Stephen William Hawking (65) was born in Oxford, England on January 8, 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo. A few quotes by Hawking: As we shall see, the concept of time has no meaning before the beginning of the universe. This was first pointed out by St. Augustine. When asked: What did God do before he created the universe? Augustine didn't reply: He was preparing Hell for people who asked such questions. Instead, he said that time was a property of the universe that God created, and that time did not exist before the beginning of the universe. [Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam, 1988), p. 8]Looking beyond the stars Hawking has done all of his research and writing from a wheelchair with a voice-controlled computer, and without gloom and doom.
What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary. [Stephen W. Hawking, Der Spiegel, 1989]
One does not have to appeal to God to set the initial conditions for the creation of the universe, but if one does He would have to act through the laws of physics. [Stephen Hawking, Black Holes & Baby Universes]
Retrieved from Celebrity Atheists
All that my work has shown is that you don't have to say that the way the universe began was the personal whim of God. [Stephen Hawking, Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993)]
FFRF
"I have had motor neurone disease, [ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease] for practically all my adult life. Yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family, and being successful in my work. This is thanks to the help I have received from Jane, my children, and a large number of other people and organisations. I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope."
Hawking's Website
See also 'Science Heros'
Hawking Plans Space Flight
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