Stephen Hawking: Master of the Universe
A voyage through space and time with Professor Stephen Hawking. The series charts Professor Hawking’s quest for a ‘Theory of Everything’.
This ‘holy grail’ hypothesis could explain everything from the mysteries of unimaginably vast phenomena such as supernovae, black holes and dark matter, to the secrets of an infinitesimally small sub-atomic world.
A portrait of the most famous scientist in the world, Prof Stephen Hawking, and an attempt to explain his work to non-scientific types.
This excellent documentary from Channel 4 does very well to convey the basics of quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity in an easy-to-understand manner, as well as to acquaint viewers with Prof Stephen Hawking’s extraordinary life, mission and character. A thoroughly enjoyable, inspiring and enlightening watch!
Watch the full documentary now (playlist)
’twas a good doc. it was a brief biography with bits of his theories, but they were still well explained. it is worth watching if you don’t know much about black holes.
I really like Steven Hawkings. I hope he gets it all figured out before his time comes to step into eternity.
Very interesting stuff. Thanks Vlatko.
There is only one person who deserves the title of ‘Master of the Universe’, That person is the actual Creator of the Universe, Jehovah. The awesome complex human brain is one of his many works.Stephen Hawking’s has outstanding capabilities. It’s wonderful when a human uses his brain to the best potential he can. And do so in order for mankind to learn even more about the Universe.
Laura, don’t forget about “HeMan and the Masters of the Universe.”
Thank you for the documentary i very much enjoyed it. However on a second note i do not agree with the fact that ‘Laura’ claims that jehovah is the actual creator of the universe. Sure she may believe so, and i respect her beliefs, but do not respect the fact that she forces her beliefs on others as she does not KNOW for sure that what she is saying is TRUE.
And by the way that was not intended as a personal attack… I was simply pointing out the difference between facts and beliefs
wonders how the creator of all things could have a european name
He was European. It’s obvious from the paintings.
Jehovah is a person now? A ‘person’ created the Universe? Whatever you think! It would be nice if ppl could use logic with their brains, when making religulous comments, right laura? How do you know anything about jehovah if he supposedly made the universe roughly 13.7 billion years ago, do you have his notes?
Rip, don’t blame Laura for not using her brains. People like her just open up their mind for ‘God’. The problem is that when they open up their minds too much, their brains fall out ;)
Laura: I actually had the exact same thought as you; “master of the universe” is a rather grand title and only one Person qualifies, and that is God (or Jehovah, if you please).
Rip and Van Winkle: I can think of no more foolish “brainless” activitiy in the whole universe than to mock God.
If you want to dispute a point or two, great, but mocking outrightly God, and mocking those that love God is really heineous of you. :-(
Dizzle and Tim: I know you guys are being sarcastic. Do you Steven Hawkings or “Jehovah”?
Jehovah is not a European name. It’s a mistake in English, actually, from the Hebrew which for many years was written without vowels but consonants only. The Jews would write the letters for “God” wich was known as the Tetragramaton YHVH(if memory serves correctly), which was “Yahweh” when rarely spoken, but would say the name for “Lord” adonai when reading the letters out loud as respect for God’s name. Europeans mistakenly mixed the two and got “Jehovah” which has stuck with us.
However, it doesn’t matter that much; a rose is a rose is a rose, no matther what you call it. The one true God knows when you’re speaking to Him and when you’re not. Words are not as important as the intent of your heart. Please be a little more respectful about such important things such as then name of God, if you could manage. Thanks.
Charles is right about Jehovah not being European in origin. Funny thing is, no one really knows how to pronounce the Tetragrammaton correctly since it was basically forbidden to do so. Jehovah isn’t a very good translation of it, not sure why people stick with it.
Tim: Wow! Very good Tim. You’re totaly correct about the Tetragrammaton. It took scholars a long time to work on it’s pronunciation, especially outside of Jewish circles. I bet they have the pronunciation close, if not totally correct however as it was conveyed orally for preservation purposes by certain high priests, etc. Or at least I think so.
@tim
hahahahhhahahhhahaha :) i almost died of laughter :)
Jehovha created the Universe now…??? You know I am a Hindu and according to my texts it was this dude called Brahma so I think Laura and Charles have got it all wrong… Why do I say that…??? Because there is no proof of Brahma’s existence BUT it should not stop me from ranting on about it… And hey Hinduism is way more ancient than Christianity and Islam so the Hindus MUST have it right…. Who is stopping me….???
There was this time I went on a date with this girl who could not stop rambling on about her love for Christ (she was Mormon go figure) and how he is our savior…. Though the idea of an all powerful being is very enticing, even to me… After all who would not want some great bearded (or non bearded if you wanna believe the Hindus) all knowing all powerful dude to come and sweep our troubles away..?? My only question for her was ‘In a world where 50% of the people live in less than $2 a day and where over 30,000 children DIE EVERYDAY due to preventable causes and poverty WHY does not your God (or mine)come down and do something?’ Her answer ‘……….’
