Hawking were talking about the Christian God.
    I don't think that changes the meaning they were trying to put forth. What they said came across loud and clear, whether or not they chose to define the "God" in their statements.
  12. Germany
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    08 Jul '10 21:17
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    I don't think that changes the meaning they were trying to put forth. What they said came across loud and clear, whether or not they chose to define the "God" in their statements.
    It does change the meaning.
  13. weedhopper
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    08 Jul '10 21:48
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    And you are welcome to that belief.
    However, I think Hawking was saying that since the current makup of the universe is a result of the events during the big bang and not what came before, it doesn't really matter whether God was behind it. It wouldn't make any difference.

    If he had an effect, it would be either in the formulation of the laws of physi ...[text shortened]... nce would it make if the universes existence was just as much a brute fact as Gods existence?
    As one of the few sensible, unblocked posters remaining on this thread, what is your opinion on Hawking's comments about God? I agree everyone has the right of free speech, but isn't it normal to doubt his words when he's speaking outside his field of expertise?
  14. Cape Town
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    09 Jul '10 09:31
    Originally posted by PinkFloyd
    My desire to know what occurred before the BB is simple curiousity--it has nothing to do with my faith that God was there before, during and after however many BBs there have been or will be.
    Yet you called it the most important question ever. Surely that is a bit more than mere curiosity?

    I'm with you about Hawking--if he says something about black holes, I tend to believe he knows whereof he speaks. When he starts chucking in quotes about God, however ("God not only plays dice with the universe, He throws them where no one can see them" is one I seem to remember), he's out of his league and it quickly becomes clear he should stick to lectureing astronomy.
    Maybe you just misunderstand him.
  15. weedhopper
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    09 Jul '10 15:39
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    Yet you called it the most important question ever. Surely that is a bit more than mere curiosity?

    [b]I'm with you about Hawking--if he says something about black holes, I tend to believe he knows whereof he speaks. When he starts chucking in quotes about God, however ("God not only plays dice with the universe, He throws them where no one can see the ...[text shortened]... ecomes clear he should stick to lectureing astronomy.

    Maybe you just misunderstand him.[/b]
    Or maybe it was hyperbole. On "The most important question ever" list, I would put it in the tp 5, but not number 1. 🙂
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