Abandon Earth or Face Extinction, Stephen Hawking Warns -- Again

[nate895]

Every time I read something like this, the more I am tempted to agree with Abraham Kuyper that it is simply impossible to reason with non-believers, and we should stop trying.

It's time to abandon Earth, warned the world's most famous theoretical physicist.

In an interview with website Big Think, Stephen Hawking warned that the long-term future of the planet is in outer space

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/08/09/abandon-earth-face-extinction-warns-stephen-hawking/

So, umm, yeah. See my Chesterton quote.

 

[YumYum]

What is it exactly you want us to do?

 

[nate895]

What is it exactly you want us to do?

Comment on the apparent psychosis of secular prophet Stephen Hawking, and whether or not you agree with him and his psychotic rantings of late.

Yes, I just poisoned the well, but I could not really care less.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

IMHO he just REALLY wants the human race to become a space-faring civilization ASAP and is just pulling stuff out of his arse to try and motivate his desired outcome. He's just trying to scare the people, and through fear steer future human development to hasten the colonization of space.

 

[nate895]

IMHO he just REALLY wants the human race to become a space-faring civilization ASAP and is just pulling stuff out of his arse to try and motivate his desired outcome. He's just trying to scare the people, and through fear steer future human development to hasten the colonization of space.

That might be the case, but why then does he advocate for faster-than-light travel? That is simply impossible. Furthermore, he actually talks about jumping into the future, using those FTL ships. This is science fiction, plain and simple.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

That might be the case, but why then does he advocate for faster-than-light travel? That is simply impossible. Furthermore, he actually talks about jumping into the future, using those FTL ships. This is science fiction, plain and simple.

I think sci-fi on the brain just furthers the point that this is actually coming from an emotional need to see the human race as a space-faring civilization rather than any kind of rational center (perverse or otherwise).

Also, I seem to recall some hope from the nonexistent and quasi-mythical unified field theory towards nominal (although not actual) FTL travel through the bending of space-time. The idea is you could get from point A to B faster than light can, but you would not ACTUALLY be traveling FTL, instead you would be folding space to make the journey so much shorter.

Mind you, most sci-fi theories on space travel have taken into account Einstien's theory of relativity and the constancy of c by now. Even the ubiquitous Star Trek "Warp Field" alleges a circumvention of actual FTL travel through a warping of space-time without ACTUALLY surpassing the universal constant in velocity.

 

[nate895]

I think sci-fi on the brain just furthers the point that this is actually coming from an emotional need to see the human race as a space-faring civilization rather than any kind of rational center (perverse or otherwise).

Also, I seem to recall some hope from the nonexistent and quasi-mythical unified field theory towards nominal (although not actual) FTL travel through the bending of space-time. The idea is you could get from point A to B faster than light can, but you would not ACTUALLY be traveling FTL, instead you would be folding space to make the journey so much shorter.

Mind you, most sci-fi theories on space travel have taken into account Einstien's theory of relativity and the constancy of c by now. Even the ubiquitous Star Trek "Warp Field" alleges a circumvention of actual FTL travel through a warping of space-time without ACTUALLY surpassing the universal constant in velocity.

Yes, I know. Star Trek uses "subspace," where physical laws are altered. However, I just think that Hawking is just demonstrating an overall trend in the scientific community of the wholesale abandonment of legitimate scientific enterprise in favor of realizing their childhood sci-fi dreams. My own astronomy teacher last quarter talked, seriously, about an "anti-universe" composed of anti-matter, and a possible meeting of our two universes through a portal and two opposites meeting and blowing up both universes. The funny thing is, that was the plot of a Star Trek: The Original Series episode I had watched the night before. This is quite a regular occurrence in science classrooms these days, and that is regretful that scientists are destroying scientific investigation in favor of sci-fi fantasies.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

In an interview with website Big Think, Stephen Hawking warned that the long-term future of the planet is in outer space

The writer of the story didn't get it correct. That should be "long term future of the species".

Am I supposed to disagree with what Hawking is purported to say in that article? Would it be a bad idea for people to spread out beyond the Earth?

 

[nate895]

In an interview with website Big Think, Stephen Hawking warned that the long-term future of the planet is in outer space[/QUOTE

The write of the story didn't get it correct. That should be "long term future of the species".

Am I supposed to disagree with what Hawking is purported to say in that article? Would it be a bad idea for people to spread out beyond the Earth?