Did I get laid that night? = NO
BUT, hey I found other non-believer girls to go out with….. 5000 years of recorded human history and not ONCE has God come down to save us or even made it evident that he/she/it exists…. Yet people watch Stephen Hawking’s documentary and then mindlessly say ‘Oh well it was not a bang but a dude who created the universe’….. Yeah right…
I think the comedian Bill Maher put it very well when he said ‘If with God there is a better place then why dont you just kill yourself and go there?’…. Maybe one of our friends will bring Jehovah, Brahma, Khuda (Islam), Zizzybaluba (just a funny name) or whatever ‘it’ is to answer this question….. I doubt anyone is coming though…..
I can only say thanks for the opportunity of have seen this interesting video.
@Anshuman,
Sorry to break it to you but Jehovah is Brahman (more appropriate than just Brahma). As a mythos that helps us explain an inconceivable universe, God is just our way of connecting with the universe as well as any extra elements of reality that exist. It doesn’t have gender, although it does contain all elements in Itself including Father, Mother, Sibling, Lover, etc. Why It does not interfere with our world goes into an endless philosophical debate, but free will is most likely a major player. It is the All, so great and profound that anthropomorphizing It is wrong, but being the simple creatures we are that is one of the only ways we can connect to It.
To add to your other comment, God does give subtle hints to His existence, maybe you should go look over some of your peoples texts to find out that He is to be found in the mind and spirit, and most preferentially found through meditation. Open yourself up to this and to His Love and in time He will grace you with His presence (sorry use male terms but I generally connect with It’s aspect as my Heavenly Father, and calling something so great as God an It…seems kinda wrong).
How intolerant can you be? Laura asked (read forced) no one to believe what she wrote nor did she insult anyone because they choose not believe. Many religious faiths are represented here in these comments yet it is only the Judaeo-Christian belief that draws insults, rants, criticism and just plain ****** comments. This forum exists so that we can comment on the video rather than dissing follow humans. On that note, I celebrate Stephen Hawking and his contributions to the age old question of Creation vs. random chance. The fact that Prof. Hawking can apply mathematical formulas to accurately explain so much, indicates order not chaos, design and intent not randomness. In other words “intelligence” at the origin of our universe.
We all die soon enough. None of us here can escape death. Time shall profess where true wisdom lies.
;)
@all humans who mocked and insulted laura’s comment:
so with your finite mortal mind, and your mortal life which is nothing more than a vapor, and all of your mortal treasures which moths and rust corrode, you have the audacity, the ignorance to imply that you have all the answers, and that merely because one human’s opinion is not identical to your own, you must offer a sharp rebuke, when that rebuke, is in fact, based on speculation of your own, in and of itself.
fools can learn nothing from a wise man. But a wise man can learn much from a fool. I taught you nothing, but I have learned much from all of you.
@crowley
stfu. nobody wants to hear you spout that pedantic religious diarrhea.
besides, you are rejecting speculation on the grounds of your own speculation. in other words, you reveal yourself to be an untrustworthy hypocrite.
Interesting fiction, theory and facts all mixed together. 1/32 cup of fact can make 31/32 cup of fiction more digestable. . What happens when there is an explosion? It goes against all experience that an explosion brings together material to create something as complex as our world. Hawkins and others like him, is so proud he will never find Truth.
Ima tell you something and it’s just gonna be between you and me. I think folks carry on about heaven too much, like it’s some kind of all you can eat buffet up in the clouds and folks just do as they told so they can eat what they want behind some pearly gates. There’s sinning in my heart, there’s evil in the world but when I got no one, I talk to God. I ask for strength, I ask for forgiveness, not peace at the end of my days when I got no more life to live or no more good to do but today, right now… What’s your heaven?
@him self
Just one question – When you ask for forgiveness are you asking god to forgive you or for the ability to forgive yourself?
What’s my idea of heaven? Well I would have to say that it would be the deletion of my own existence.
@allan
as i said… when i got no one, i talk to God
for the ability to forgive myselfe….yes
@ him self
You mean you talk to yourself. :)
so long and thanks for the fish?
@ g money:
In that case, I’m really glad I’m able to take advantage of present-day technology to have the choice of putting some FishSticks in my mouth just like the Kanye West cartoon character of South Park does, instead of gnawing on a raw fish.
My comment is no more off-topic than any of the other ones on this page for Steven Hawking’s He-Man Of The Universe documentary, so therefore my comment maintains equal relevance & validity to the issue. I bet if Steven had better chewing muscle control, he’d be enjoying FishSticks quite often, instead of all that pureed food he’s relegated to.
