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Stephen Hawkins: An oscillating scientist
The choice of Stephen Hawkins (1942-)
Reconciling Science with Religion
Science and religious belief do not meet. They are on different levels. Throughout history marriage between the two has been attempted by men of religion, philosophers and even scientists. These attempts were merely charades, exercises in futility.
Hawkins reattempts what the old ones have attempted. He ended up as an acrobat mounting two two horses in opposite direction . A doubtful skeptic, one time a believer in God and another a complete atheist. Well, he is an perfect syndrome for oscillation between belief and disbelief.
Looking into the Universe
Hawkins is the example of a physicist of the post modernity who tries to reconcile, in his investigation into the existence of God, science with God. He confronts the universe, and seeks to discover its laws in order to comprehend its origins,its structure, its functioning as well as the purpose of
existence. While trying to find a complete theory (a Master theory that explains everything) by unifying the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory, he confronts an insurmountable problem that remains unsolvable until now.
Repeated pronouncements
His repeated pronouncements to establish a relation between science and God remain unresolved.
By seeking explanations for the enigmas of the universe through scientific work Hawkins raises fundamental questions. But Hawkins confronting the universe oscillates in his personal convictions as to the existence of God between attempting to demonstrate the existence of God and his non-
existence. He declares himself one time as a Christian and another as an atheist.
He advances the following questions: What do we know of the universe? How can we know what relates to the universe? Where does the universe come from? Where is it going? Did the universe have a beginning? And if so, what happened before its beginning? What is the nature of time? Is there an
end for time?' (1)
Confrontation with the Universe
Like Aristotle, he identifies man with the natural search of knowledge':
Since the dawn of civilization, people are not satisfied to witness events going on without finding relationships between them, these remain inexplicable. People have thirst to comprehend the underlying order of the world. Today, we aspire always to know why are we here and where do we
come from? The deep desire of humanity for knowledge is a largely sufficient justification to continue the search. And our goal is nothing less than to have a complete description of the universe where we live.' (2)
Hawkins reiterates that until now scientists raise the question of how? And that philosophers pose the question of why?' (3).
Hawkins emphasizes the role of man in searching for ultimate answers for the purpose of existence, our existence as well as a meaning for the existence of the universe:
If, indeed, we discover a complete theory, it must be
comprehensible for everyone in general, and not only by some scientists. Thus we can all, philosophers, scientists as well as the ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question: why do we exist, why does the universe exist? If we can find the answer to this question, it will be the ultimate triumph of the human reason- because then we will know the
mind of God.' (4)
God and the Big Bang
The objective of Hawkins, as a scientist, is to find scientific explanations for philosophical questions as well as religious ones. By examining the perceptible he claims the possibility of comprehending the intelligible. But at the same time he states that if there had been in reality a Big-bang God would exist, but without this Big-bang, the world would be without
beginning, and what need then can we have for God? (5)
The Principle of Uncertainty
By applying himself to the problems of his research Hawkins discovers difficulties as well as uncertainties of concepts advanced by science. He recognizes his ignorance of "time" stating, whatever time is'. (6) He recognizes the uncertainty of the explanation of matter' (7), as well as the uncertainty of the Theory of Strings'. (8) He refutes the deterministic' doctrine. (9) He demonstrates also the uncertainty of the
mechanics of the quanta', the hypothesis of Max Planck, by the principle of uncertainty'. (10) He also states that the General Theory of Relativity' is incomplete because he considers that all physical theories collapse (at zero point of the Big bang), including the Theory of Relativity itself, and
thus it is unable to show how the universe started". (11) He considers that the theory of Big-bang is generally accepted by most scientists:
Thus at the end (of research with Roger Penrose on the singularity of Big-bang in 1970) our work became
acceptable and today almost everyone assumes that the universe started with the singularity of Big-bang.' (12)
Change of Attitude
However, Hawkins moves towards a change of attitude with regard to his theory of the Big-bang (in his treatise A Short History of Time). He undertakes the task to propose the opposite view that the universe did not have a beginning':
It is perhaps ironic that after having changed my opinion, I am now in the process of convincing other physicists that in reality, there was no singularity at the beginning of the universe- and that it shall disappear once the effects of quantum are taken into account.' (13)
Lack of Any Evidence: Return to Zero-Point
This last statement is important in showing the change of attitude of a scientist into a complete opposite direction, lack of evidential certainty for scientific knowledge. This opposite idea for the Big bang denies, for Hawkins, the need for a God
to perform the Big bang singularity, and hence there is no need for such a God.
Combating the idea of the need for a God with scientific tools Hawkins arrives at the conclusion that the universe does not have any limit in space, nor any beginning or any end in time, and finally, does not have any place for a Creator. (14) A short History Of Time
Misinterpretations of Thought
However, the idea of the eternity of the world does not exclude, by necessity, the existence of an eternal designer. In his pronouncements Hawkins declared himself once as a believing Christian and another time as an atheist.
Hawkins is an example of a scientist who oscillates between belief and disbelief by his very scientific choice. But unwisely he attempts to justify his attitude by scientific presumptions.
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1. Stephen Hawking, , From the Big-
bang to Black Holes, Bentam Books, Reading, Berkshire,
1988. p.1.
2. Ibid., p. 15.
3. Ibid., p. 193.
4. Ibid., p. 193.
5. Ibid., p. 9-15. Igor and Grichka Bogdanov, Two French
physicists, state that the Big-bang requires a God in, "Before
the Big-bang", Grasset Editions & Fasquelle, Paris, 2004. p.
315-320. The same idea is discussed by the same authors in,