Well, considering we have no means to colonize anything inside our solar system, and any solar system "close" that might, just a little itty bitty might, support life is tens and tens, if not hundreds and hundreds, of thousands of years away, it is pretty nuts to start getting alarmist and saying we are all gonna die in 200 years if we do not pack up and head for alpha centauri.

 

[specsaregood]

That might be the case, but why then does he advocate for faster-than-light travel? That is simply impossible.

So you don't think God could make it possible for something to travel faster than light? Interesting.

Edit: I don't think we can prove something like that is "impossible". We are still young and ignorant.
Example: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/05/freaky-physics-proves-parallel-universes/

The strange discovery by quantum physicists at the University of California Santa Barbara means that an object you can see in front of you may exist simultaneously in a parallel universe -- a multi-state condition that has scientists theorizing that traveling through time may be much more than just the plaything of science fiction writers.

And it's all because of a tiny bit of metal -- a "paddle" about the width of a human hair, an item that is incredibly small but still something you can see with the naked eye.

UC Santa Barbara's Andrew Cleland cooled that paddle in a refrigerator, dimmed the lights and, under a special bell jar, sucked out all the air to eliminate vibrations. He then plucked it like a tuning fork and noted that it moved and stood still at the same time.

That sounds contradictory, and it's nearly impossible to understand if your last name isn't Einstein. But it actually happened. It's a freaky fact that's at the heart of quantum mechanics

 

[Andrew-Austin]

Comment on the apparent psychosis of secular prophet Stephen Hawking, and whether or not you agree with him and his psychotic rantings of late.

You gotta try and understand his situation.. as hard as that it is. Dude can't do anything but sit trapped inside his head and think.. thanks to whatever motor neuron disease he has.. Sure he can communicate with his aids in a very handicapped fashion, but that is it. So he spends all his time thinking about the universe. Thinking about black holes, estimating the probability of the earth getting wiped out by a meteorite, and all sorts of crazy physics shit I don't understand so I'll just leave it at that... Now don't you imagine that on the matter of the future of the human race he would be thinking more long term than most people care to? So yeah to most people his warning might sound strange, I don't think its that hard to understand though. Regarding the means of interstellar travel, maybe hes just throwing shit out there, not that big of a deal? Look at how rapidly technology seems to be increasing, yesterdays science fiction idea might turn out to be tomorrows science fact. Show one of today's cell phones to a man living in the 1700s and you would get stoned to death for witchcraft.
I don't see why you think his well is so poisoned, maybe its because he said some unflattering things about the Vatican? lol

Well, considering we have no means to colonize anything inside our solar system, and any solar system "close" that might, just a little itty bitty might, support life is tens and tens, if not hundreds and hundreds, of thousands of years away, it is pretty nuts to start getting alarmist and saying we are all gonna die in 200 years if we do not pack up and head for alpha centauri.
__________________

Like I said hes just thinking long term. His warning was not to you or me at this specific moment in time, it was to the human race, just some thoughts as they may become relevant in the perhaps not so distant future. Hawking probably won't live much longer, and his fame as a physicist kinda makes him one of those guys people look to for insightful quotations after hes dead.

This thread seems to be more about the Chesterton quote in your sig than it is about Stephen Hawking.

 

[Scofield]

I'm going to stay on Earth.

We all have to die eventually, I'd prefer to die at home.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Well, considering we have no means to colonize anything inside our solar system, and any solar system "close" that might, just a little itty bitty might, support life is tens and tens, if not hundreds and hundreds, of thousands of years away, it is pretty nuts to start getting alarmist and saying we are all gonna die in 200 years if we do not pack up and head for alpha centauri.

Yeah, it is a little alarmist, and getting outside of our solar system is quite a challenge. Maybe not possible. It's worth working on. Moving between continents was tough for almost the entire history of man.

I like when Hawking says "don't contact alien life, it's dangerous!" I agree there! We best keep our selves hidden like little bunny rabbits in a bush. If there are life forms advanced enough to come here, it probably wouldn't be good for us. No need to inform them about our little oasis here...

 

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

Eh.. He just wants to live in a zero gravity environment so he is not stuck in that chair all the time. I can't say that I blame him.

 

[YumYum]

Eh.. He just wants to live in a zero gravity environment so he is not stuck in that chair all the time. I can't say that I blame him.

No, I think he is worried that Sarah Palin will be our next president.

 

[RideTheDirt]

Maybe he's sick of everyone and wants us to leave.