I admire Hawking’s control of his mind and control over the course direction of his life despite losing his physical abilities. If the rest of us would also practice the same control in our own life, people would be so much better off, within and without, individually and as a species. And yet, we allow our egos to do ****** things like create reasons and accept decisions made by others to make war and all the other spin-off consequences of war. And WE consider ourselves to be an intelligent species. Hmmm… I have a problem with that concept…
This just in:Stephen Hawking inspires religious fanatics!Maybe next he’ll just start a religion of his own and call it Hawkingism.
Great documentary and loads of funny comments… Thank you! LMAO :)))
Cheers!
Soo Does Time move faster as our planet moves closer to a singularity? just wondering.
or should I say does Time move at a faster rate as our consiousness becomes closer the centerpoint of a singularity?
always funny how religious people think they have to point out a fairytale god as a fact and automatically demand respect.
Only sheep need a herder. lol
Ohh yea. This one is good eatin for the average joe. I know jack about physics, so this was a brilliant introductory film. PropZ to our homeslice Hawkings 4 hiz madman determinashionz. :)
In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move.
– Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Now it is such a bizarrely improbably coincidence that anything so mindbogglingly useful [the Babel fish] could have evolved by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as a final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God.
The argument goes something like this: “I refuse to prove that I exist,” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.”
“But,” says Man, “the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn’t it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don’t. QED”
“Oh dear,” says God, “I hadn’t thought of that,” and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.
– Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (book one of the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series), p 50
I’am thankful for such a novel collection for videos. In fact I’ve taught a small lesson on Stefan Hawking to my boys which has a place in textbook. For educational purpose, such resource is really commendable. I’ll be thankful if you provide me a short video clip on life and struggle of David Hartman, the first blind psychiatrist (doctor)from Temple School of Medicine. It is also inspiring story for little ones. Thank you very much.
diwakar.
I shall be thankful and fortunate to see a TV drama 1975 ‘Journey from Darkness’ with Mark Singer in main role of David Hartman. Thank you.
diwakar.
Stephen Hawkings thinks aliens are coming to Earth to harvest for energy…see MSNBC (April 27, 2010)
You people are not onto it at all.
Everybody knows that the universe was created by His Noodliness the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Go now to the official website of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
http://www.venganza.org/
There your eyes will be opened when you see photographic evidence and abundant PROOF of His existence throughout our world and you will begin to see His Noodliness everywhere thereafter.
Read the scientific dialogue and be convinced of the Truth.
Hawkins is a good scientist, and as such has a poor insight into the inner workings of human culture. Popularization of his work is a way to wax people for higher spending in basic research and will probably bring us new weaponry. So much about the final truth.
For everybody bashing religion I’ll have to agree: it is an ancient and highly tuned human product. The one you do not understand. It is very important, because without god law does not work; or it works like we see at the moment: profit becomes god and state becomes a religion.
Anshuman….ROFL….your so funny…really, thats not sarcasm!! I died laughing! well stated.
Stephan Hawking is unbelievable! I hope they freeze some of that super Master of the Universe Sperm and impregnate all of you who want to play victim because you cannot come to terms with any other idea besides the one that God is the creator, or Jehovah, Brahman, WHATEVER.
JUST please, try to look at it on the other side…try to not fall to your knees every time someone presents a different idea than the one you were probably raised in from birth…
Or go on a killing spree of non believers
or go door to door trying to convert people…
or welcome people into your place of worship….so you can try to convince them YOUR RIGHT.
and then convert them..
why is it that it is so much easier to convince people of something…when there is evidence of it?
Can you imagine what being on trial for a crime would be like if you didnt need any evidence whatsoever?..
and it was all based on the popular “belief”….
hummmm, i see lots and lots of people dying.
id rather put my hand on a bag of crisps then on the bible.
a book where morals and murder and rape and killing and injustice go hand in hand.
How about we REWRITE the bible? ya know, like they did before? put our NEW values in it…now what would that be like? I wonder,,…probably not very good either. Lets just throw the ****** book out and do good towards all man and woman?? treat everyone with dignity? nahhh
well whatever, I love god to pieces!And Jesus! Christians are the easiest people to manipulate in to doing what you want, because the moment you claim god speaks to you, they roll over and “BELIEVE”!! and you dont even need evidence! come on you know its true..
brilliant!
so there’s my lot of ignorance or what have you. felt i should contribute to the hilarious comments going on here..
heinous! LOL
@LACTATION MACHINE X’Treme: however!
1. Rationalization is just a modern form of indoctrination, because it was proven (Gödel will probably be your favourite) that no significant theory is self-consistent.
2. Through the concept of god and some good will you will find the gates to anybody.
3. Being constructive means appreciating life. Your destruction is guaranteed.
I always wanted to know how Hawkins has sex. Does he have to repeatedly push the joystic back and forth increasing velocity at the climactic point of coital pleasure. Sorry my mind wanders sometimes.
@cairos i didnt really get the overall point you were making so it’s hard to critique that.
your first post was good until the middle of the 2nd paragraph and i really liked your comment that,
‘religion I’ll have to agree: it is an ancient and highly tuned human product.’
but i strongly disagree with
‘It is very important, because without god law does not work;’
the basic 10 are all pretty common sensical, but if you look at ‘the 2nd law’ i.e the book of Deteronomy it full of nasty and horribly oppresive stuff.
@ cairos your second post comment 1 was a bit off the mark, you said,
’1. Rationalization is just a modern form of indoctrination, because it was proven (Gödel will probably be your favourite) that no significant theory is self-consistent.’
NO.no,no. Rationalization was and still is the superior way of thinking propogated by classical greeks. It was used to smash superstition and ignorance. It spawned great progress in maths, art, culture, politics and the list just goes on and on.
you are also off the mark on Godel. The mad machinations of the masterful mathematition prove that in any axiomatic system (please look axiomatic up) there will always be things that are true that will be impossible to prove.
@Epicurean_Logic,
Absolutly.
@cairos
I completely missed the point your trying to make?
Does what you said translate in to : You need to believe in God or else?
comeee onn….really? again with the “your life will suck with out belief in god” thing?
And why do i need to appreciate life to be constructive? And who said I don’t appreciate life in the first place? What does it mean to appreciate life? To believe in god?
no, nononononon….No.
I appreciate the plight of human kind. It is all a struggle with the evolution of our own minds when you think about it.
I think that’s why we need rationalization, to overcome the primordial retardation occuring in parts of our brain.
Law works fine with out religion. People work fine with out religion.
try it. you might like it.
“all I know is that I know nothing”
a quote we should all repeat daily to ourselves when we consider fighting with out proof for something we don’t even know exists.
I dont know, I wish we were all people in a real room discussing this, would be a fantastic conversation!
Pretty heady stuff: no matter how complex the presentation, it still brings me back to memories as a kid, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that either somethings goes on forever…or it stops, but if so, what’s beyond that?
The idea that any human brain will ever figure out exactly (and provable) the answer to that simple childish wondering – I suppose would appear to be like discovering religion, or something.
Hawking is an incredible human being – easily as interesting as his work.
wow, beutiful statements littleplanet,
‘it still brings me back to memories as a kid, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that either somethings goes on forever’ and
‘the answer to that simple childish wondering’
These are the question we all ask as kids and it takes someone of Hawkins magnitude to even begin to try and answer them. Even then he is not able to give a complete answer. It reminds me of my studies of number theory where a simple question like, is there a pattern to the primes? has an answer that is so difficult to answer that you need a P.h.d to even begin to formulate the question in maths terms! let alone give an answer.
be well sir
My only problem with Hawkings is simply this: that little crumpled-up-genius owes me 25 dollars!
It was last year sometime. There I was, walking the campus at Berkley, where Steve had been doing a lecture tour, and from behind me I hear this whiring sound.
I turn around and there he is, buzzing up behind me in his souped-up “hover-round” and he says to me in that electronic voice, he says, “Dude. Let. Me. Get. 15. Bucks. To. Score. Some. Arby’s…”
I was like, “Man, you still owe me 10 from when I was at Oxford LAST year, and you needed Arby’s! What is it with you?”
Well, you know Steve, right? He gets those puppy dog eyes and you just can’t refuse. The man loves his Arby’s!
A world-class, solid-gold genius, but… a bit of a moocher…
(that was a little joke to cheer up Epi_Logic, who is having girl problems… no disrespect intended to one of my heroes, the great Stephen Hawking!)
@Randy
HA!HA! Dude , that put tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard.
Thanks Randy, you know how to make me laugh. In London we also like to cultivate a healthy irreverence to the great and the good.
That Horsey-Sauce tastes great on those Arby’s Regular Roast Beeph sammiches.
Unfortunately, Hawking’s scandalous photos of him drooling Horsey-Sauce would show up on the TMZ TV show and the National Enquirer mag.
I LVOE this docu on Steven Hawking. I do believe it was too early in his life to be putting out a biography doc, especially given his own docu contribution about ET alians which made the news recently. This bio film was extremely insightful, especially the parts about his ex, the groupies, the moocher live-in helpers (knowing about them got me very angry), and the details shared about his personal life in general. Thank you for putting this docu up.
See how I did that?!? I converted this post from my typical YouTube rant into a meaningful yet simple critique of this film.
I’ve noticed at the major big-box bookstores that there are WAYYY too many biographies written about people who are far too young, and have so much more to contribute to society. Bio writers: Please wait until the subject is at least 80 years old or deceased before you begin compiling info for your book. The result will be a more meaningful product, a book that you can be proud of. DON’T DO what you currently do now. Miley Cyrus, or Obama for that matter, DON’T NEED a damn biography just yet.
@LACTATION MACHINE X’Treme
said”why is it that it is so much easier to convince people of something…when there is evidence of it?”
Wow!
Well dude , I have to say that this question just proves every religious doubt in my eyes to confirm itself.
This is called faith for the religious but delusion for the science community.
If there is evedince proving something , it kind of adds a little credibility to its existence.
In a multidimensional world, If gravity is weakened by leaking into other dimensions, What happens to the other 3 force? would they also leak into extra dimensions and become somewhat weaker?
I’ve read through this whole conversation and it just seems futile. It is not futile because either side is right or wrong or because neither can ever prove anything, but simply because the answer is of no consequence. Given the enormous forces at hand over such unimaginable time-frames, and considering the sheer amount of galaxys/stars/planets in the universe making it is almost statistically impossible that we are alone, it seems obvious that our existence will never have any noticable effect. IF there is a God, it is most likely that we are of no importance to him. Basing aspects of your life on such beliefs (or non-beliefs) is simply quite trivial, but if you choose to do so, consider this: IF God exists, it is beyond anything we could ever possibly imagine even in our wildest dreams, and defining it without actual evidence, saying it is such and such way to serve a purpose no matter how noble, is an insult to its existence. Therefore, arent all religion anything but blasphemy?
To the Insomniac,
Here, here !! I totally gree with your comment. The futility of the wastage and misappropriation of time/effort/money/emotion when there are SO many earthly problems requiring a solution.
“Therefore, arent all religion anything but blasphemy?” And yet, we kill in riot rage reaction to our beliefs, and then, we die.
Insomniac: everything you said is sound and I think you’re on the edge of discovering that the answer you’re looking for lies within you and stretches over your close environment. Putting intellectual effort in biologically proving that a flower really blooms will never get you certainty and satisfaction of merely seeing this flower from appropriate distance.
I agree with you, modern religions are blasphemies. But transportation on wheels would not suddenly become worthless if your car broke. And not only are religious people selfish in thinking god has put them in a privileged position, more so are those who think they’re standing at the end of time grabbing this same god by the balls. Science, rational thinking or whatever you choose to call it is of limited applicability and a religion by itself. Please mix with people in cognitive sciences, quantum mechanics etc. and you will see clearly that they are just newagers trying to mold their beliefs into mathematical formulas. Just like before, it’s only that zen and kabala are today more in vogue than christianity and occultism.
The world to me seem beautifully intertwined and I am happy about it. Are you happy about things seeming futile? Maybe some middle pillar exercise would help, heh?
@cairos: 1- Your first statement may look like it has deep spiritual meaning but it is merely an opinion based on how you personnaly view the world. Knowing how the flower blooms brings me much more satisfaction then just knowing its there.
2- Your second statement, comparing the evolution of religions to technological and/or scientific advancements(in this case the wheel) is absurd. Religion is an explanation for everything we cant explain yet. It cannot be compared to science because it is the exact opposite, hence this whole “discussion”.
3- “they’re standing at the end of time grabbing this same god by the balls”…colorfull…but the fact is, saying God doesnt exist is just as absurd as saying he does. No one in the scientific community is trying to grab God by the balls as you say, because affirming or infirming anything without factual evidence makes you lose all credibility. This idea that scientists are out to get God is simple ignorance.
4- I am very happy about the fact that ultimately our existence seems futile. If everything was really riding on us id be a bit more panicky about the whole thing.
Hey, thanks for replying and I’m glad you are well. Everything I write is my personal opinion, and so is yours. There is no god of scientists who consults them all and merges their theories into a cohesive whole. There are editors of scientific journals, and they are christians, masons and buddhists. Everything is in the eye of the beholder, theos + ora = theory. I wouldn’t close an eye on the arts of our mothers and fathers, life of a flower without roots is so short.
I’m not really defending religion, it’s only the most communicable word in this particular case. But I firmly stand behind the idea that undertakings in material and immaterial research are propelled by the same sincere human interest. How much they are holy true or aligned to a certain popular theory may not be as interesting as how much they are applicable and profitable. As a matter of fact, if a thing is very unpopular but hugely profitable, you scored it double at least.
And did you know that ego is a social construct and only recently boosted out of proportions? Think about it, we are your friends.
WHat one says isnt all opinion. Example: The sky is blue (or perceived as blue).
Your entire last post seem to revolve around one word: theory. I am honestly quite tired of this word being overused whenever science and faith collide. Anyone who says science is a theory has no understanding of how science works. It ADVANCES by theory, scientists try to guess how things work and THEN do experiments to prove they are right. If they find conclusive evidence that they are wrong, they simply move on to another theory. If they dont, THEY ARE NOT SCIENTISTS.
If what you mean by “immaterial research” is the search for spirituality or a higher power or anything of the sort, the comparison makes no sense because you CANNOT look for something when you dont know how to look, where to look, or even what to look for. Hence faith.
Now the opinion part: Faith is what you seem to be defending here (correct me if im wrong) and I honestly cannot be more strongly agaisnt that concept. Religions did serve their purpose earlier in history. They not only unified us and played a big part in beginning civilisation, they brought us out of the dark by giving us answers to questions that couldnt yet be answered, allowing us to concentrate on more vital issues. But we have come to a point in our history where we are starting to find the real answers to questions we used to answer with blind faith, and too many are in denial. This wouldnt be a problem if religion didnt play such a large role in politics not only on a national but on a world scale. I can deal with it if religion and science clash, because I know we will eventually evolve out of this. But science clashing with politics is dangerously counter-evolutive.
I think it’s important to realize the difference between religion, and spirituality. It’s my personal opinion that religion is the result of spirituality misused. Religion seeks to enlighten the world with a set of exclusive rules, theories and rituals. However, at the core of some religions, there is a science of of the cosmos. This is spirituality. It’s not the same as physical, chemical or any other type of science that is academically pursued. There are no rules or theories governing the methodology behind it. There are no repeat experiments to confirm results. In this way, it is very different from actual science. Yet it is similar to it in the sense that there is never a point where everything is known… it is a continual pursuit of truth. Spirituality has more in common with science than religion. Religion assumes that everything is known. It is arrogant.
My point is… don’t mistaken the messenger for the message. Because, underneath the thick layers of religion, there is truth. This truth is this science of spirituality. Hinduism is a great example. Underneath the pervertisized (not sure that’s a word), ritualized, humanized, and socialized layers of Hinduism, there is a world of mythos and symbolism and metaphors that is in parallel with quantum science. It paints a picture of atoms, molecules and space with deities and demigods. They are revealed as art forms…stories and poems. Their aim is not to save the world… their aim is to decipher the world.
I’m not saying spirituality should replace science. I think spirituality is an alternative to science. Science seeks to understand universally… while spirituality seeks to understand personally, through the self. Of course, science is more practical and more external. Spirituality is also practical, but it is internal because there is no set of theories to govern it. It is impossible… because everyone’s theory of the universe will vary according to personal experience.
@ aiaiyo,
Thank you. I learned from your explanations in your comment.
It was a heartfelt “good one” sermon for me.
Insomniac, social sciences are sciences, and religion is a social science. Vatican is a state. Separation of religion and state would be an absurd idea, if it wouldn’t have … an unspecified agenda. Religious terminology and inventory is baroque, because it comes from another age, it’s educational system is separated from the democratic state, but it’s operations mostly work. You do not see it because it is omnipresent just like fish do not know they’re living in the water.
Faith is a very important factor. How do you know that your results are repeatable? You know they are not! You just _believe_ there is a space-timeframe where they are. How do you know your wife is not cheating on you? You. Do. Not. Believeing, estimating and predicting is exactly that – having faith in the material and social context; call it nature or akasha or god or whatever you like.
Aiaiyo pointed out some interesting facts, but to stay on topic somehow I’ll just say that most if not all of the revolutionary science comes out of religion. Because religions are ancient organizations and they gathered more information than what’s in the prayer book. And because their theories are very abstract and encompass more than movement of the matter. I do not claim that you will become a great thinker by visiting the sunday mass, heh.
Dancingspiderman: Thanks. I’m not sure if you were being sarcastic. But I didn’t mean to make it sound like a sermon. I guess I should have put a big “I think…” in front of my comment.
All the comments here could be classified into 3 categories. Believers, non-believers, and those that are commenting about the doc :P…kidding. But I can see what Insomniac and Cairos are saying. But I also see that both their opinions overlap in some ways. I agree with Insomniac in saying that religion no longer adds any value to the advancement of the world’s welfare in general. But I also agree with Cairos in saying that there is a fine line between religion and science… in the sense that they both create a passion in a person to strive for something. At one point in our history, religion did drive new discoveries. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Leonardao da Vinci a religious person?
But is that good enough to warrant for religion to exist in our society? I personally don’t think so. Best way for me to explain religion is like this: When a few people got together and talked about our origin and the world and their spiritual experience, they were like “Oh wow, this is great. WOuldn’t it be neat if everyone was involved in talking about this and sharing this experience? Let’s create a club!” Wrong…bad idea. Although their intentions were noble, it wouldn’t work. Because as soon as they did, their need for UNITY created a need for structure….then came the rules and regulations. Sure, it had some positive resluts. But the negatives overshadow the positives…big time. In the end, all it creates is an “US vs. THEM” atmosphere. Religion has become “The way” instead of “a way”. Too much passion creates extremists.
And this isn’t restricted to religion alone. I also see exremists in science. Science extremists try to measure every thing. They base their entire beliefs on the religion of rationale. If they can’t see it, hear it or measure it, they don’t pursue it. True, in order to confrim the existence of something, we should be able to measure it. But some things in this universe need an irrational first step to understand it. And just like in quantum mechanics, the closer we get to the truth, the more irrational it seems. It’s a weak arguement, I know. But commenting on the complex wonder of the universe, someone here said that it takes someone like Hawkings to “even bigin to formulate the question in math terms, let alone give an answer”. I disagree. I think that’s the kind of extreme in science that I am talking about. A kind of extreme that is in any group… a viewpoint that holds that some of us are incapable of some things just because we don’t belong to that group. Hawkings is an amazing human being. But I don’t need to have his mathematical mind in order to ponder and appreciate the infinite nature of this universe. THe infinite is more than just numbers. I see it in nature, I see it in art, I see it everywhere.
I don’t mean to sound preachy… but I just want to point out that I see 2 general viewpoints that are arguing against each other in this forum… but there is a common ground to your arguements. Let’s just agree to disagree.
aiaiaaiaiyo, (Extending yer name, there, THAT was sarcasm BTW),
No sarcasm; I am learning from you.
I really do commend your stream of thought in your comments.
So much better than most.
I usually don’t read comments that are longer than 10 lines worth, but I’d read yours.
I’m glad there are people who actually do take the time and make the effort (for free, even) to share their POV about what they understand a certain aspect of the World to be.
Have a great day, aiaiaiaiaiaiyo
Joe
haha, that’s quite a compliment. Thanks, Joe!
having finished watching the whole doc, I wanted to say this is some great stuff. It really is amazing when we look at the bigger picture of the world we live in. All the mysteries and unquantifiables in our universe made that much more exciting and mindblowing through the eyes of a genius like Hawking.
Something I saw in another documentary on this very site comes to mind. I think it was the mathematician Cantor, who literally went insane, trying to come up with a formula that would explain god, I think. (He was religious by the way.) At one point in his pursuit, he discovered that there are various levels of infinity! Isn’t that crazy? It was for ME! There I was thinking that finite and infinite is a binary concept… and to find out that there are various degrees of infinity?! INSANE!
aiaiyo,
Yeah, I enjoying watching Dangerous Knowledge every now and then. Multiple classifications of Infinity, yep, that blew my mind also.
What’ll blow the minds of Scientits is when there will be proof positive that Time is in fact a multi-dimensional phenomenon… at that point many but not all of the missing blanks will be filled in Physics.
I have said earlier that this discussion is ultimately pointless, but I’ll go a bit further about why: it’s not actually taking place. The whole faith vs science thing(or faith vs fact) is a battle that cannot even logically be had in the first place because accepting anything without undeniable proof automatically makes you an outsider to any related scientific discussion. Basically, I can accept your right to believe, but I reject your right to join a conversation from which you’ve excluded yourself before it even began.
*Note that this is not directed at anyone in particular as ppls still posting here seem to keep an open mind.
My only problem with Hawking is simply this: that little crumpled-up-genius owes me 25 dollars!
It was last year sometime. There I was, walking the campus at Berkley, where Steve had been doing a lecture tour, and from behind me I hear this whiring sound.
I turn around and there he is, buzzing up behind me in his souped-up “hover-round” and he says to me in that electronic voice, he says, “Dude. Let. Me. Get. 15. Bucks. To. Score. Some. Arby’s…”
I was like, “Man, you still owe me 10 from when I was at Oxford LAST year, and you needed Arby’s! What is it with you?”
Well, you know Steve, right? He gets those puppy dog eyes and you just can’t refuse. The man loves his Arby’s!
A world-class, solid-gold genius, but… a bit of a moocher…
(that was a little joke to cheer up Epi_Logic, who is having girl problems… no disrespect intended to one of my heroes, the great Stephen Hawking!)
Wow. You are good! I am amazed. Why did you post that again?
Epi_Logic,
Yeah. I just thought people needed to lighten up a bit. I mean, when you are up against the Master, (Hawking), you have nothing to say.
None of us, know as much as he. Just give it up.
But to YOU, I can say, you will always have woman problems, but that is great! That is LIFE!
Good onya, Mate!
“How dare ye question the word of the almighty Hawkins!”…
@Randy: Your not helping here ^^
@Randy. This is gonna sound crazy. Unless…well… hmmm. I’ll just spit it out.
I have been wanting to ask you for some advice for updating my internet dating profile but i have been embarrassed to ask. You know that i respect your way with words.
Now is the weird part… Just before you re-posted the Hawkins story i copied and pasted it (sorry) to my favourite books section and within a minute you re-post it??? WTF???
I see all, my brother…
Good luck to you!
@Randy. This is strange. Please elaborate on ‘ i see all’.
@EpiLog
Dont feel bad brotha , I got the woman-issue going on too.
We should go to Amsterdam and get us a hooker.
Just kidding.Or am I?
I am not kidding @eirecannach666. somethings up here…
@Everyone
Evolution will teach you everything you need to know about women. Women are a subject of study, like anything else in life. Study history, biology… know their minds, know that they are wired differently than you.
And, Epi_Logic, I know people. I remember everything you ever typed, I just KNOW you…
But, I think you need to procreate. I think you are a good man.
(And use my words anytime you want, I am honored!)
5 comments in moderation. lol.
Adios. I will re-format my computer tomorrow.
Watched this doc. quite a while ago, might as well get notified.
What? is everyone looking for broads?, sorry meant women, (LOL)
Women are like QM, if you think you know women, you do not know women at all!
Oh, and @ Randy, just to let you know your name was brought up in conjunction with mine, on Apollo Zero here on TDF. With utter lack of respect from Peter Carson.
Don’t know if I hit the notification button.
@Achems who wrote:
“Women are like QM, if you think you know women, you do not know women at all!”
Indeed! They are a wonderful mystery that must always be puzzled out! Men are easy.
If you had my full name, you could google me, and you would find me to be a *** porn star, (um… no…), or you might find an interview I gave to my local newspaper about my business.
I try very hard to keep a very low internet profile, because I know the risks.
But, seriously, if anyone wants to come to my house and engage me, they would find me more than adequate to their advances, even with my MS!
Stop spewing your non-logical religous humbug people!
It should be EVIDENT that this is a place of scientific
discussion.
The “god syndrome”, is nothing but a rush of chemicals in your zealot ridden brains that tells your nervous center to give pleasure/hallucinations/relaxation/hapiness. IN FACT relatively new studies show that the chemical reactions going on in a religous fanatics brains are almost identical to a junkies brain on heroine. What does this mean? Your addicted to the concept of god, so much in fact, that it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to snap you out of the divine psychosis you suffer from (Remember the saying: Insane people don’t know their insane).
_____________________________________________________
@ Laura
Thank you for smearing your religous views on a comment section for scientific discussion! You godfreaks keep demanding respect and your nonsense to be taken seriously- I say,what about us who do not want to hear about your Jesus advertisements? Shouldn’t you be respectful enough to hold your tongue? How would you feel if I advertised Darwinism or any other form of science that teaches reason at your local churches forum?
Religion isn’t the opiate of the masses, it’s the placebo of the masses.
Let’s keep this board CLEAN from now on, no more HUMBUG! I repeat:
NO MORE HUMBUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oooh, the room was pitch black with some HellFIre there for a few minutes…hmmm.
I couldn’t make a trip down to the store, so I’ve replaced the blown fuse with a penny.
But let’s not rely on the penny as a permanent fuse.
Somebody, on yer next trip into town, grab a package of fuses, and a box o’ feminine napkins “fer the lady”. I’ll reimburse ya. Thanx.
Joe aka DancingSpiderman
læst: excrement in a crowded room is an insult. Those that do not agree should pick it up, move it in their own places and admire it there. And if you don’t know about ethics – you’re breaking the law too.
cairos
Law? Who’s or which law?
eireannach666: I can give you legal advice for 150 € per hour. Please contact me privately.
@cairos
Dont need it. I despise the law of society and all who use it as a justification of intelligence. Just like all money isnt good money , so is all help , or advice.
I was looking for scientific law , not law of the manipulation of words.
peAce
@ Cairos
Sorry, not to offend, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about. Please explain…
I must say everyone here is quite fired up about this whole thing. I think that fanatical persons going into “zealot mode” on either side of an argument don’t paint a good picture of humanity in general. By nature a fanatic’s comments don’t represent his/her community correctly, right? There are level headed, reasoning Christians. There is such a thing as a non-militant atheist and not all scientists enjoy religion bashing. I just wanted to remind people that it is important to keep from generalizing if its possible to be specific to the argument. I think we agree on that? I don’t think anyone likes when someone is telling them the way they think is wrong. Whether you are answering the door to a religious group or being attacked by the many forum flaming “trolls” it holds true. I wish I had gotten to comment on this earlier. I feel like I missed some opportunities at some good input.
when we are children we look to our parents as our masters and our comforters.this is a need that becomes implanted in the brain. back in human history when we had less scientific understanding this need gave rise to god so the adult{child withen us all}still had a comfort zone.
Awesome & mind blowing stuff. However, it Creation is something that, in my humble opinion, will never be solved. – Some things are best left untold!
its a game of chance…. like life… or sad to say gamble
if you don’t put a bet… you don’t have a chance of winning or achieving anything…
if you bet to believe in a God(the true God) not referring to Jehovah… you have a chance to receive something…
if you do not believe in God…. may be you don’t have a chance to gain anything….
we’re all living in morally, rule and, laws of society. a
its like living with a God… and its more greater…
society is corruptible. but not God…
God Bless.. Jesus(love)
peace and love
an explosion disperses matter over an area.the more powerfull the explosion the wider the dispersion.the heat of a powerul explosion can transform elements and create new ones.